AutoView® Installer/User Guide
INSTRUCTIONS This symbol is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance. DANGEROUS VOLTAGE This symbol is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. POWER ON This symbol indicates the principal on/off switch is in the on position.
AutoView® Installer/User Guide Avocent, the Avocent logo and The Power of Being There are trademarks of Avocent Corporation. AutoView is a registered trademark of Cybex Computer Products Corporation. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. © 2002 Avocent Corporation. All rights reserved.
USA Notification Warning: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment. Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
Table of Contents Chapter 1: Product Overview Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Safety Precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Chapter 2: Installation Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Rack Mounting your AutoView Unit . . . . . . . . . 9 Installing the AutoView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Installing a Multiple Switch System . . .
1 Product Overview Contents Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 1: Product Overview 3 Chapter 1: Product Overview Features and Benefits The AutoView allows you to control up to 64 PCs with one keyboard, monitor and mouse. Each computer can be up to 30 feet away from the AutoView. The AutoView works with IBM PC/AT and PS/2 systems, and 100% compatible machines with support for VGA, SVGA, XGA and XGA-II video. PS/2 keyboard and mouse peripherals are supported through the rear of the unit.
4 AutoView Installer/User Guide Push-button and keyboard switching In addition to using the on-screen menus, you can switch computer channels in one of three easy ways: via the AutoView channel push-buttons, with the Scan button or with a simple keyboard sequence. Keep Alive feature AutoView’s Keep Alive feature allows attached servers to power the unit in the event of an AutoView power failure. This prevents attached PCs from locking up and keeps you from losing time and data.
Chapter 1: Product Overview 5 AutoView Analog User KVM-Connection to Servers KVM-Connection to Switch Figure 1.1: A Typical AutoView Configuration Compatibility PS/2 peripherals The AutoView requires a PS/2 mouse and keyboard. The following mice are known to be compatible: • IBM PS/2-style • Logitech Trackman • Kensington • Microsoft Serial-PS/2 mouse • Logitech Mouseman (PS/2) • Microsoft IntelliMouse Other manufacturers' mice may operate with the AutoView.
6 AutoView Installer/User Guide XGA/XGA-II support If you wish to use XGA or XGA-II video, you will need to purchase an adaptor available through Avocent. Safety Precautions To avoid potential video and/or keyboard problems when using Avocent products: • If the building has 3-phase AC power, ensure that the computer and monitor are on the same phase. For best results, they should be on the same circuit. • Use only Avocent-supplied cable to connect computers and KVM switches.
2 Installation Contents Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Rack Mounting your AutoView Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Installing the AutoView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Installing a Multiple Switch System . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 2: Installation 9 Chapter 2: Installation Getting Started Before installing your AutoView system, refer to the lists below to ensure that you have all the items that shipped with the AutoView as well as all other items necessary for proper installation.
10 AutoView Installer/User Guide 2. Line up the holes in the side brackets with the screw holes in the sides of the AutoView unit. 3. Using the previously removed screws, thread one through each of the holes in the sides of the rack mount brackets and into the AutoView cover. Tighten them securely. 4. Install a snap on nut (provided) onto one end of the cable support rod. Insert the rod through both brackets as shown above. Install the remaining acorn nut on the other end of the support rod. 5.
Chapter 2: Installation 11 Installing the AutoView The diagram below illustrates one possible configuration for your AutoView switch. Follow the step-by-step procedure To install an AutoView switch to properly install your new switch. Local User DB9 serial port for updating firmware Servers B-H Server A Figure 2.2: AutoView Installation Example WARNING: To reduce the risk of electric shock or damage to your equipment - Do not disable the power cord grounding plug.
12 AutoView Installer/User Guide To install an AutoView switch: 1. Power down all computers that will be part of your AutoView system. 2. Prepare the location for the switch. See Rack Mounting your AutoView Unit in this chapter if you are rack mounting the unit. 3. Select cables with appropriate connectors and length. 4. Plug your VGA monitor cable into the port labeled on the back of your AutoView. Plug your PS/2 keyboard cable and your PS/2 mouse cable into the ports labeled and respectively. 5.
