Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Monday, November 8, 2010

Sunray to replace a KVM console.



I have had an idea to use a decomissioned IBM console with a Sunray to provide a replacement for our old KVM.


The KVM's time has gone and updating it did not seem like a good use of money.


The screen was a rack mount 17 inch vga screen and the keyboard & mouse /touchpad. (IBM/Lenovo laptop style.)





Here are the issues I overcame to provide this solution.


Issues:



  1. Video: Our Sunray uses DVI connectors. IBM screen uses VGA.

  2. Keyboard/ Mouse: The Sunray uses only USB. Our Console keyboard has PS2 connectors for both mouse and Keyboard.

  3. A standard PS/2 to USB adapter did not work well on the Sunray.


Solutions:

  1. Video: no problem the Sunray 2FS ships with a DVi to VGA adapter.

  2. KB/Mouse- PS/2 : I acquired 2 Cables to go brand USB to PS/2 Y adapters from Tiger Direct.

  3. Despite being a Y adapter, these adapters would not allow both keyboard and mouse connected to one USB port. In fact the first one I got (model # 27225 $12 CDN) would not even allow you to type normally. The mouse works fine with this one. The second one I got worked fine with the keyboard (model # 32185 $32.99 CDN) but not with the mouse. Note also I had to connect both devices to the port labeled mouse, not the labeled keyboard port. The IBM keyboard /mouse comination device was labled SK-8840 part number PN 89P8500


So by combining these 2 adapters and using the 2 rear USB ports on the SunRay I was able to make this solution work.



It seemed a bit expensive $32 for the Sun compatible USB to PS/2 adapter but i wanted the nice rackmount IBM keyboard to work.



A cheaper solutiion might have been to find a narrower USB keboard , a flatscreen monitor and put it on a shelf in the rack but not nearly as elegant and not foldable.