Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP
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I purchased and used an IP KMV back in like 2008 for the purpose of dealing with user computer issues at a remote site. This was prior to having ScreenConnect. Even back then I used iDRAC Enterprise for servers.
It was cheaper then TeamViewer, and let me actually reinstall the OS remotely. Since I had a Windows 7 USB stick on site also.
Today? ScreenConnect for everything, and I ship new systems. I would never use something like this today.
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Yeah, something like this for server / datacenter access is too much of a gimmick, but I imagine that we can't be the only organisation who's stock of spare / loaner machines has been eaten by the long-term temporary work from home arrangements that we've been dealing with for the past year. Once upon a time we would have been able to swap a device via courier or have the user go to their local office, but between lack of equipment and varying degrees of lockdown across the country we more often than not have to fix what's on-site. There's been talk of a massive equipment refresh for the office staff, meaning new laptops for a whole lot of people, but that hasn't materialized yet...
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This is for home use, for homelab at best. I considered buying one of these few months ago, when I couldn't get ipmi video redirection to work on my home server, because f....ing Java, and I didn't have monitor. That's about the only use case for it.
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Just found a use for a KVM over IP
When remote server(s) aren't responding to on any IP including the iDRAC
as it's happening to me now, since i can't drive i could do with getting on and and doing some reboots. -
@hobbit666 if the host isn't responding to TCP/IP how is this IP based KVM working with the host?
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@DustinB3403 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@hobbit666 if the host isn't responding to TCP/IP how is this IP based KVM working with the host?
That's just awesome. +100 upvotes!
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@DustinB3403 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@hobbit666 if the host isn't responding to TCP/IP how is this IP based KVM working with the host?
It doesn't. It connects to video output, and probably usb for mouse and keyboard. Just like any other KVM. IP part is to connect to KVM device, not the host. See this video how it's wired. No network involved.
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@DustinB3403 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@hobbit666 if the host isn't responding to TCP/IP how is this IP based KVM working with the host?
Over usb and hdmi/vga like any other kvm?
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@Pete-S said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@DustinB3403 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@hobbit666 if the host isn't responding to TCP/IP how is this IP based KVM working with the host?
That's just awesome. +100 upvotes!
Should of added just the host the rest of the network was working, if i could get onto the console i could run ping tests and see where the failure was.
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@hobbit666 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@Pete-S said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@DustinB3403 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@hobbit666 if the host isn't responding to TCP/IP how is this IP based KVM working with the host?
That's just awesome. +100 upvotes!
Should of added just the host the rest of the network was working, if i could get onto the console i could run ping tests and see where the failure was.
Right - if the network is down iDRAC, etc isn't working either.
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@Dashrender said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
Right - if the network is down iDRAC, etc isn't working either.
The Core switch had issues so could ping all the hosts. If i could of got onto the server itself i would of done some pings and found which switch was the issue.
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@hobbit666 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@Dashrender said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
Right - if the network is down iDRAC, etc isn't working either.
The Core switch had issues so could ping all the hosts. If i could of got onto the server itself i would of done some pings and found which switch was the issue.
I'm lost.
If you can get the host to plug this thing into it and put it on the network, then you could plug in a laptop and ping the network from that.
if you had iDRAC, and it was on the same switching having a problem - no dice.
I suppose that's one argument for putting the iDRACs onto a different switch, but if you're stretching pennies already, I don't see that happening.
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@stacksofplates said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@DustinB3403 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@hobbit666 if the host isn't responding to TCP/IP how is this IP based KVM working with the host?
Over usb and hdmi/vga like any other kvm?
Hrm, for some reason I was thinking of this more like iDRAC/iLO rather than an actual KVM with dedicated USB connections.
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@DustinB3403 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@stacksofplates said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@DustinB3403 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@hobbit666 if the host isn't responding to TCP/IP how is this IP based KVM working with the host?
Over usb and hdmi/vga like any other kvm?
Hrm, for some reason I was thinking of this more like iDRAC/iLO rather than an actual KVM with dedicated USB connections.
I'm trying to think how that would even work?
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@Dashrender said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
I'm lost.
If you can get the host to plug this thing into it and put it on the network, then you could plug in a laptop and ping the network from that.
if you had iDRAC, and it was on the same switching having a problem - no dice.
I suppose that's one argument for putting the iDRACs onto a different switch, but if you're stretching pennies already, I don't see that happening.
Because our infrastructure is on a different set of switches 172.20.6.X to the "main" network. 10.0.6.X if i had the KVM on this network i could get onto the console and find out where the issue was. Found out after someone visited the site one of the switches connecting to the host and idrac needed a reboot. Not going into too much detail on how our network is setup, but it's an old building that's had addon after addon
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@hobbit666 said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
@Dashrender said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
I'm lost.
If you can get the host to plug this thing into it and put it on the network, then you could plug in a laptop and ping the network from that.
if you had iDRAC, and it was on the same switching having a problem - no dice.
I suppose that's one argument for putting the iDRACs onto a different switch, but if you're stretching pennies already, I don't see that happening.
Because our infrastructure is on a different set of switches 172.20.6.X to the "main" network. 10.0.6.X if i had the KVM on this network i could get onto the console and find out where the issue was. Found out after someone visited the site one of the switches connecting to the host and idrac needed a reboot. Not going into too much detail on how our network is setup, but it's an old building that's had addon after addon
Lol don’t visit the wrath of Jared.
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@Dashrender said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
Lol don’t visit the wrath of Jared.
Yeah unfortunately this wasn't a "green" site so had so insert the new kit around what's there. Hoping they are going to move office in the next few years so we can re-build the network,
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I don’t understand how @Dashrender and @DustinB3403 are so dense.
This is a super basic concept that had a purpose before modern RMM tools.
As I said, I had one, not Pi based, in 2008 at a client.
When windows would not boot, they plugged it in to the computer and I had remote KVM. Done. BIOS, safe mode, etc.
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@JaredBusch said in Raspberry Pi-based KVM over IP:
I don’t understand how @Dashrender and @DustinB3403 are so dense.
This is a super basic concept that had a purpose before modern RMM tools.
As I said, I had one, not Pi based, in 2008 at a client.
When windows would not boot, they plugged it in to the computer and I had remote KVM. Done. BIOS, safe mode, etc.
What the hell are you on? I definitely see the benefit of these, both before and today (though WAY less so today), so don't lump me in with whatever shit you're flinging today.