Chapter 2: Installation 13 Installing a Multiple Switch System The following diagram illustrates one possible cascading configuration using your AutoView switch. Perform this installation if you want to add another switch to your existing system. Follow the step-by-step instructions to properly cascade your new AutoView switch. Local User AutoView Primary Switch Servers B-H AutoView Secondary Switch Server A Servers B-H Figure 2.
14 AutoView Installer/User Guide To cascade multiple AutoView units: 1. Follow steps 1-7 of the procedure To install an AutoView switch. 2. Plug the 25-pin D connector of your input cable into one of the available channel ports on the rear of your primary AutoView unit. 3. Plug the 15-pin video connector on the other end of the cable into the appropriately labeled port on your first cascading AutoView unit. Plug the PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors into the appropriate ports. 4.
3 Operations Contents Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Setting up the OSD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Configuring the ID Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Setting User Station Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Scanning your AutoView System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Resetting your Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Displaying Version Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 3: Operations 17 Chapter 3: Operations Overview Your AutoView may be operated in a non-secure (no password required) or secure (password required) mode. All units ship defaulted to the non-secure mode. For information on implementing password security see Setting User Station Security later in this chapter. Front Panel LEDs and push-buttons PCs may be powered up one at a time or all at once. No operator intervention is required during booting.
18 AutoView Installer/User Guide 2. In non-secure mode, the Administrator Channel List appears. -orIn secure mode, the User Login window appears. Type in your username and press Enter. The Administrator Channel List appears. -orIn secure mode, if you are the system administrator, log in as Admin, Root or Administrator. Type your password and press Enter. The Administrator Channel List appears.
Chapter 3: Operations 19 To select a channel in the OSD: 1. Use your Up and Down Arrow keys, the Page Up and Down keys or the mouse to select a channel. -orPress the Home or End key to move directly to the top or bottom of the list. -orType a letter to move the highlight bar to the first channel name beginning with that letter. Press the letter repeatedly to scroll through all channels that begin with that letter from top to bottom. 2. Press Enter.
20 AutoView Installer/User Guide Avocent Control Panel Administrator Command Menu Channel Maintenance Administrator Functions Turn Scanning ON Scanning Order Sequential Scan Dwell Time Reset Standard Mouse/Keyboard Reset Wheel Mouse/Keyboard Version Information ENTER-accept ESC-previous Figure 3.
Chapter 3: Operations 21 4. Press the Up or Down Arrow key to select a specific menu or command. 5. Press Enter to access a menu or activate a command. -orPress Escape to exit the window without saving changes. Adding and Maintaining Channels You may add, delete or edit a channel whenever you want to change your AutoView system. You will have the ability to name the channel, set the port address, set the time that the channel ID will flash on the screen and establish the scan dwell time, if appropriate.
22 AutoView Installer/User Guide 7. When prompted for another cascade level, type N and press Enter. -orPress Escape to exit the window without saving changes. To add new channels with a cascaded unit: 1. Press the keyboard Control key twice within one second. The Administrator Channel List appears. 2. Press the keyboard Control key twice within one second again. The Administrator Commands menu appears. 3. Highlight Channel Maintenance and press Enter. 4. Highlight Add Channel and press Enter. 5.
Chapter 3: Operations 23 To change a channel name: 1. Press the keyboard Control key twice within one second. The Administrator Channel List appears. 2. Highlight the channel you wish to change in the Administrator Channel List. 3. Press the Control key twice. -orType Alt-M to access the Command Menu. 4. Highlight Channel Maintenance and press Enter. 5. Highlight Change Channel Name and press Enter. The Configure Channel menu appears.
24 AutoView Installer/User Guide Avocent Control Panel Configure Channel Enter Channel Letter for Accounting A...H are valid ENTER-accept ESC-previous Figure 3.6: Change Channel Address Menu 6. Type the new channel address and press Enter. -orPress Escape at any point to exit this operation without saving the changes. Configuring the ID Window The ID window appears when you change channels and displays the name of the selected channel.
