Advantages: Advantages: Cheap, all in one solution Disadvantages: No manual overide or audio support
stops autoscanning and lets you use the currently selected PC.
The Belkin claims support for scrolling mice but I did find sometimes one PC would start up without recognising this facility if it wasn't the currently selected one when booting up and in extreme cases, wouldn't recognise the keyboard and mouse at all. Previous KVM's I've used send the PC fake 'There's a keyboard and mouse here' messages when not selected and it seems this unit does not, which is a pity.
Conclusion
The Belkin 2 port KVM is a well built unit that works nicely and provides a great way to save desk space and the cost of a second monitor, keyboard and mouse. The long leads are useful and despite the niggles with scrolling mice and the lack of manual switch. I'd say this unit is worth considering at this price if you can live with those shortcomings ...
Advantages: Cheap, all in one solution, audio support Disadvantages: No manual overide
It's surprising how many people have more than one PC at home although even more surprising is that many of them each have their own screen, keyboard and mouse.
In many cases this makes perfect sense but sometimes, you know you'll only ever use one or the other - perhaps one is your general PC and the other your music workstation. In these situations you can save a lot of space and money by investing in a KVM switch. KVM stands for Keyboard, Video and Mouse and allows you to use one keyboard, mouse and screen shared between two PCs.
This particular unit from Belkin is unusual in that it also includes audio support and also comes with all the leads permanently attached instead of being supplied as a separate cabling set.
Wiring it Up
Installation is simply a matter of taking each of the two main cables and plugging the sets ...
Advantages: Cheap, reliable, simple to use Disadvantages: None.
I liked this switch so much, I bought two of them.
Netgear have a reputation for cheap and reliable networking equipment, and this 5 port unmanaged switch is no exception.
When I bought my two, they were retailing online for approx £35 each - but these days you should be able to get one for approx £25 (inc VAT.)
The switch is more or less the size of my hand (yes, I have big hands). With 5 ports on the back - all are auto-sensing, as is the gigabit standard, so you don't have to worry about crossover cables if you're daisy-chaining switches... The only other port on the back is for power, which is the usual "wall-wart" plug in transformer you get with most home networking equipment.
Given the switch is unmanaged, you can just plug desktop computers, laptops, XBOXes, network printers straight into the switch, and not worry ...
Product Information for "Brocade SilkWorm 200E - switch - 8 ports" »
General
MPN
BR-210E-R0001-A1
Device Type
Switch
Enclosure Type
Rack-mountable - 1U
Width
42.9 cm
Depth
30.7 cm
Height
4.3 cm
Weight
4 kg
Networking
Ports Qty
8
Auxiliary Network Ports
8 x SFP (mini-GBIC) Ports on Demand
Data Transfer Rate
4.24 Gbps
Data Link Protocol
4Gb Fibre Channel
Remote Management Protocol
SNMP, Telnet, SNMP 3, HTTP, HTTPS, SSH
Connectivity Technology
Wired
Communication Mode
Full-duplex
Features
Full duplex capability, auto-sensing per device, trunking, ISL support, RADIUS support, SSH support
Expansion / connectivity
Expansion Slots Total (Free)
16 ( 8 ) x SFP (mini-GBIC)
Interfaces
1 x management - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45
1 x management - RS-232 - 9 pin D-Sub (DB-9)
8 x network - 4Gb Fibre Channel
Miscellaneous
Encryption Algorithm
SSL
Authentication Method
Secure Shell (SSH), RADIUS
Compliant Standards
CE, TUV, EN 60950, NEMKO, UL 60950, CSA 22.2 No. 60950
Power
Power Device
Power supply - internal
Voltage Required
AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Power Consumption Operational
45 Watt
Software / system requirements
Software Included
Brocade Advanced Zoning, Brocade Fabric OS, Brocade Advanced Web Tools
OS Required
UNIX, IBM AIX, SunSoft Solaris, HP-UX, Linux, Microsoft Windows
Environmental parameters
Min Operating Temperature
0 °C
Max Operating Temperature
40 °C
Humidity Range Operating
10 - 85%
Manufacturer's product description
As the value and volume of business data continue to rise, organizations need technology solutions that are easy to implement and manage, and that can grow and change with minimal disruption. Today, Brocade Storage Area Network (SAN) solutions can help organizations simplify their IT management infrastructures, shrink data backup windows, improve system performance, and reduce overall storage costs. The 4 Gbit/sec Brocade SilkWorm 200E 8-port Fiber Channel switch provides an affordable single-switch solution for small SANs or existing SANs that are being upgraded with newer technology. To help SAN users deploy their SANs, the SilkWorm 200E features the EZSwitchSetup wizard and other key usability and configuration enhancements.
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