XPRO U S E SMARTView & I www.addertec.
About this manual SmartView XPro - Installation and Use Fourth edition (March 2003) Part No. ADD0038/3 (c) 2003 Adder Technology Ltd. www.addertec.com All rights reserved. Whilst every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, Adder Technology Ltd assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
free of charge. No liability can be accepted for damage due to misuse or circumstances outside Adder’s control. Also Adder will not be responsible for any loss, damage or injury arising directly or indirectly from the use of this product. Adder’s total liability under the terms of this warranty shall in all circumstances be limited to the replacement value of this product.
Contents 1. Introduction..................................................................................... 5 1.1 Key features and benefits ...................................................................... 6 1.2 SmartView XPro package contents........................................................ 8 1.3 AdderLink XR receiver package contents .............................................. 8 1.4 AdderLink Gold XR receiver package contents ..................................... 8 1.
4. Using the SmartView XPro ........................................................... 40 4.1 Rear panel special function switches ..................................................... 40 4.2 Power supply connections and indicators ............................................. 40 4.3 USER display and key switch................................................................. 40 4.4 COMPUTER display and key switch ...................................................... 41 4.5 Activity indicators ............
1. Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Adder SmartView XPro. Your SmartView XPro is a very high performance Keyboard, Video monitor and Mouse (KVM) sharing device which supports a wide range of PC hardware and software platforms. The SmartView XPro supports multiple users and enables each user to independently access the connected computers. An On-Screen-Display (OSD) menu system is provided for easy computer selection and control.
1.1 Key features and benefits Enables many computers to be independently controlled by multiple users. On-screen menu allows computers to be selected by name or description. Configurable security enables administrator to assign access rights to users. Dual-access port(s) with built-in 200 metre AdderLink extender connections enable the SmartView to be controlled from local and remote KVM consoles.
Compact 1U (2XPro) and 2U (4XPro) cases may be neatly fitted under a monitor or fixed into a 19 inch rack using the supplied rack-mount kit. SmartBoot ensures reliable simultaneous bootup of all computers. User and computer name information may be uploaded to a PC and saved in an Excel compatible file. This file may be edited in Excel and downloaded back to the SmartView. Mixed AT/PS2 keyboards and PS2/RS232 mice supported as standard.
1.2 SmartView XPro package contents SmartView XPro. Power supply suitable for your country. 6 x stick on self-adhesive rubber feet. 2 x mounting brackets for fixing the unit into a 19 inch rack. 4 x screws for fixing mounting brackets to SmartView Pro (6 screws supplied with 4XPro12 and 4XPro16 models) This installation guide. A serial cable for flash upgrades and upload / download functions. 1.3 AdderLink XR receiver package contents (part code ALRX) AdderLink XR receiver.
1.5 Product information Fig.
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2. Installation Adder explains: Flexible configuration The SmartView XPro has many ports for connection to computers, keyboards, mice, monitors and AdderLink extenders. There are no restrictions placed upon which ports are connected to devices and you can leave any of the ports disconnected if you wish. You do not need to connect a keyboard, monitor and mouse to each user port if you do not wish to use all of these.
For the local user port connections you will need: A monitor with a standard VGA-style 15-pin analogue video connector that will work when connected directly to each of your PCs. SmartView XPro supports low and high resolution monitors. A PS/2 or AT style keyboard. If you are using an AT keyboard with a 5-pin connector you may connect this to the SmartView XPro using a standard AT to PS/2 keyboard adapter.
IMPORTANT WARNING Do not connect the SmartView's extender ports to an Ethernet hub or other digital network device. The signals carried on the twisted pair cable between the SmartView and the AdderLink are ANALOGUE. Plugging the SmartView or AdderLink into a digital network device such as a hub may damage you devices Use of PS/2 and RS232 style mice with the SmartView - All of the mouse connections from SmartView to PCs support either a PS/2 or an RS232 mouse.
