KVM switches

KVM switches allow an administrator to control more than one computer via a single combination of a keyboard, a video device and a mouse.

The user would connect the keyboard, video device and mouse console to the KVM switch on one side, and multiple computers on the other. The technique saves space in crowded data centers, where one person is responsible for multiple devices anyway. There is no reason to have multiple keyboards in such cases, because all they do is require the user to move from one to another.

“KVM switch” is an umbrella term that includes everything from the most basic, two-port hardware device you might use in your home, to multiport models supporting as many as 32 or more computers.

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KVM switches allow an administrator to control more than one computer via a single combination of a keyboard, a video device and a mouse.

The user would connect the keyboard, video device and mouse console to the KVM switch on one side, and multiple computers on the other. The technique saves space in crowded data centers, where one person is responsible for multiple devices anyway. There is no reason to have multiple keyboards in such cases, because all they do is require the user to move from one to another.

“KVM switch” is an umbrella term that includes everything from the most basic, two-port hardware device you might use in your home, to multiport models supporting as many as 32 or more computers.

More sophisticated KVM switches now operate over IP. This means that while the switch might reside on a rack in a data center connected to multiple computers, the remote access server within it has IP connectivity. That means that any of the computers connected to the switch are now available to someone coming in from the Internet, anywhere in the world.

High-end models also allow more than one administrator to access the computers via the KVM switch at one time.

Some IT shops use remote-control software instead. While that works, it also relies on the operating system of the target machine staying up and running. In the event of a failure, the ability of the administrator to do something to help is more limited than it would be through a KVM switch.

Having such a window into servers yields a great deal of flexibility, but it also presents obvious security concerns. Encryption, as well as permissions for different levels of access, are tools that IT shops can use to minimize their security concerns.

Read more about lans & wans in Network World's LANs & WANs section.