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3: Installation
To minimize power consumed in the server and attached Spider, set the monitored
server’s video resolution to the minimum necessary for your remote monitoring
application.
We recommend 1024x76 or 800x600 if connecting the Spider over a wide area network
rather than a LAN. 1280x1024 may be used for applications demanding higher resolution;
however it consumes more network bandwidth. The other supported formats are
recognized by the Spider, but may offer difficulty if the timing does not comply with the
applicable standard. The Spider supports the extended display identification data (EDID)
standard for informing the attached computer of its supported video formats.
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On a Windows target system, select Control PanelÆDisplayÆSettings. Modify
the screen resolution value as necessary.
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Select Control PanelÆDisplayÆSettingsÆAdvancedÆMonitor. Modify the
screen refresh rate (consult the appropriate documentation when using an
atypical video card or another operating system on the target computer). Since
the server's video output is driving the Spider and not a monitor, a refresh rate
higher than 60 Hz has no effect.
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For Linux systems, edit the Xfree86 file XF86Config to disable formats that are
not supported or not VESA standard timing; a reboot is required.
If you are using a special video card or another operating system on the target, consult
the appropriate documentation.
Solaris servers may need to be set to output H+V sync, not composite sync. The powerdown-monitor settings in the operating system’s power management have no effect on
the Spider’s internal operation and network interface, but if the attached server is in a
monitor power-down mode the client application displays “No Video” and the Video LED
will be out. The “Video” LED on the Spider actually monitors the vertical sync signal, not
the video data itself.
Background wallpaper and desktop appearances do not have any particular limitations,
although Microsoft Active Desktop and Linux graphical interfaces’ virtual desktop are not
supported. If bandwidth is a concern, plain backgrounds are preferred.
Mouse
Mouse to cursor synchronization has long been a troublesome issue with digital KVM
interfaces. PS/2 mice transmit incremental information about movement over a period of
time, not an absolute measurement; the driver in the operating system then translates to
distance based on the local screen resolution and applies linear or nonlinear acceleration
mappings. When a remote client system is communicating with the target system,
settings and screen resolutions on both sides of the connection must be taken into
account in order to get natural mouse-to-cursor tracking. Use the USB keyboard/mouse
when supported by the target computer. Unlike the PS/2 interface, a USB mouse uses
absolute coordinates rather than relative coordinates and hence does not present the
difficulties in translation between local and remote systems. On the PS/2 model Spider,
when the keyboard/mouse interface is set to Auto it will first attempt to use the USB
interface and only if it does not detect support in the attached OS will it fall back to PS/2.
There are no restrictions on the mouse settings of the client systems. And as a rule, no
special care must be taken on setting mouse parameters of target systems when using
the USB mouse interface. For the PS/2 interface, performance (tracking) and
synchronization can be optimized by removing any special acceleration or nonlinear
ballistics. For several common operating systems:
SecureLinx Spider User Guide
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