User ports 1 and 3 are dual access ports and may have both a local KVM (connected directly) and a remote KVM (connected via and AdderLink extender) attached at the same time. The local and remote KVMs share the port on a timeout basis but only one KVM may be using the port at any one time. If you are not using all the local KVM connections it is preferable to connect the KVMs to ports that are not shared with the AdderLink so that these KVMs have fully independent access to the SmartView.
You may attach the power adapter to either power inlet A or power inlet B (see figure 2). The ports are both the same and are provided to enable you to connect a redundant (spare) power supply (see section 4.2 for more details). Connect your power adapter to either of the power inlet ports to power on the SmartView XPro. There is no ON/OFF switch and the SmartView will start to operate as soon as the power is applied. 2.
SmartView XPros may also be cascaded to single user SmartView Pro products with the restriction that the SmartView Pro units must be on the last layer of the tree and that no further units are cascaded off these. When cascading SmartView XPros keep in mind the following rules The maximum number of layers in a SmartView XPros cascade is four. You may cascade 4XPro units with 1, 2, 3 or 4 KVM links and 2XPro units with 1 or 2 KVM links.
The following diagrams show some typical SmartView XPro installations.
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Fig. 7 – An advanced application that uses two sets of cascaded SmartViews that are cross linked together using twisted pair wiring and AdderLinks.
2.6 Maximising the video quality The SmartView XPro supports very high bandwidth video signals and resolutions up to 1900 x 1440 pixels. It regenerates the video signals using wideband amplifiers in order to minimise any loss of video quality. All video cables introduce distortion onto the video signal. For short cables this is minimal but for longer cables the loss of quality can start to become noticeable particularly at higher video resolutions.
2.7 Other useful installation information PC boot up sequence - When your PCs are powered on they communicate with any attached keyboards and mice and setup parameters required by the particular operating system. It is necessary for the SmartView to be attached and powered on during this sequence so that it can give the required responses and keep track of all the modes and settings requested by each of the connected PCs.
the SmartView's keyboard and mouse reset function (see section 4.17). This function only resets the keyboard and mouse attached to the selected user port. It does not affect the status of any of the SmartView's other ports or the CPU connections. 2.9 Hot plugging the SmartView into running systems and reenabling disconnected CPU PS/2 mouse connections It is adviseable to switch off the systems that are going to be connected to the SmartView before installation.
Type of mouse / system Connected at bootup Driver type Likely expected data format Suggested restoration PS/2 PS/2 IntelliMouse / SmartView IntelliMouse / SmartView PS/2 only IntelliMouse PS/2 only IntelliMouse PS/2 PS/2 PS/2 IntelliMouse Standard Standard Standard IntelliMouse To restore lost mouse movement on a CPU connected to the SmartView: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Select the CPU that has lost its mouse movement Activate the on-screen menu using the keyboard hotkeys Press F1 to view additional menus S
3. Configuring the SmartView XPro 3.1 Configuration summary The SmartView is configured using the on-screen menu system which is activated by default when you first power on the system. It may also be accessed by using the keyboard 'hotkeys' (see section 4.8) or by using the SmartView's front panel keys (see section 4.6). The following steps summarise a typical configuration process.
Step 3 - Create user accounts Login to the SmartView using the ADMIN account and add user profiles and passwords for each of the system users (see section 3.4). The SmartView supports up to 16 user profiles. Step 4 - Add / edit names to identify your computers Whilst you are logged into the SmartView using the ADMIN account, create names for each of the computers that you have attached to the system. The SmartView creates default names for each of its ports (Computer 1 to Computer 16).
To switch on the password security system: From the main on-screen menu press F1 for MORE MENUS. Select SETUP OPTIONS from the menu. Move the menu bar over the SECURITY option. Press SPACE BAR to enable security. Press ESC to quit from the menu. 3.3 Setting an ADMIN password The SmartView XPro supports up to 16 user profiles. The administrator of the system can grant or deny users access to any of the connected computers and has complete control over the setup of the system.
3.4 Creating and editing user accounts To create user accounts: Ensure that you are logged on as the ADMIN user. From the main on-screen menu press F1 for MORE MENUS. Select EDIT USER LIST from the menu. Press INSERT to add a new user. Type in the name of the new user and press RETURN or ENTER. Type in the password for the new user and press RETURN or ENTER.
