Matrix 3 monitors/keyboard to control 3 computers

I’m putting together a system in which three stations (keyboard+mouse+DisplayPort monitor) need to have the ability to switch to control one of three computers. Thus, each station needs to be connected to each computer and each computer needs to be connected to all stations.

Moreover, I need the ability to just view the computer display without controlling it via keyboard+mouse.

My plan is to use a KVM for each station.

Each KVM would have a keyboard+mouse USB connection plus DP video going to each computer (the graphics card on each computer accepts up to 4 DP connections -- the display would be duplicated across all ports).

Even if this is a valid solution, it's not obvious which KVM switches enable independent switching of USB and video (I've been unable to find any so far).

 

1) Yes, "station" = console.
2) Yes, each of the three consoles needs the ability to access each of the three computers.
3) Yes, each console will have one monitor.

Thanks!

 

For this solution this is what we recommend:

You will need 3 DPN-4P KVM switches and three 4 port USB hubs

Each computer has 4 DisplayPort outputs on its video card so you will take an output from each computer to each of the three KVM’s.

Example:

Computer A:
DisplayPort out > KVM 1
DisplayPort out > KVM 2
DisplayPort out > KVM 3
USB > hub

Computer B:
DisplayPort out > KVM 1
DisplayPort out > KVM 2
DisplayPort out > KVM 3
USB > hub

Computer C:
DisplayPort out > KVM 1
DisplayPort out > KVM 2
DisplayPort out > KVM 3
USB > hub

Take a USB output from the hub to each KVM.

This will connect your video and USB for all three computers to all three consoles.

Switching can be accomplished either by front-panel, RS-232, or HotKey.

 

Thanks! It's not clear to me how the USB and video can be controlled independently, though. The hot keys on the DPN-4P don't appear to separately control the two.

 

Thanks! Concerning my first statement, "I need the ability to just view the computer display without controlling it via keyboard+mouse", this means that I need to be able to independently toggle the display of a computer and the control of a computer. So, for example, a user could toggle "video only" and just see what's being displayed on a particular computer. If the user needs to gain control of this computer, then he'd/she'd just toggle the usb control as well. I would think that this would be possible with hot keys but it's not always possible to see the hot key options on the devices that I've searched.

Concerning the second statement, it doesn't appear to be relevant for the solutions you suggested. The solution that Michael suggested would use this functionality.

 

>>> KVM 1


Computer 1 >>>> 4port Hub >>> KVM 2


>>> KVM 3



>>> KVM 1


Computer 2 >>>> 4port Hub >>> KVM 2


>>> KVM 3



>>> KVM 1


Computer 3 >>>> 4port Hub >>> KVM 2


>>> KVM 3


In this setup, all consoles have access to each of the three computers via USB.

You can use a Hot Key command ….

COMMANDS HOTKEYS
Switch all devices (KVM, USB 2.0, and Audio)
[CTRL] [CTRL] m [port #]

Switch KVM only
[CTRL] [CTRL] c [port #]
Reset [CTRL] [CTRL] r

 

Does this application require any extension and if so, how far? Any resolution requirements?

Here is a solution using AdderLink Infinity and an A.I.M. manager. It creates a KVM digital matrix with extension out to 100 meters and resolutions up to 2560 x 1600. It would require three pairs of Infinity transmitters/receivers and an AIM manager supporting 8 end points. There are different Infinity models depending on your resolution requirements (single link, dual link, dual head) or if you require VNC. It would allow you to toggle video only or gain control but it's not an inexpensive solution. It also requires a network switch and DP/DVI adapters as these are DVI only. It does allow you to add transmitters and receivers as needed, connect any user station to any transmitter and allows for co-operative sharing along with multicasting video to any destination.

Computer A
ALIF1002T (Single Link, 1920x1200) transmitter

Computer B
ALIF1002T (Single Link, 1920x1200) transmitter

Computer C
ALIF1002T (Single Link, 1920x1200) transmitter

Network Switch and AIM manager ALIF-AIM-8

Workstation 1 connected to ALIF1002R receiver
Workstation 2 connected to ALIF1002R receiver
Workstation 3 connected to ALIF1002R receiver

 

Hmmm, I saw this in the documentation but I thought this referred to the USB devices hung directly off the switch, like the printer in this diagram:

 

Thanks a bunch for the advice, everyone. I like the gigabit network option but it's a bit pricey. I think having a dedicated video KVM and a separate USB hub is the way to go. My last question is, is there a compelling reason to go with the higher end DisplayPort KVMs (like the ones you guys suggest) if it's really just a video switch? I found a considerably cheaper option (Startech 4-port) that would seem to work.

 

It's model number SV431DPUA. http://www.startech.com/Server-Mana...B-DisplayPort-KVM-Switch-with-Audio~SV431DPUA

 

Thanks again for all of the help. I'm currently testing out the StarTech SV431DPUA. It works fine for switching control (keyboard and touch). It's functional for the display switching but when switching, it momentarily blanks all screens viewing a given computer. (Recall that I have each KVM plugged into one of the four DP ports on a given computer so that multiple consoles can view a given computer simultaneously.) When I plug two monitors directly into the computer (no KVMs) and turn one monitor on and off, the other monitor doesn't blank so the blanking has to do with the KVM. What's the chance that a higher-end KVM switch (like the Smart-AVI K504E-SH) will avoid this problem?

 

I like the front panel of the K504E-SH better than the DPN-4P; the K504E-SH allows you to directly select the computer to display instead of toggling through all of them. Of course, as I write this it occurs to me that there's a hot-key sequence that could be used instead so it suddenly doesn't seem worth it to pay extra for the K504E-SH as long as they both avoid the screen blanking issue.