Chapter 3: Operations 25 ID Window Settings Operation Procedure Move the ID window Use the Arrow keys or mouse to move the ID window's position on the monitor. If the window flickers but does not move, continue tapping the Arrow keys until it moves back into range. Change window background color Press the Page Up key to cycle through the available window background colors. Change text color Press the Page Down key to cycle through the available text colors.
26 AutoView Installer/User Guide Setting User Station Security The Administrator Functions Menu allows you to create an administrator password, set a system logout time and create individual user logins with specific access and privileges. This menu is only used if you are running your system in secure mode. The table below discusses the security features. Security Operating Modes Feature Description Administrator password Entering an administrator password places your system in secure mode.
Chapter 3: Operations 27 Avocent Control Panel Administrator Menu Administrator Password Administrator Logout Time Setup USER 1 Setup USER 2 Setup USER 3 Setup USER 4 Unit Configuration ENTER-accept ESC-previous Figure 3.7: Administrator Functions Menu To create the administrator account: 1. Press the Control key twice to access the Administrator Channel List. 2. Press the Control key twice more to access the Command Menu. 3.
28 AutoView Installer/User Guide To set up additional users: 1. Press the Control key twice to access the Administrator Channel List. 2. Press the Control key twice more to access the Command Menu. 3. Highlight Administrator Functions from the Command Menu and press Enter. 4. Highlight Setup User 1 from the Administrator Menu and press Enter. 5. Highlight Name and type the name for this user. 6. Highlight Password and type the password, then confirm it for this user.
Chapter 3: Operations 29 Scanning alphanumerically allows you to scan all your channels in alphanumeric order according to the Administrator Channel List. With this scan method, you can adjust the dwell time for each channel or omit a channel from the scan sequence completely. Choose whichever method is most appropriate for your configuration.
30 AutoView Installer/User Guide 3. Highlight Turn Scanning On or Turn Scanning Off from the menu. This is a toggle option - only one scanning option will show on the menu. 4. Press Enter to select the new scanning setting. To scan using the scan button: 1. Press and hold the Step/Scan push-button until the Scan LED is lit. 2. Scanning may be halted if a channel is selected or if the Step/Scan pushbutton is pressed again. To scan using a keyboard hotkey sequence: 1.
Chapter 3: Operations 31 Resetting your Mouse If your mouse locks up during normal use with the AutoView, you may be able to re-establish operation by issuing a reset command. The reset command sends a hot-plug sequence to the server. The hot-plug sequence to a Plug and Play server causes the mouse settings to be sent to the AutoView. With communication re-established, functionality is restored to you. To reset the mouse values: 1. Press the Control key twice to access the Administrator Channel List.
32 AutoView Installer/User Guide commands until the Enter or the Escape key is pressed to terminate Command Mode. None of the keystrokes entered will be forwarded to the attached computer until you exit Command Mode. To activate the Command Line: 1. Press and hold down the Num Lock key. 2. Press and release the Minus (-) key on the numeric keypad. 3. Release the Num Lock key. The Command Line menu appears. Command Line Enter your command above Figure 3.
Chapter 3: Operations 33 Additional Command Mode hotkey sequences In addition to switching channels, you can also use the Command Mode to control a variety of other features on your AutoView system. The following table describes these hotkey sequences. Keyboard Hotkey Sequences This Key Sequence Does This Kn Sets the keyboard scan set where n is a scan set number 1-3. MR If you hot-plug your mouse cable, you may experience a loss of mouse signal.
34 AutoView Installer/User Guide
Appendices Contents Appendix A: Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . 37 Appendix B: Pairing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Appendix C: Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Appendix D: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendices 37 Appendices Appendix A: Technical Specifications AutoView Specifications Mechanical Height: 1.7" (4.5 cm) Width: 17.2" (43.7 cm) Depth: 6.5" (16.51 cm) Weight: 4.2 lbs (1.91 kg) Environmental/Power Operating Temperature: 41° (5°C) to 104° (40°C) Storage Temperature: -4° (-20°C) to 122° (50°C) Input Power: 8.
