Installation guide

SERVSWITCH™ ULTRA

4.1.3 M

ONITOR

If all of your CPUs are of the same type, we recommend that you use the

corresponding type of monitor. If your CPUs are of different types, the monitor

must be a multisync model, able to sync to every CPU’s video-output frequencies,

and compatible with all of the CPUs’ video cards.

While PC-type CPUs and VGA monitors normally use two separate leads to

send/receive sync signals, one lead for horizontal sync and one for vertical sync,

Mac and Sun CPUs/monitors normally send/receive a composite sync signal on a

single lead. This means that if you attach both IBM and Mac or Sun CPUs to your

system, either your monitor must be capable of accepting both H/V and

composite-sync input, or you will have to use a sync converter and special cables to

convert H/V to composite sync or vice versa (call Black Box Technical Support for

a special quote).

For maximum compatibility, we recommend a 17" or larger, high-quality

multisync monitor capable of (a) displaying a maximum resolution of not less than

1280 x 1024 at a maximum refresh rate of not less than 75 Hz, and (b) accepting

both relevant types of sync input (H/V and composite). Such monitors are

available from NEC, Sony

, CTX

, and other manufacturers. (However, since these

monitors usually have an HD15 video-input connector, you will need a special User

Cable to use them with Mac or Sun keyboards and mice; the Sun cable is product

code EHN059 [original] or EHN225 [coax], and the Mac cable is EHN532

[original] or EHN540 [coax].) The higher the resolution you use, the less distance

you can run; see Tables 4-2 and 4-3 on the following pages.

Other concerns specific to IBM PC systems:

•

The ServSwitch Ultra is designed to support standard VGA video, including VGA

monochrome (“page white”). It does not support PCs that use CGA, EGA, or

proprietary versions of VGA that depart from the original specifications.

Consult your PC’s manual, and if that doesn’t tell you whether or not the PC

uses standard VGA, consult with the PC’s or the video card’s manufacturer.

• The ServSwitch Ultra is also designed to support SVGA, although it doesn’t

handle higher resolutions or longer distances very well without coaxial cabling

(see the next two pages). With coaxial cables, it will also support XGA,

RS/6000, and SGI video (RS/6000 and SGI require cables with 13W3

connectors—see Appendix B).

If you have Mac CPUs attached, you’ll need a Mac Adapter for ServSwitch

(product code KV99MA) for each CPU that outputs video in a format other than

VGA (640 x 480)—see the Note on page 23.