SwitchView OSD ® Installer/User Guide i
INSTRUCTIONS The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.
SwitchView® OSD Installer/User Guide Avocent and the Avocent logo are trademarks of Avocent Corporation. AutoView is a trademark of Avocent Corporation. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Avocent Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Avocent Corporation. © 2001 Avocent Corporation. All rights reserved.
FCC 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.
SwitchView®OSD Installer/User Guide Contents Chapter 1 - Product Overview Feature Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Chapter 2 - Installation Basic Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Advanced Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Chapter 3 - Basic Operations Overview . . . . . . . . .
C H A P T E R Product Overview Contents Feature Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 1: Product Overview 3 Product Overview Feature Overview The SwitchView OSD 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 SwitchView OSD. The SwitchView OSD 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 PS/2 mouse peripherals are supported through the rear of the unit.
4 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide entire system. This utility will also read and save your current configuration for extra security. Push-button & keyboard switching In addition to using the on-screen menus, you can switch computer channels with a simple keyboard sequence. You can also cycle through active channels with SwitchView OSD’s select button. “Keep Alive” feature SwitchView OSD’s “Keep Alive ”feature allows attached servers to power the unit in the event of a SwitchView OSD power failure.
C H A P T E R Installation Contents Basic Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Advanced Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 2: Installation 7 Installation Basic Install 1. Power-down all computers that will be part of your SwitchView OSD system. Connecting your Peripherals 2. Locate your PS/2 keyboard, VGA video monitor and PS/2 mouse. 3. Plug your VGA monitor cable into the blue port on the back of your SwitchView OSD in the user console section. Plug your PS/2 keyboard cable into the purple port and your PS/2 mouse cable into the green port.
8 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Connecting Computers to the SwitchView OSD 4. Locate your first expansion cable. There will be one 6-foot cable ending with three connectors one each end: one 15-pin “HDD ” for your video, one 6-pin miniDIN connector for a PS/2 keyboard connection, and one 6-pin miniDIN connector for a PS/2 mouse connection. Choose an available port, labeled A-H, on the rear of your SwitchView OSD unit.
Chapter 2: Installation 9 7. Locate the power cord that came with your SwitchView OSD unit. Plug it into the power socket on the rear of the SwitchView OSD unit. Plug the other end into an appropriate AC wall outlet. 8. Power-up your SwitchView OSD unit first, then power-up all attached computers. The SwitchView OSD and all attached computers should be powered-down before servicing the unit. Always disconnect the power cord from the wall outlet.
10 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Advanced Install Attaching Multiple SwitchView OSD Units to your System 1. Follow steps 1-6 of the Basic Install section. 2. Locate an available set of expansion cables. Choose an unused port, labeled A-H, on the rear of your SwitchView OSD unit. Plug the video expansion cable connector into the port of your chosen channel. Plug the PS/2 keyboard expansion cable connector into the port. Plug the PS/2 mouse expansion cable connector into the PS/2 port. 3.
C H A P T E R Basic Operations Contents Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Keyboard Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Keyboard Switching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 System Control & Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 3: Basic Operations 13 Overview Your SwitchView OSD 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 the “Administrator Functions ”section of chapter 4. PCs may be powered-up one-at-a-time or all at once. No operator intervention is required during booting.
14 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Keyboard Control The following notational conventions appear throughout this chapter to illustrate commands for operating the SwitchView OSD. Whenever you see one of the symbols listed on the left side of the table, substitute the corresponding steps or values listed on the right side of the table. Convention Key Sequence or Value Enter Command Mode: 1. Press and hold down the ‘Num Lock’ key. 2. Press and release the minus (-) key on the numeric keypad. 3.
Chapter 3: Basic Operations 15 Keyboard Switching One of the ways to change the active channel in a non-secured SwitchView OSD system is by entering a short sequence of keystrokes on the keyboard. This is called keyboard, or hot-key, switching. Note: Hot-key switching is only available in the default non-secure state. For more information on secure versus non-secure operation, see the ‘Administrator Functions’ section of Chapter 4. The first set of keystrokes places your system in Command Mode.
16 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide System Control & Maintenance The following commands are used for system control and maintenance. Enter the command sequences to perform the actions described in the table below. Key Sequence Action 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. Use this command to restore the signal if you are using a PC with a standard PS/2 mouse driver.
C H A P T E R On-Screen Display Operations Contents Activating OSD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 The OSD Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Command Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Basic Channel Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The ID Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Administrator Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 4: On-Screen Display Operations 19 On-Screen Display Operation Activating OSD Activate on-screen display (OSD) by pressing either of the keyboard Control keys twice within one second. In nonsecure mode, this brings up the main OSD Window, “Administrator Channel List”. In secure mode, activating OSD will bring up the “User Login” window. Type in your user name and press Enter. The system administrator should login as “Admin”, “Root” or “Administrator”.