38 AutoView Installer/User Guide Appendix B: Pairing Pairing connects two AutoView units serially, allowing access to 16 computers with one keyboard, monitor and mouse without using a computer port. It is used in place of cascading two units. To pair your AutoView units, use the following instructions instead of those given in the Installation chapter. PS/2 Keyboard cable PS/2 Mouse cable AutoView Primary Unit Serial cable CDUAL cable Monitor cable AutoView Secondary Unit Figure B.
Appendices 39 To configure your secondary unit: 1. Power down all computers that will be part of your AutoView system. 2. Prepare the location for the switch. See Rack Mounting your AutoView Unit if you are rack mounting the units. 3. Select one of your two AutoView units to be used as the secondary unit. 4. Select cables with appropriate connectors and length. 5. Connect your VGA monitor cable and keyboard to the appropriate ports on the rear of the secondary switch. 6.
40 AutoView Installer/User Guide Avocent Control Panel Administrator Menu Select Unit Configuration 1: Tiered (Default) 2: Paired (Master) 3: Paired (Slave) ENTER-accept ESC-previous Figure B.3: Administrator Functions Menu 12. Press the Escape key repeatedly to exit from the OSD menu. 13. Power down the secondary unit and disconnect the keyboard and monitor. To configure your primary unit: 1. Select cables with appropriate connectors and length. 2.
Appendices 41 To connect your paired AutoView units: 1. Locate the pairing cable kit (CDUAL), containing two cables. The first cable is a Y-video cable with two 15-pin male VGA connectors and one 15-pin female VGA connector. The second is a 9-pin male serial cable. 2. Plug the male VGA connectors into the ports labeled Video on each of the AutoView units. 3. Connect the female VGA connector to the end of your monitor cable. 4.
42 AutoView Installer/User Guide To add new channels with paired units: 1. Press the Control key twice to bring up the Administrator Channel List menu. 2. Press Control twice more to bring up the Command Menu. 3. Select Add Channel from the Channel Maintenance Menu and press Enter. 4. Type in a new channel name, up to 14 characters long, and press Enter. 5. At the next prompt, type in the letter A if the PC is attached to the primary unit or B if it is attached to the secondary unit. Press Enter.
Appendices 43 Appendix C: Technical Support Our Technical Support staff is ready to assist you with any installation or operating issues you encounter with your Avocent product. If an issue should develop, follow the steps below for the fastest possible service: 1. Check the Troubleshooting section of this manual to see if the issue can be resolved by following the procedures outlined (see Appendix D). 2. Check our web site at www.avocent.
44 AutoView Installer/User Guide Appendix D: Troubleshooting No status light Verify that the unit is turned on. Check the power cable. Turn off the unit and check the fuse located under the power cord connector. Contact Technical Support. Red status LED lit Internal unit failure. Contact Avocent Technical Support. Both amber and green LEDs lit If the Scan button is depressed for longer than 3 seconds, both LEDs will light momentarily and a reset is sent to the unit.
Appendices 45 Mouse jumps or “hugs” screen If the mouse has been hot-plugged while running in Windows, you may need to close and restart Windows. If the mouse still does not function, try the mouse resynchronization command . For instructions on Command Mode, see Operations. If the problem persists, contact Avocent Technical Support. Mouse is inoperable on one computer channel If the mouse is inoperable on a channel, reset command or with that PC selected.
46 AutoView Installer/User Guide Keyboard is inoperable after switching channels Try changing the keyboard scan set for that channel by using the keyboard command sequence . For more information, see Operations. If you are operating in secure mode, verify your keyboard and mouse privileges. If the problem persists, call Avocent Technical Support. Characters on screen do not match keyboard input Try changing the keyboard scan set for that channel by using the keyboard command sequence .
LIMITED WARRANTY Avocent Corporation warrants to the original retail purchaser that this product is and will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 24 months from the date of purchase. Additionally, all Avocent products carry an unconditional thirty-day satisfaction guarantee. If, for any reason, you are dissatisfied with the performance of this product, you may return it to the point of purchase for a refund of the purchase price (excluding shipping charges).
For Technical Support: Email: support@avocent.com www.avocent.com Avocent Corporation 4991 Corporate Drive Huntsville, Alabama 35805-6201 USA Tel: +1 256 430 4000 Fax: +1 256 430 4031 Avocent International Ltd.
