Product Reviews

The KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) remote-control concept has come a long way since the early days of trunk-like cabling and clunky control boxes. The compact AutoView 1000R offers full remote KVM over IP for up to 16 systems. Each system is linked to the main unit via a small PS/2, USB or Sun AVRIQ module, which converts monitor, keyboard and mouse connections to a standard RJ-45 port. This is used to connect each system to the 1000R via standard CAT-5 network cable over a maximum distance of 10m. The control unit itself can be connected to an Ethernet hub or switch and accessed remotely using the bundled AVWorks software.

For local use, installation consists of attaching a monitor, mouse and keyboard to the 1000R and accessing the simple OSCAR (on-screen

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configuration and activity reporting) interface. From here, you can password-protect access, browse a list of attached systems and give each channel a meaningful name that is displayed in a small window when you switch to the selected system.

AVWorks extends remote control to the local network and Internet. You can view a list of available AutoView appliances, select one and choose an attached system to control. For performance, the local connection works best. The response to mouse movements is near instantaneous, but accessing the same system over the network introduces performance overheads that make it more difficult to control the movements on the remote system.

Installation is simple, as AVWorks offers a quick-setup Wizard for applying an IP address and adding details to its database of discovered units. A neat row of tabbed folders in the main window allows you to view all KVM appliances and attached systems. To control a remote system, you can select it either from the Devices tab or access an individual appliance and choose from a list of attached systems.

The 1000R looks a good choice for remotely controlling server farms, although this concept isn't new, as Avocent did introduce KVM over IP with its DSR1161. However, the optional software is expensive, making the 1000R look far more cost-effective.