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CHAPTER 3: Installation
3.4 Powering the Switch
Once you’ve installed your Multi-Head ServSwitch system and attached your
equipment to it, you need to apply power to each Switch. You can do this in either
of two ways. Most basic systems should be able to get the power they need from the
attached CPUs. However, you might need to power the Switch(es) in your system
with the optional PS649 power supply, especially if the system (a) runs long cable
distances to equipment, (b) uses high-resolution video, or (c) is synchronized.
If you’re powering a Switch with the attached CPUs: Power up the CPUs. The Switch
(which has no ON/OFF switch) might be able to start operating automatically; it
can draw power from the attached CPUs’ keyboard interfaces, and a single cable
connection to a CPU’s keyboard port is usually sufficient to power the Switch if the
cable isn’t more than 3 meters (10 feet) long. (If more than one computer is
connected to the Switch, you’ll probably be able to use longer cables; the Switch
will draw power intelligently from all attached computers.) As you power up your
CPUs, watch the Switch’s 7-segment display as discussed in Section 5.1: If it shows
the number “1” or the letter “P,” the Switch will be able to operate using the power
it’s receiving from the CPUs, but if it’s blank, the Switch is not getting enough
power from the CPUs, and you’ll have to either use the power supply or swap in
shorter CPU cables.
If you are using the power supply: Plug the power supply’s output cord into the power
jack on the back of the Multi-Head ServSwitch, then attach the input cord to the
power-supply transformer’s IEC 320 inlet. Then plug the input cord into utility
(mains) power. (In this situation, always apply power to the Multi-Head ServSwitch
first, then power on the monitors and each of the computers. If you power up the
computers before the Switch, the computers might not recognize the presence of
the mouse or keyboard.) The Switch should start operating immediately; it has no
ON/OFF switch.
