[plug] Emulate Keyboard, Video, Mouse over USB (on Linux)

[Matthew Lambie]

On Tue, 2005-07-26 at 17:29 +0930, Onno Benschop wrote:
> Matthew Lambie wrote:
> 
> >Does anyone know if the following device exists:
> >
> >Connect a cable which has KVM style plugs to the monitor, keyboard and
> >mouse outputs/inputs of a single target computer, and plug the other
> >(USB) end into a laptop. Open some software and have a VNC/KVM style
> >experience.
> >
> >I hope my description makes sense.
> >  
> >
> Hmm, I've now re-read that several times and the answer is still "No". 
> I've read the interaction between you and Senectus and that still 
> doesn't help.
> 
> So, instead of talking plugs and cables, what functionality do you 
> actually need to achieve?

Picture this. You're a tech that services several remote offices. You
have your toolbox (ie, a screwdriver :) and a laptop. You rock up at one
of the server and need to connect to it, but there's no keyboard,
monitor or mouse to be had. But you do have your laptop, so you pull
that out. You need to get the video feed, and provide keyboard and mouse
inputs, so you plug in the "magical box" to a USB port on your laptop
and the other ends into the server you want to control.

You then either boot a "magical CD" which turns your laptop's LCD,
keyboard and mouse into the server's inputs/outputs. Or, instead of
booting a magical CD you run some magical software, much like VNC, and
you get a window within your desktop environment through which you can
control the server.

A KVM doesn't help at all because you still need a monitor, keyboard and
mouse to plug into the "USER" end of the KVM - I want to use the laptop
instead. The best a KVM can provide is if it does KVM over Ethernet/IP
and then you connect to the KVM IP box with VNC. Like this:

[Server]===[KVM IP Box]---Laptop

	Where == is the KVM cables (I know, it should be thee bars and 	
	not two) and -- is the ethernet.

Unfortunately these boxes are several thousand pounds, and are more
designed for rack-mounting rather than carrying from site to site. I
also don't want the ability to control more than one machine at one
time, which a KVM offers by definition.

X/Terminal Services isn't going to help because you want to get to the
system's BIOS. And the machine might not have these services running
anyway.

I hope this makes more sense now.
-- 

Thanks,

Matthew Lambie
Technical Director

THE FRONTIER GROUP, PTY. LTD.
Suite 17/44 Kings Park Road
West Perth, WA  6005
Australia

w: http://thefrontiergroup.com.au
e: mlambie at thefrontiergroup.com.au
f: +61 (08) 6263 4444
m: +61 408 866 997