Specifications

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SERVSWITCH™ AFFINITY
5.3 User Stations Attached to Same-Numbered Slots/Buses
When there are no more than four users in a 4-User ServSwitch Affinity system,
eight users in an 8-User system, or sixteen users in a 16-User system, all of these
users have completely independent global access. That is, each of them can reach any
computer in the system, and their actions have no effect on each other, unless one
tries to select the same CPU that the other is using (see Section 5.4). This is true as
long as the user stations are all numbered differently—for instance, if only one
user is KVM 1, only one other user is KVM 2, and so on, even if the user stations
are attached to different Affinity units.
In a daisychained system with multiple Affinity units, it is possible to attach
additional user stations to the system, so that larger numbers of users can share
access. This can obviously be very useful when more than just four, eight, or sixteen
people need to access your CPUs, or if your CPUs need to be accessible from many
locations. What you must keep in mind when you do this, however, is that all of the
users that share the same KVM-numbered slot or bus (all of those on KVM 1, all of
those on KVM 2, etc.) have to use the same video path that’s carried from unit to
unit over the Expansion Cables that connect them.
What this means is that as long as users with the same KVM number remain local
users—that is, as long as they only select CPUs that are directly attached to their
local Affinity—they can continue to operate independently of one another. But
when any of these users makes a global connection to a CPU on some other unit in
the system, they must make exclusive use of the Affinity system’s KVM bus for their
user-port number (KVM 1, KVM 2, etc.). All other user stations with the same
number receive a “video path cancel” message and are disconnected from any CPU
they currently have selected. None of these users can select any CPUs until the
global user relinquishes control of the CPU he or she just selected.
This being the case, we recommend that in any Affinity system with more than
the normal maximum number of users, you reserve one or two KVM numbers for
global users: Connect one and only one user to any of the ports with that number,
and he or she will always be able to access any computer in your system. Let the
other port numbers be for multiple local users who will normally work with the
computers attached to their own Affinity only, not making global connections to
computers on other units unless it’s absolutely necessary.