XPros then the port numbers will be four, six or eight characters long depending upon whether you have two, three or four levels of cascade (see figure 7). See the end of this section and section 4.10 for an explanation of how the port numbers are constructed. The SmartView XPro supports up to 512 computer names. To create computer names: Ensure that you are logged on as the ADMIN user. From the main on-screen menu press F1 for MORE MENUS. Select EDIT COMPUTER LIST from the menu.
Creating entries for computers connected to cascaded SmartViews You can cascade SmartView 4XPro units using one, two, three or four KVM links and SmartView 2XPro units using one or two KVM links. Section 2.5 explains the rules that you must follow when installing a SmartView cascade. The number of cascade links that you install determines the number of simultaneous users that can access computers on the cascaded SmartViews.
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Fig. 8 - Possible cascade groups and their associated names 3.6 Setting the SETUP OPTIONS and GLOBAL PREFERENCES The SETUP OPTIONS and GLOBAL PREFERENCES are system operating parameters that apply to the whole system rather than to individual users. These may only be setup or changed by the system administrator logged in using the ADMIN account. From the main menu press F1 for MORE MENUS. Use the cursor keys to position the menu bar over SETUP OPTIONS or GLOBAL PREFERENCES.
3.6.1 SECURITY Accessed from menu: SETUP OPTIONS Settings: DISABLED, ENABLED With security disabled there is no requirement for users to login to the system. All users have full access to all the connected computers and full administration rights. With security enabled, users are required to login to the SmartView. Each user is allocated access rights to computers by the system administrator and they are only able to see the computers that they have access to on their on-screen menu. 3.6.
quickly select a chosen computer without activating the on-screen menu. See section 4.8 for full details on using keyboard hotkeys to control the SmartView. We do not normally recommend that you disable the hotkeys but if you choose to do this then you will need to access the on-screen menu using the SmartView's front panel controls. 3.6.
3.6.6 AUTOMATIC LOGOUT Accessed from menu: SETUP OPTIONS Settings: DISABLED, ENABLED The SmartView enables you to restrict access to your computers on a login basis. If a user forgets to logout when they have finished accessing the SmartView then the user console may unintentionally be left with full access to all the computers. The SmartView may be set to automatically logout unattended user consoles when the screen saver kicks in.
3.6.9 AUTOSCAN MODE Accessed from menu: GLOBAL PREFERENCES Settings: SCAN LIST, ACTIVE PCs, ALL PCs The SmartView supports an autoscan mode that automatically scans between the connected computers in sequence. The SmartView supports three autoscan modes. In the first mode the SmartView will scan all the named computers that are defined in the autoscan list (SCAN LIST). The computers defined in the scan list may be connected to cascaded SmartViews.
3.6.10 AUTOSCAN TIME Accessed from menu: GLOBAL PREFERENCES Settings: DISABLED; 2, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30 SECONDS The autoscan time defines the length of time that the SmartView will display video from an autoscanned computer before changing to the next computer. If the DISABLED setting is chosen then no autoscan functions will be available. 3.6.
4. Using the SmartView XPro This section explains the general operation of the SmartView XPro. We recommend that you read this section before starting to use the product. 4.1 Rear panel special function switches Before powering on the SmartView ensure that the two option switches on the rear are set to the OFF (up) position. Option switch 1 is reserved for future use and option switch 2 is used to enable firmware upgrades (see section 6). 4.
4.4 COMPUTER display and key switch The COMPUTER key selects the computer port that is to be connected to the user port that is currently displayed on the green USER display (see figure 1). Pressing the key will cause the red COMPUTER display to change to the next available computer port in numerical sequence. The next available computer port is defined by the way that the SmartView XPro is configured. There are two special computer ports that may be selected using the COMPUTER key switch.
