[plug] Redhat + KDE + key/mon/mouse switch: mouse deconfigs?

[Steege, Phil E]

I have seen KVM switches that have a CTRL option which allows you to re-sync
the mouse and keyboards.
I have also seen similar problems when the mouse cable, to the KVM switch,
was too long.  I don't know the limit, but the KVM switch manual should have
cable limitations.
I am currently using a KVM between a RedHat 7.3 and Windows 2000 Pro
systems, with no problems.  My cables are 2 meter cables.

-----Original Message-----
From: Denis Brown [mailto:dsbrown at cyllene.uwa.edu.au] 
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 9:13 PM
To: plug at plug.linux.org.au
Subject: [plug] Redhat + KDE + key/mon/mouse switch: mouse deconfigs?


Dear PLUG members,

The following from a colleague.  I have done google'ing, altavista'ing and 
so forth.  Closest I come is the suggestion that "some cheap kvm switches 
give this problem.  I have no idea what breed of kvm switch my colleague is 
using but any thoughts would be valued!

"I have 2 PC's on my desk connected with 1 keyboard/mouse/monitor via a
2-port switch box (press the button to switch between boxes). 1 Box in
WinXP, which works fine, and the other is Redhat 7.3. If I use the WinXP box
for an extended period (more than an hour or so), when I switch back to the
Redhat box, the mouse operation is all over the place, and I cannot use KDE.
If I can manage to quit KDE, then re-start a fresh KDE session, then the
mouse is OK. I have seen similar problems before when I have the wrong
emulation set for the mouse - but this is odd as it initially works fine. Is
there a timeout setting that checks mouse connectivity that might need
adjusting here? I am guessing that after a set time, Redhat assumes the
mouse is missing and drops the emulation function. When I then switch back
to the box, it sees hardware it knows nothing of in effect, and is unable to
'plug & play'. (The mouse is an MS IR Intellimouse)"

I've seen references to timeouts and mice but only in the context of 
3-button emulation.   I guess one option is to forget the kvm switch and 
just run something like VNC (server) on the XP and use the RH box natively 
and as the VNC client for the XP.
TIA,
Denis