KVM

KVM tray technology. What we do that others don’t.
From the solid construction of our KVM trays, to unique features like LEDs on the ?front panel and integrated KVM switching, Black Box’s KVM trays are miles ahead of the competition.

Nothing reduces clutter in a server room like KVM trays that are 1- or 2U high, and ?mount in a cabinet or rack. Here are some of the features that set our KVM trays apart.

TFT LCD support.
This type of monitor uses thin-film transistor (TFT) technology to improve image quality, resulting in higher resolutions, better image contrast, and addressability. All our KVM trays support TFT LCD panel monitors.

Viewing angles.
The screens on our KVM trays are viewable from nearly any angle. Because of the size of our screens, from 15" to 19", viewing angles vary from 140° x 120° all the way up to 160° x 160°, so you don’t always have to be standing directly in front of the monitor to see what’s happening on it.

Universal rail.
Our ServTray Complete family of KVM trays (KVT417A-R2, etc.) has adjustable length instead of a variety of rear bracket sites. This universal rail rear bracket size fits racks with depths of 23.7" (60.2 cm) to 45.3" (115 cm). This simplifies ordering for you!

Dual rail technology.
This KVM tray technology enables the monitor drawer and the keyboard/mouse drawer to move independently of each other. It makes it easy to leave the monitor visible even when a server cabinet is closed and the keyboard/mouse drawer is fully retracted. Black Box has added switching controls to the monitor bezel that can be used to control an attached switch without pulling open the keyboard/mouse drawer for even more space-saving benefits.

Additionally, the dual rails provide a great monitoring environment without disturbing your cooling system.

You asked for it.
Our latest KVM trays, the ServView V KVM Drawer and ServView V KVM Drawer with Widescreen (KVT517A, etc.) were designed based on feedback we have received from some of our customers.

On the front panel of the tray, there is an LED panel, which helps you locate the ?drawer when it’s closed in a darkened data center. The tray only takes up 1U of rack space, and it features the dual rail technology described earlier.

We added front-panel controls for switching, so if you choose a model with an embedded KVM switch, you can use the buttons on the monitor bezel without pulling out the keyboard. Additionally, the top of the keyboard tray features a hideaway connection for USB wireless devices, such as RF- or Bluetooth® supported keyboards and mice. You can wirelessly access your attached targets, even without opening the cabinet door!

Another feature is the front-panel USB port, which provides crash cart access. If your keyboard or GlidePoint® mouse quit on you, simply use this port to attach a passthrough pointing device.

Finally, the widescreen version supports 1920 x 1080 resolutions and DVI connections — two firsts in the data center.

When the ServSwitch™ brand of KVM switches was first introduced, there were only two ways to switch: from front-panel push buttons or by sending command sequences from the keyboard. While this was more convenient than having a separate keyboard, monitor, and mouse for each CPU, the operator still had to remember key combinations and which server was connected to which port—leading to many cryptic, scribbled notes attached to the switch and to the workstation.

But with the advent of on-screen menus, an operator can use easy-to-read, pop-up menus to identify and select CPUs. It’s even possible to give each CPU a name that makes sense to you—names like “MIS Server,” “Accounting Server,” and so on.

UTP cable is often used with video or KVM extenders to extend the reach of a video signal. It’s popular for this application because it’s lightweight, easy to handle, and inexpensive. But when you transmit video over long stretches of twisted-pair cable, you sometimes run into a phenomenon called color drift or color split.

Color drift shows up as that annoying colored shadow you occasionally see around objects on a video screen. It sometimes happens with UTP cable because the pairs of wire in the cable are twisted at slightly different rates to reduce crosstalk between pairs. Because of these differences between wire pairs, video signals for different colors often travel different distances before they reach the remote receiver. When one color signal arrives behind the others because its wire is longer, you get that red, green, or blue shadow around the objects on your video screen.

UTP cable varies widely by manufacturer, so before installing video extenders, it’s difficult to determine whether or not you’re going to have a color drift problem. You’re more likely to experience color drift with higher grades (CAT5e or CAT6) of cable, on longer cable runs, and on high-resolution screens.

If you experience color drift, there are several possible solutions. You can use a shorter length of cable, switch from CAT5e or CAT6 cable to CAT5 cable, use a lower screen resolution, or use a video skew compensator.

A video skew compensator removes color drift by delaying some color signals to compensate for differences in wire pairs.

In data communications applications, using products that exceed required capacities is usually not a problem. For example, if a 28.8K modem is required, a 33.6K or 56K model will work just fine.

But sometimes, more isn’t better. Take KVM extenders designed to expect CAT5 and only CAT5 cable. You’d expect that Category 3 cable wouldn’t be effective with these products, and you would be right.

But you may also assume that if Category 5 cable works fine, Category 5e, Category 6, and other higher-capacity cables would work even better. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, and here’s why:

KVM extenders from many manufacturers, including ServSwitch CAT5 KVM Extenders, are designed specifically for the Category 5 specs defined by the TIA/EIA standard. Higher-level cables, such as Category 5e, have different characteristics and specifications. Although differences—specifically twist ratios—might seem small, they can have a negative impact on these extenders, which are expecting a true Category 5 transmission.

So with ServSwitch CAT5 KVM Extenders, you can think big with CAT5—just don’t think bigger.