4.5 Activity indicators The SmartView XPro has a front panel activity indicator for each user port (see figure 1). The indicator will flash when keyboard or mouse data is received by the SmartView. These indicators provide a useful confirmation that the keyboards and mice connected to the SmartView are functioning normally. 4.
Action of the COMPUTER key if no security has been set and the front panel controls are enabled Action of the COMPUTER key if the front panel controls are enabled, security has been set and the current logged in user only has access to computer ports 1,3 and 7 Action of the COMPUTER key if the front panel controls have been disable. 4.
name and password to access the SmartView. 4.8 Keyboard hotkeys SmartView XPro can be conveniently controlled using special keyboard hotkey combinations. These hotkey combinations can be used to select computers and perform a number of other useful functions. All of the hotkey control commands are invoked by holding down the hotkeys and then pressing a command key. By default, the two hotkeys are ‘CTRL’ and ‘ALT’, although other combinations can be selected by reconfiguring the hotkeys (see section 3.6.3).
‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘1’ - selects channel 1 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘2’ - selects channel 2 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘3’ - selects channel 3 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘4’ - selects channel 4 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘5’ - selects channel 5 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘6’ - selects channel 6 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘7’ - selects channel 7 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘8’ - selects channel 8 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘9’ - selects channel 9 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘1 then 0’ - selects channel 10 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘1 then 1’ - selects channel 11 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘1 then 2’ - selects channel 12 ‘HOTKEYs’ and ‘1 then 3’ - selec
be selected. For example HOTKEYs + 0 10216 would select port 1 (01) on the current SmartView, port 2 (02) on the next cascaded SmartView and port 16 on the last SmartView.
4.9 Selecting computers using the mouse Computers may conveniently be selected using a three button mouse. In order to switch to the next computer simply hold down the central mouse button (the wheel mouse button on an IntelliMouse) and click on the left hand mouse button to select the next computer. If password security has been set then the SmartView will select the next available channel, otherwise it will select the next numerical channel. Mouse switching may be enabled or disabled (see section 3.6.7).
4.10 Selecting computers using the on-screen menu You can conveniently select computers by name using the SmartView's on-screen menu. For systems with many computers this is the recommended method of computer selection. The on-screen menu is called up by pressing the ‘HOTKEYs’ and the ‘M’ key together. Its position on the screen may be moved using the 'HOTKEYs' and the cursor keys (see section 4.
To connect to a computer, place the menu bar over the computer name using a combination of the up and down cursor keys and the page up / page down keys. You may also use the wheel on a wheel mouse to move the menu bar up and down. If you have enabled mouse control (see section 3.6.7).
To select the computer with SHARED access press: e or f When a computer is selected in SHARED mode, the computer’s video picture will be displayed on all the KVM consoles that are connected to that computer. Only one user will have control of the computer’s keyboard and mouse at any one time. If no keyboard or mouse activity has been detected for the timeout period (see section 3.6.12) then other KVM consoles may gain control.
You may also use a 3-button mouse or wheel mouse to select a computer if you have enabled mouse control (see section 3.6.7). To select a computer in SHARED mode use the left hand mouse button ( ) whilst the menu bar is positioned above the required computer name. To escape without selecting a new computer use the right hand mouse button. To select a computer in EXCLUSIVE mode, use the left hand mouse button together with the SHIFT key on the keyboard.
SmartView indicates an unsuccessful connection 4.11 The reminder banner Normally the SmartView will display a discreet computer name reminder banner that reminds you which computer you are connected to. This banner will normally appear at the top of the screen in a central location and may optionally be disabled (see section 4.12.2). Many computer screens can look very similar and so this banner serves as a useful reminder of which computer you are working on.
