1x1x16 IP Console Switch

[Tom Lohdan]

We have a site using a 1x1x16 IP console switch which keeps failing. Other sites are fine, but this one site will have it's 3rd replacement tomorrow night in as many months.

The same thing occurs where it does not detect the servers, and/or the KVM displays rubbish on the screen or just flickers until the monitor reports out of sync which makes the console useless.

We are running the latest firmware, and upgraded all the IA's (Dongles) without any luck, and this happens on both 17in CRT and LCD monitors.

The site has stable power with a very large UPS, so it's not power spiking.

Any idea's?

[Prashant (I am Back)]

Hi,

What is the Product no nd firmware version of the device we are using?

Regards,
Prashant S.

[Tom Lohdan]

Product Number is 262585-B21 however they convert this to another number when I log a call.

The Firmware being used is: 2.1.5 A (3 Nov 03) however internal to console switch there are other firmware numbers and the dongles have firmware as well, which have all been upgraded to the version contained in 2.1.5 A as well.

Application: 02.01.05
Boot: 01.01.02
Digital/Application: 02.01.05
Digital/Digitizer: 00.00.17
Digital/FPGA: 01.00.100
Matrix FPGA: 02.00.10
UART FPGA: 01.00.07
Video FPGA: 01.00.26

Digital/Hardware: 00.00.02
Hardware: 00.04.28

IA Devices:
Application: 03.00.01
Boot: 03.00.01
Hardware: 01.00.00
Type: PS2

Thanks,
Tom

[Brian_Murdoch]

Hi Tom,

It does sound a bit like a power problem to be honest. I've worked on the 1X1X16 and the 3X1X16 here in the UK and apart from firmware issues they are generally OK.

If the rack or location in which you have the unit is fed from a particular power source or power phase (in a 3 phase system) can you feed it from somewhere else or just raw mains to bypass the UPS?

I will look into this further but the fact that it's happening with multiple monitors is odd. I assume you also can't connect to it over IP when this occurs. If you have it cascaded to older KVM's they have to be at Firmware 2.1.1 but you probably know that if you've been updating things.

Is there any pattern to the failure? i.e. does it happen at a specific time in the morning or on a particular day or time in the month?

I remember having a weird problem with kit which sat on the other side of a wall from forklift truck chargers. The magnetic field generated by the chargers was so great it penetrated the wall and affected only certain bits of kit. I don't know what business you are in but think about the kit location and any possibility of outside interference too.

Regards,

Brian

[Tom Lohdan]

I've taken care of that last night, new rack on other side of the room, new power circuit, new cables.

I still had issues, which seems to be dongle IA related. 4 refused to even appear on the console. The one NetServer LH 6000 server could not display the boot up screen (aka bios/scsi and Windows logon, but when the dongle was moved to a DL380 it worked perfect.