20 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide The OSD Window This window lists all named channels in your SwitchView OSD system. They will be listed alphabetically with their channel addresses and access status beside them. When in secure mode, only the channels that are accessible to the logged in user will be listed. (See the section ‘Administrator Functions’ for more information.
Chapter 4: On-Screen Display Operations 21 The Command Menu Once you have activated the main OSD Window, you can open the Command Menu by either pressing the Control key twice or by typing ALT-M.
22 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Basic Channel Maintenance The Channel Maintenance Menu is accessed from the Administrator Command Menu, and is available if you are operating in non-secure mode or if you are the system administrator. Here you can add, delete or alter individual channels. Adding New Channels (base unit only) 1. Select ‘Add channel’ from the Channel Maintenance Menu. Type in a new channel name, up to 14 characters long, and press Enter. 2.
Chapter 4: On-Screen Display Operations 23 Deleting an Existing Channel 1. Highlight the channel you wish to delete in the main OSD Window. 2. Press the Control key twice or type Alt-M to access the Command Menu. 3. Select ‘Channel maintenance’ from the Command Menu. 4. Choose the ‘Delete channel’ option. 5. Type Y or N at the prompt to confirm the deletion and press Enter. Changing Channel Names and Addresses 1. Highlight the channel you wish to change in the main OSD Window. 2.
24 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide The ID Window The ID Window appears when you change channels and displays the name of the selected channel. This window can be individually configured for each channel in your system. The characteristics of the ID Window can be changed from the Channel Maintenance Menu. This option is only available if you are operating in non-secure mode or if you are the system administrator. Changing the Size, Color and Position of the ID Window 1.
Chapter 4: On-Screen Display Operations 25 Setting the ID Window Dwell Time This menu selection lets you set the time that the ID Window remains on screen after a channel switch. Each channel can be configured independently. The default time is set for 5 seconds. 1. From the main OSD Window, press the Control key twice or type Alt-M to access the Command Menu. 2. Select ‘Channel maintenance’ from the Command Menu. 3. Choose the option ‘Dwell time for ID window’. 4. Enter a number between 0-255 seconds.
26 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Administrator Functions The Administrator Functions Menu is accessed from the Command Menu. Here, you can 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. If you configure an administrator password from this menu, your system will then be in secure mode.
Chapter 4: On-Screen Display Operations 27 Creating the Administrator Password 1. Press the Control key twice or type Alt-M to access the Command Menu. 2. Select ‘Administrator Functions’ from the Command Menu. 3. Select ‘Administrator Password’ from the Administrator Menu. 4. Type your password and press Enter. (The password is not case sensitive. ) 5. Repeat entry of the password for confirmation. CAUTION: Security is enabled once the password has been created.
28 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide 6. Choose the ‘Access’ sub-menu. Here, you will see a listing of all attached servers in the channel list. For each server, choose a level of access for this user by selecting one of the function keys listed on the screen: F5 for no access, F6 for video only or F7 for video and keyboard/mouse capability. The default is set for full access. All changes go into effect as soon as they are made. Press Enter when you have completed your configuration. 7.
C H A P T E R Channel Scanning Contents Choosing a Scanning Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Setting the Scanning Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Turning Scanning On and Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Setting the Scanning Dwell Time . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Scanning and Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 5: Channel Scanning 31 Channel Scanning Choosing a Scanning Method SwitchView OSD's scanning feature allows you to automatically monitor, or scan, your computer channels without intervention. When keyboard activity is detected, scanning is suspended until all keyboard activity stops. Scanning then resumes with the next channel in sequence. Mouse activity will not affect scanning in any way.
32 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Setting the Scanning Order 1. From the main OSD Window, press the Control key twice or type Alt-M to access the Command Menu. 2. Choose ‘Scanning order’ from the menu. 3. Select either ‘Sequential order’ or ‘Alphanumeric order’. 4. Press Enter. Turning Scanning On and Off From the OSD menu. 1. From the main OSD Window, press the Control key twice or type Alt-M to access the Command Menu. 2. Select ‘Turn scanning ON’ or ‘Turn scanning OFF’ from the menu.
