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CHAPTER 4: Operation
4.1 The Switching Procedure
It is very easy to switch between connected CPUs in a KVM Switch system:
Press the button on the front panel of the Switch that corresponds to the
Switch port that the desired CPU is connected to. (For information about
the Switch’s LEDs, see
Section 3.2.5
on the previous page.
)
4.2 Guidelines for Using the KVM Switch with Your Equipment
4.2.1 CPU
S
PC models (SW730A, SW731A) only:
Use only IBM AT or PS/2 or 100%
compatible machines. The KVM Switch does not support IBM PC/XT
™
or compatible machines.
4.2.2 M
OUSE AND
K
EYBOARD
When you power up your CPUs, make sure your mouse, keyboard,
and CPUs are all properly cabled to the KVM Switch.
PC models (SW730A, SW731A) only:
The KVM Switch works well with 2-button
RS-232 mice by Microsoft
®
or Logitech
™
. It also works with many 3-button
mice. However, the Switch does not support PS/2 bus mice, and it does not
support mice that must receive configuration data from the CPU. Also, the
KVM Switch is transparent to the keyboard-scan mode, but each CPU must
support the scan mode used by the shared keyboard.
4.2.3 M
ONITOR
The adapter cables used by the PC and Sun models of the KVM Switch are
coaxial. This heavy-duty construction allows them to carry near-perfect video
at resolutions up to 1280 x 1024 as far as 21 ft. (6.4 m). However, the standard
cables used with the Mac models of the Switch (SW732A, SW733A) are less
robust; the video quality you see on the monitor will decrease at higher
resolutions and distances, as shown in Table 4-1 on the next page. The
distances in the table are total cable lengths measured from the CPU to the
monitor; they represent the three different total distances you can get with
stock-length cables.
Coaxial cabling is available for your Mac KVM Switch system. These cables
carry video as well as the standard PC and Sun cables do, but they are a
special order. Call Black Box for a quote.
4. Operation