Hi,
I was wondering if any of you had any experience trying to get console
switches working with AlphaServers.
Our configuration is four rack-mount AS2100A's, two running DU and two
running NT. While looking for a switch we found Rose Electronic's
ServeView 2X, and thought it would do a really nice job -- it provides
two management stations (monitor, keyboard, and mouse) for each
switch. We ordered the four port version, so we could have both of the
UNIX systems or both of the NT systems (or one of each) up as needed.
NT NT DU DU
+------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+
| 2100A(1) | | 2100A(2) | | 2100A(3) | | 2100A(4) |
+------------+ +------------+ +------------+ +------------+
\ \ / /
\ \ / /
\ \ / /
+---------------------------+
| Switch (not to scale) |
+---------------------------+
/ \
/ \
+------+ +------+
| Head | | Head |
| 1 | | 2 |
+-+------+-+ +-+------+-+
|##########|~O |##########|~0
+----------+ +----------+
I had contacted the vendor and had gotten assurances that the switch
should work just fine as long as we weren't trying to use keyboards
with MJ connectors.
The switch arrived today and I tried to install it on the UNIX side of
the house, and I'm having a few problems with keyboard and mouse
lockups when:
(a) The system first boots. The SRM console reports a keyboard
error and the keyboard is inoperative. If the switch is not set to
the channel that the booting system is on, you can switch back to
the booting system once the keyboard probe is done. The keyboard
functions normally in the console mode.
(b) The system starts X (CDE) for the first time. Again, if the
channel where X is starting is selected, the mouse and keyboard
will freeze. The system is live and can be telnetted to from other
systems. At one time I had one of the management stations setup so
that if it was on another channel when X started, it would work
fine. You could even go out and select a console login from the
banner screen or restart the X server without problems.
I lost this while trying to find a 'better' solution.
The keyboards are the PC (PS/2) style PCXAL keyboards and the mice are
the three button PS/2 bus mice. I have tried different cables and
different keyboards and mice. I have been messing with the mode
settings for keyboard modes, but need to sit down and do it
methodically.
If anyone has any experience getting these things to work, please let
me know. It would be a very nice setup if we could get it working.
(No I haven't called tech support yet, they were closed by the time I
decided I wasn't going to find an immediate solution.)
Thanks in advance,
Tom
--
+--------------------------------+------------------------------+
| Tom Webster | "Funny, I've never seen it |
| SysAdmin MDA-SSD ISS-IS-HB-S&O | do THAT before...." |
| webster_at_ssdpdc.mdc.com | - Any user support person |
+--------------------------------+------------------------------+
| Unless clearly stated otherwise, all opinions are my own. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Received on Tue Apr 08 1997 - 05:43:53 NZST