[rescue] KVM and Sunfire 280r

[William Enestvedt]

Mike;
   I have a Sun Fire 280R hooked up to a LightWave ServeSwitch 5000 KVM that
only has Type 5 keyboard connectors. I used a dual-USB-to-Sun-keyboard adapter
from UltraSpec cables ($175).
>
>  1. What video connector does [a 280R] have?
>
   The video card that I bought for the 280R -- a PGX64? -- has only a VGA
connector, but I seem to recall that it came with a 12" VGA-to-13W3 adapter
cable that lets me use the 13W3 connector built into the KVM.
>
> 2. Is their anything weird about that USB mouse and keyboard, or
> could it technically be any mouse or keyboard as long as it is USB.
>
   Nothing weird. As others have stated, you'll lack the special keys (like
Stop), but you can probably learn to live without them. (I don't have to,
because my KVM hosts an ld Sun keyboard.) When I've gone looking for a 1U
rack-mount LCD/keyboard unit, every vendor I've asked -- including Sun! -- has
told me to buy the APC unit; Shark Rack sells the APC unit, rebranded, but
it's still a PC-style keyboard.
>
> 3. I know that they, at one time, made converter boxes for this
> application for the older sparcs with the 13w3 video and type 4/5
> keyboards and mice. Do they make anything like that for this application?
>
   Like I said, I got mine from UltraSpec (www.ultraspec.com), part # 5188 --
it's currently the item pictured at the upper left corner of their home page.
Below it is also pictured a "Sun Keyboard & Mouse to PS2 Converter"; I've
never been let down by UltraSpec, so maybe you should dig around and see if
you find what you're looking for.
   In fact, I just ordered several more of those adapters so I can reuse an
identical KVM with some new V480s.
-wde
--
Will Enestvedt
UNIX System Administrator
Johnson & Wales University -- Providence, RI
Will.Enestvedt at jwu.edu