Chapter 5: Channel Scanning 33 Setting the Scanning Dwell Time (System Administrators and non-secure mode users. ) For Sequential Scanning 1. From the main OSD Window, press the Control key twice or type Alt-M to access the Command menu. 2. Choose the option ‘Sequential Scan Dwell Time. ’ 3. Enter a number between 2-60 seconds. The value you enter will be the dwell time for each active channel in the system. For Alphanumeric Scanning 1.
34 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Scanning and Security In non-secure mode, you may scan your channels either alphanumerically according to your channel list or sequentially through all attached servers. Note that with sequential scanning, you will pause at every active channel, regardless of whether that channel has been added to the channel list or not. In secure mode, you will only scan through channels that appear on the channel list, regardless of the scanning method chosen.
C H A P T E R Appendices Contents Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Pairing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 6: Appendices 37 Appendices Specifications Mechanical Height: 4. 5 cm Width: 43. 7 cm Depth: 16. 51 cm Weight: 1. 91 kg Environmental/Power Operating Temperature: 5°C to 40°C Storage Temperature: -20°C to 50°C Input Power: 8.
38 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Pairing Pairing connects two SwitchView OSD 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 SwitchView OSD units, use the instructions below instead of those given in the Installation chapter. Initial Configurations 1. Select one of your two SwitchView OSD units to be used as the slave unit. 2.
Chapter 6: Appendices 39 5. Press the Control key twice more to activate the Administrator Command Menu. Program Manager CYBEX 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 Games Version Information ENTER-accept ESC-previous 6. Using the arrow keys, highlight ‘Administrator Functions’ and press Enter. This will bring up the Administrator Menu. 7.
40 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Pairing Connections 1. Locate the pairing cable kit. (CDUAL) It will contain a Y-video cable with two 15-pin male VGA connectors and one 15-pin female VGA connector. It also contains a 9 pin male serial cable. 2. Plug a male VGA connector into the port labeled SwitchView OSD units. on each of the 3. Connect the female VGA cable to the end of your monitor cable. 4. Next, connect the serial cable between the ports labeled “SETUP” on the SwitchView OSD units. 5.
Chapter 6: Appendices 41 Connecting Computers to the SwitchView OSD 1. Power down the computers that will be part of your SwitchView OSD system. Make sure that both of your SwitchView units are turned off. 2. Locate your first expansion cable. There will be one 6-foot cable ending with three connectors one each end: one 15-pin “HDD” for your video, one 6-pin miniDIN connector for a PS/2 keyboard connection, and one 6-pin miniDIN connector for a PS/2 mouse connection.
42 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide 4. Locate the power cords that came with your SwitchView OSD units. Plug each one into the IEC power connectors on the SwitchView OSD units. Make sure that the power switches are off, then plug the other end of the power cords into appropriate AC wall outlets. This outlet must be near the equipment and easily accessible to allow for unplugging prior to any servicing of the unit. 5.
Chapter 6: Appendices 43 Uninstalling Pairing 1. Press either Control key twice to bring up the On-Screen Display Administrator Channel List menu. 2. Press Control twice again, select ‘Administrator Functions’ and press Enter. 3. Select ‘Unit Configuration’ and press Enter. 4. Change the unit configuration to ‘Option 1, Tiered’. 5. Press Enter to save your selection and Esc to exit OSD. 6. Disconnect the serial and video cables from both SwitchView units. 7.
44 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Troubleshooting Our Technical Support staff is ready to assist you with any installation or hardware problems you encounter with your Avocent product. If a problem should develop, follow the steps below for the fastest possible service: 1. Check the troubleshooting tables below to see if the problem can be resolved by following the procedures outlined. 2. If you are unable to find a resolution, recreate the problem when possible.
Chapter 6: Appendices 45 Symptom Action No video Verify that the video cable between the PC and the SwitchView OSD is correctly connected. Verify that the monitor cable is correctly connected to the SwitchView OSD. Power down the computer. Connect the monitor directly to the computer and power up again. If the monitor operates correctly direct to the computer, contact Avocent Technical Support. If it does not, try another monitor.
46 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide Symptom Action Keyboard is inoperable on one computer channel If keyboard does not function on one channel, verify that the cables from the computer to the SwitchView OSD are connected properly. If you are operating in secure mode, verify your keyboard and mouse privileges. Verify that the keyboard works properly connected directly to the computer. If the problem persists, contact Avocent Technical Support.
Chapter 6: Appendices 47 Symptom Action Unable to change channels using OSD Verify that the channel is powered. Check the address configured in OSD. If the computer is powered and the address is correct, call Avocent Technical Support. Administrator password is forgotten Call Technical Support. User password is forgotten Contact your system administrator.
48 SwitchView OSD Installer/User Guide
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 12 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.
