Installation guide

SERVSWITCH™ ULTRA

• Because the ServSwitch Ultra currently only supports “stream mode”

(continuous) mouse data, but older IBM ThinkPad models have to handle

mouse data in “prompt mode” (burst-on-request), don’t try to attach any older

ThinkPad computers to the Switch, either directly or through docking stations.

Some newer models should work with the Switch, but there’s no good way to

tell other than by trial and error—exercise caution!

• If you are using a PC mouse as the common mouse, make sure that the IBM

PC CPUs use only the generic Microsoft mouse driver MOUSE.COM, version 4.0

at least and preferably version 9.01 or higher. If you’re running Windows

3.x,

this driver must be loaded in Windows as well as in DOS. Do not, on any of

your switched IBM PC CPUs, run any programs or TSRs, or enter any DOS

commands, that change the settings of the mouse port after the driver has

been loaded.

• When you first switch between CPUs, especially CPUs of different platforms,

you might notice wide variations in mouse sensitivity (how far or fast the

mouse moves) from CPU to CPU. This is normal. All three of the major

platforms supported by the ServSwitch Ultra (IBM, Apple, and Sun) have ways

to adjust the sensitivity of the mouse. (This is usually handled through some

kind of software “control panel,” but the specifics vary depending on the

operating system and—in IBM applications—on the mouse driver.) To

optimize mouse movement, adjust the sensitivity on each CPU according to

your individual preference.

• Although the ServSwitch Ultra resists minor transient surges that can be

caused by rapidly cycling power, certain keyboards are sensitive to such

transients. Because your shared keyboard’s power is provided by the Switch,

wait at least three seconds after powering down the Switch before powering it

up again, or the keyboard might not reset correctly.

• The ServSwitch Ultra is designed to support IBM PC compatible 101-, 102-,

104-, or 105-key keyboards and IBM PC keyboard-scan modes 1, 2, and 3; it’s

also designed to work with PC-type CPUs/keyboards that use 5-pin DIN or

6-pin mini-DIN keyboard connectors. The Switch will try to pass through

keyboard codes that it doesn’t recognize without altering them, which allows it

to support the DEC™ LK461 keyboard (see Appendix D for the key mappings),

Japanese 106- and 109-key keyboards, and certain other keyboards that use

special or proprietary keys. However, we cannot guarantee that the ServSwitch

Ultra will be able to fully support—or even work at all with—any PC-type

keyboard that uses nonstandard keys, connectors, or keyboard-scan modes.

• If you are using a Sun keyboard, it must be a Type 5 or Type 5c. The

ServSwitch Ultra will autodetect the keyboard’s language.