4.12 Setting the USER PREFERENCES The USER PREFERENCES are system operating parameters that are independently selectable for each user. From the main menu press F1 for MORE MENUS. Use the cursor keys to position the menu bar over USER PREFERENCES Press ENTER or RETURN to view the preferences. Use the cursor keys to place the menu bar over the required option and then use SPACE BAR to change the option as required. Press ESC to quit and save the changes. 4.12.
screen in a central position but may be moved as required (see section 4.8) 4.12.3 REMINDER COLOUR Accessed from menu: USER PREFERENCES Settings: BLUE/TRANS, PINK/TRANS, BLUE/WHITE, WHITE/RED You may select the colour of the reminder banner. The BLUE/TRANS and PINK/TRANS select blue or pink text with a transparent background. The BLUE/WHITE and WHITE/RED settings select blue and white text on solid white and red backgrounds. 4.12.
will clear all the computer and user names and set all parameters back to the factory defaults. To avoid activating this function by accident the administrator must confirm the reset instruction by pressing F8. 4.14 Querying the routing status It is sometimes useful to know which KVM consoles are connected to which computers and their connection modes (shared, exclusive or video only).
is duplicated on both the local and remote access points but the SmartView will accept keyboard and mouse data from only one KVM at a time. Whilst one of the KVMs is active, the num, caps and scroll lock keys on the inactive KVM's keyboard will flash indicating that the KVM does not have control. Once there has been no keyboard or mouse data from the active KVM for the timeout period (see section 3.6.12 for instructions on how to set the timeout period), the other KVM is allowed access.
press ba0release 0 press 1release 1 press 1release 1 press 4release 4ba 4.17 Resetting user port keyboards and mice The SmartView gives you the facility to perform a complete power off reset of the keyboard and mouse that are connected to a selected user port. This can be useful if you wish to disconnect the keyboard or mouse and replace them with alternatives. Keyboards will enable themselves automatically if they are disconnected and then re-connected to the SmartView.
4.18 Using the AdderLink extender Refer to the installation guide provided with your AdderLink extender. The transmitter unit (AdderLink XL) is built into the SmartView XPro so you will only need the receiver (AdderLink XR unit). You may use an AdderLink XR receiver or an AdderLink Gold XR receiver. When using an AdderLink extender we highly recommend that you set the AdderLink's hotkeys to be different to the SmartView's hotkeys to avoid any confusion 4.
4.20 Saving and restoring the menu configuration to and from an Excel compatible file. The SmartView XPro will store up to 512 computer names and 16 sets of user access rights. If you have a cascade of SmartViews then it may take some time to enter all the computer names and port numbers and decide on the access rights that you are going to grant to each user profile. Consequently, for peace of mind it is useful to be able to store these settings.
To edit the menu names and configuration settings: You may open the XPRODATA.CSV using a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel. The format of a typical file is shown below. You will see that the computer names (rows) are tabulated against the user profiles (columns). To grant a user access to a computer, enter the value 1 in the box that is common to the computer’s row and the user’s column. To deny access, leave this box blank. To add extra users, add additional columns (up to 16 users).
4.21 Switching channels by sending RS232 data You can switch the SmartView XPro remotely by sending RS232 data to the serial communications port (located on the rear panel adjacent to the power connectors). All data should be sent using the following RS232 protocol. Baud: 19200, bits: 8, stopbits: 1, parity:none No handshaking is implemented but valid command characters will be echoed back to the sender.
5. Special features of the SmartView XPro The following special features of the SmartView XPro are implemented by firmware versions 1.12 and above. If you have an earlier version of firmware loaded into your SmartView you will need to download the latest firmware release from the Adder website (www.adder.com) and upgrade your SmartView before you can make use of these features (see section 6 for upgrade instructions). 5.
Synchronised SmartViews used for a dual head video switching application The pinout of the RS232 synchronisation cable is as shown below.
The pinout for a “daisy chain” RS232 cable for more than 2 units is shown below: 5.2 Logging access activity (requires firmware v1.12 or above) By connecting the SmartView’s serial port to a computer, a time stamped log of the SmartView’s activity can be generated. This is useful for applications where it is necessary to keep track of which users have accessed which computers. A simple data logging program may be downloaded from the Adder Technology website (XPLOG.EXE).
{activity_log_destination} is the file name where the log is to be stored or the word PRINT if the log is to be printed on a printer attached to the computer’s parallel port. LPT1 {com_port} is the computer’s serial port that is connected to the SmartView. Options are 1 (for COM1) or 2 (for COM2). For example: XPLOG datalog.txt 1 would log activity information received on COM1 to the file datalog.txt.
