RE: [Thinkpad] Problem with KVM and Dock II - Anyone have this working?

My sense is that these KVM switches "might work sometimes" but that there is not enough consistency in how the KVM manufacturers build them to "support them" from IBM's perspective. Their original response to my question was a simple "We don't support KVM switches." After having the issue bumped up to a higher support level within IBM someone actually did some tests. This is what I reported in the earlier message. I think the end result is that, as someone else mentioned earlier, "you get what you pay for." My $1200 rack-mount server KVM works great under all situations. My $100 Belkin desktop KVM works everywhere I have tried it **except** on the ThinkPad T40p.
 
It might still be the case that the ThinkPad is doing something funky like not putting out sufficient voltage on the PS2 power pins, or maybe they have some other slightly non-standard way of providing signals out the PS2 ports. Who knows - it sure seems like the problem is specific to IBM ThinkPads.
 
Good luck with your T30 and Drive Image. Maybe when Drive Image is running it causes the hard disk to suck up too much power and that in turn causes the PS2 ports to be under powered?
 
Cheers
 
-- Bennett

Michael Stack <mstack@niu.edu> wrote:
It's interesting to me that IBM was able to make the OmniView SE KVM work
(with a T30?). In my case, the OmniView E-Series KVM (F1DB104P) works,
too, except when I'm running Drive Image 2000 stand-alone on the T30, then
switch away from the T30. The T30 starts beeping and doesn't stop until I
switch back, at which time the mouse cursor is lost.

Does the SE model work in that kind of situation, I wonder? And has IBM
tried that?

Mike

At 07:20 AM 2/19/2004 -0800, Bennett Smith wrote:
>Hi,
>
>The KVM is called a AutoView Commander made by Cybex. I am not sure what
>the exact model number is, but believe that all of their higher priced
>systems will work. They simply have better electronics inside than the
>lower priced units.
>
>Yesterday I got some more information from the IBM technical support
>people. They went out and purchased a brand new Belkin OmniView SE 4 port
>KVM with Belkin cables and it worked for them. This is not the same
>experience I had here. My Belkin KVM is about 1 1/2 years old, so it is
>probably not the exact same model, but in my case the keyboard would not
>work at all.
>
>The folks from IBM also tried a 2 port Belkin that was powered by the PS2
>ports. This unit did not work. Part of their theory is that the units
>without power supplies are not getting sufficient voltage from the PS2
>ports on the docking stations.
>
>Sorry this isn't more definitive. Hopefully you can find a unit that will
>work with your T30. Now that my T40p is on the KVM it is much nicer. I
>just don't really like having an 8 port rack mount KVM sitting on my
>desk. I will probably try and get some other unit that only has 2 ports
>for the desk and move the Cybex back into the server rack.
>
>Searching on the Internet turned up one KVM manufacturer who claims to
>specifically test their units with ThinkPad notebooks and docking
>stations. That tells me two things. First, this is a more common problem
>with ThinkPads than IBM is letting on, and second, that there are some KVM
>manufacturers that know how to address the issue. Here is the URL for one
>unit that they claim works with ThinkPads.
>
>http://www.addertec.com/products/kvm_pc/av2_av4.html
>
>Cheers
>
>-- Bennett
>
>
>i-info wrote:
>Hi Bennet
>Since my ATEN MasterView plus CS-114 does not let run
>the Mouse with my new IBM Thinkpad T30 I am very keen
>to know from you the exact dscription of your CYBEX unit !
>
>Could you provide the exact model # plus its serial #, please ?
>I am discussing my mouse problems with a tech from Avocent !
>
>Would love to get my T30 to be connected properly to the KVM
>with all my other systems ;-)
>
>TIA and kind regards from Switzerland
>-Albert M. Svoboda
>aka -svobi
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>bennettsmith@sbcglobal.net on 17/02/2004 16:35:45
>To: thinkpad@stderr.org
>cc:
>Subject: RE: [Thinkpad] Problem with KVM and Dock II - Anyone have
>this working?
>
>The following might help someone else trying to use a KVM with a newer
>ThinkPad docking station...
>
>I spoke with IBM support about this issue yesterday.
>
>Their initial response was "we don't support KVM switches".
>After having the call transfered to their next tier of support someone
>did tell me that they get a lot of calls from people trying to use KVMs.
>
>It seems that few if any of the consumer KVM switches out there will
>work
>with Thinkpad docking stations. The KVM I have is a Belkin Omni View SE
>4
>port model. Others that seem to fail include the D-Link and ATEN Master
>View.
>
>It seems odd that many other computer systems work fine with these KVMs
>but
>the ThinkPad does not. The folks at IBM are going to try and at least
>figure
>out what the problem is, but eventually they will probably just say
>"sorry,
>not supported."
>
>After the conversation with them I decided to pull a high-end rack
>mounted
>KVM out of our server rack to try with the ThinkPad.
>
>Guess what - yup, it worked like a champ.
>
>No problem with lost keyboard functionality or intermittent mouse
>activity
>when switching between systems. The switch is an older Cybex AutoView
>Commander.
>I think they have been acquired by Avocet.
>
>Does anyone know what the difference might be between the consumer
>switches
>and these higher-end server switches?
>
>Cheers, --Bennett
>
>
>
>
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Received on Thu Feb 19 12:30:22 2004