keyboard/video/mouse
What is KVM?Most IT organizations use a keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) switch in order to minimize the number of input devices and monitors necessary to control multiple servers. The KVM switch allows you to share one locally connected keyboard, mouse, and monitor between as many servers as the switch will support.
With a KVM switch, it is possible to choose which server to manage, fix or maintain from a single station at any given time. This makes server management easier for the operator while reducing clutter and hardware costs for the data center.
Because the KVM switch enables an operator to sit in one place while monitoring tens of computers, that operator can be much more productive. While the KVM switch may require a fraction of a second to change from one computer to the next, this is less time than it takes the operator to stand up, much less walk 5 or 10 feet to another computer as would be required without the KVM switch.
Today, KVM technology has reached even further, with remote access KVM, creating further efficiency in server maintenance and management.
As opposed to remote access software, direct control of the KVM, whether remote or local, allows access to the server on the BIOS level, access that is crucial for most server problems. If the server is experiencing a problem, it is likely that any remote access software installed on it will not function properly either.
In addition, a software solution requires that the server’s Operating System (OS) is fully booted and running, while there are many cases where either the OS has crashed or a network administrator wants to monitor, control and even interrupt the boot process as it unfolds.
With KVM switches, the boot process can be managed in the exact same manner as it would be if the network administrator was sitting right in front of the managed device. Because a KVM switch is a network independent, pure hardware solution, an analog KVM system does not require a LAN of any kind. And, after making necessary changes to the device’s configuration, the network administrator can restart and monitor the entire process as the device reboots, without losing the server connection.
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