6. Upgrading the SmartView's firmware The SmartView XPro uses flash memory technology which enables the firmware code to be upgraded by the user. New keyboards, mice operating systems and drivers are being launched all the time. From time to time the SmartView's firmware will be updated to provide support for these new devices. You can take advantage of these upgrades free of charge during the warranty period.
To perform a flash upgrade on the SmartView XPro: Step 1 - Prepare your computers Ensure that you have saved any important work on the connected computers. The SmartView XPro can be upgraded whilst attached to live systems but remember that the mouse connections will probably need to be reconstituted after the upgrade is finished (see sections 4.13 and 2.9). Where possible, mission critical servers should be switched off or disconnected before performing an upgrade.
Step 4 - Power off the SmartView XPro Remove both power supplies from the XPro. Step 5 - Power on the SmartView with the UPGRADE switch ON Attach the power adapter to the SmartView whilst the UPGRADE switch is ON. The green USER display should now show a lower case 'u'. This indicates that the SmartView is ready to be upgraded. The display should now show: Step 6 - Run the upgrade program The latest version of the SmartView XPro firmware is available from the Adder Technology website at www.addertec.com.
3) A data file that tells the upgrade program (SVXPRO.EXE) which binary code files (HEX files) to download to the SmartView XPro and where to put each file. Theoretically this DAT file can be modified so that only certain processors are upgraded but do not do this unless specifically instructed by Adder technical support. e.g. 4X16V129.DAT Like the hex files, the first three digits represent the model number (e.g. 2X8 represents a SmartView 2XPro with 8 computer ports).
Follow the instructions given on the screen to perform the upgrade. When the upgrade is complete the program will confirm that the upgrade has been successful and then quit. Step 7 - Switch the UPGRADE key to the OFF position and cycle the power Switch the UPGRADE switch on the rear of the SmartView to the OFF position and disconnect the power. When the power is re-applied the SmartView will operate using the new firmware.
Appendix A. Cable and connector specifications IMPORTANT NOTE The maximum cable lengths supported vary widely between devices and cables. It may be possible to use cables that are longer than those specified below with certain PCs and peripherals but this cannot be guaranteed. If you experience problems try using shorter cables. A1. Keyboard, monitor and mouse to SmartView XPro Cable specification: All of the shared devices plug directly into the relevant ports at the rear of the SmartView.
A3. SmartView XPro to PCs 1 to 16 Cable specifications: Video - 15 pin high density male D connector to 15 pin high density male D connector wired as a standard VGA PC to monitor cable. There are two types commonly available. The best type cables which will give excellent quality are constructed with coaxial cable cores. Cheaper ‘data’ cables are often used, but can degrade video quality if used over longer distances. Avoid using 'data' cables longer than 2 metres unless the video quality is not important.
Cables should be no longer than 30 metres. NOTE - There are several common wiring specifications for 6-pin mini-DIN to 9-pin serial adapters. If you have an adapter that has been supplied with a mouse it may have a completely different internal wiring to that shown above and may not be compatible with the SmartView Recommended cables: 3-in-1 keyboard, video and mouse combination cable - For convenience, neatness and high video quality we recommend the Adder brand 3-in-1 combination cables.
Appendix B. Problem Solving Problem: Poor video quality with smearing fuzziness or ripple. Action: Use screened coaxial video cables to connect your devices to the SmartView. For more help with problems visit the Adder Technology website at www.addertec.com.
Notes SmartView XPro Installation and Use Page 75
Notes SmartView XPro Installation and Use Page 76
SMARTView XPRO I N S TA L L AT I O N & U S E ADDER Technology Limited Technology House Trafalgar Way Bar Hill Cambridge CB3 8SQ • England Telephone: +44 (0) 1954 780044 Fax: +44 (0) 1954 780081 Email: sales@addertec.com Web Site: www.addertec.com SV-XPRO-04.
