Remote desktop clients are great for those one-in-a-million scenarios when your computer is working well enough to connect to the internet and run a remote desktop app, but still requires technical assistance. In contrast,
IOGEAR gives IT types full control from boot with the spendy-but-useful PCPortal GCN1000. The internet-connected
KVM switch is completely hardware-based, meaning the computer you're controlling needs no working operating system to be taken control of, and IT people have about as much control over the remote PC as they would if sitting directly in front of it. You can also plug the GCN1000 into regular KVM switches to manage multiple computers remotely, as well as use the Virtual Media port to give remote users data straight from whatever's plugged into the USB port. Unfortunately, all this hotness comes at a cost: the GCN1000 is available now for $500.
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posted Mar 10th 2008 4:27PM
Dude, that is exactly what I've been needing for years! It's no fun sending a reboot command remotely after changing the network settings...
Avocent has a host of enterprise IP KVMs and have for a great deal of time (they also have KVM over ethernet which is confusing and not the same thing at all; it just replaces the KVM cable with an ethernet cable and a KVM dongle). Some of their products are pretty slick, though the java based desktop window you use to connect to a host on the KVM sucks.
Disclaimer: Don't buy this if you are a dumbass.
I ordered a similar product from another company, think it was called SpiderLink.
It works good for what it is meant to do, only snag is there is a PS2 and a USB version. If you have a computer that doesn't support USB in BIOS, you are limited in what you can do until the OS is loaded.
It would be nice, especially at this price, these products supported both ps2 and usb. I may have to look into this specific product more to see if that is the case.
You can probably just buy a couple of USB to PS/2 adapters. I know they included one with a USB keyboard we bought years ago, I don't see why the company you speak of doesn't just include a couple.
Even with PS2 to USB, it doesn't work.
It was an attempt to see if these products would be useful at remote locations, but the product I ordered has fallen short of what we require.
Sweet.
Given some of my family members & what they do to there systems before they call me, I should make them get a few of these.
I bought a Belkin 16 port IP KVM which also offers local access for only US$500, admittedly you then need modules for each computer, but that iogear thing's EXPENSIVE!
If you are interested in this type of application, see also Raritan's KX2-101. The use case is the same -- but with a better form factor, PoE support, and a single model for both USB and PS/2:
http://www.raritan.com/kvm-switches/kvm-over-ip/kx2-101/
FULL DISCLOSURE: I sell these products. Please delete this comment if it violates commenting rules -- I don't mean to be a corporate shill, just trying to be helpful!
This sounds awesome, can't wait til the price comes down.
This seems like a cheaper version of the existing IP KVMs already on the market. There are a number of them.. I've tried the Adder IP before, very nice because it uses VNC instead of a proprietary KVM protocol. Their iPEPS thing goes for around $600
Isn't this the same company that makes $2 mice and $3 usb hubs?
I think I'll pass.
ATEN makes a similar product which I've used. The software was weird, and it was hard to sync up the mouse on the local and remote computer, but when it worked, it was sweet. Shivering in a noisy server room sucks.
Didn't mean to hit reply. Comment is still valid, just not as a reply.
Crap. I messed up twice. I fail at the internet.
This is very good for people who want remote access to a powered off system with full drive encryption since you wouldn't otherwise be able to enter your passphrase. Of course you'd need some way to WOL your machine.
Looks like an external version of the Dell DRAC or HP iLO card.
The Dell uses licenses Avocent technology. It's nice to be able to power cycle a server half a world away.
As said above go for the Raritan.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I do NOT sell these products but am a very happy user of them :)
In my experience you get what you pay for with these products; some of them are much cheaper than others, but the quality of the encoding (frame rate, latency) is worse. Some of the better ones are those that use VNC. I would also suggest using one with DVI input, if you can, since the analog ones must either ignore the noise in the least significant bits or waste effort and bandwidth compressing it.
$500!!! Why would i spend $500 on this when I can sit a $199 Gpc or something like in the same spot, and use VNC.
This MIGHT be useful if it hits >$99.
You've never managed remote servers, have you? I don't think this device is targeted at you. It's targeted at those of us who manage server rooms that we don't always have physical access to. (Or to which a 3 hour drive is involved.) Your gPC idea would be 100% worthless if I accidentally disabled the network connection on my server remotely. (Not that I've ever done such a stupid thing, during a snowstorm, after my kids had gone to bed...) Not to mention this can be plugged into a KVM and used to manage multiple computers.
Remote Desktop is great, how many 3 hour (each way) drives at $100/hr would it take to pay for one? (Hint: Less than one)
Street price seems to be much lower than $500 -- I've seen them listed for about $345. Together with a Web Power Switch:
http://www.digital-loggers.com/lpc.html
I can remotely control and power-cycle up to about 4 workstations or servers for under $600 total, or up to 8 nodes for about $900 total. That's worthwhile in saved drive round-trip time alone.
Since I am connecting this to a KVM, then this will allow me to access the CPU BIOS, access the RAID (in case of dead drive), etc., right? If so, then this isn't a bad deal to implement with a current KVM solution.
I ordered one and so far, not impressed. The mouse location does not sync well. You end up with your mouse pointer leaving the window and the target OS mouse trailing way behind. Even the mouse sync function seem poorly implemented.