Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Installer/User Guide
For important safety information, visit: www.emersonnetworkpower.com/ComplianceRegulatoryInfo Emerson, Emerson Network Power and the Emerson Network Power logo are trademarks or service marks of Emerson Electric Co. Avocent, the Avocent logo, AMX and Dambrackas Video Compression are trademarks or service marks of Avocent Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
i TABLE OF CONTENTS Product Overview Features and Benefits Security Auto failover Flash upgrade Video support Audio support USB support On-Board Web Interface (OBWI) On-Screen Display (OSD) Matrix switch Receiver Transmitter Installation and Configuration Configuration Options Single switch Matrix system Multi-switch cascaded Matrix system High availability cascading Extended Mode Switch Configuration Setup Port Unit information Network configuration Appliance mode Username/password Set session timeout On-
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Product Overview The Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM switching system is the next generation of Avocent keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) products. This new class of digital Matrix systems and extension products provides the high-performance, reliable desktop extension experience expected from an Avocent product.
2.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Auto failover Multiple Avocent Matrix High Performance KVM switches can be interconnected to create a cascaded switching system that is capable of supporting more receivers and transmitters. Within each cascaded system, one switch is configured as a master and the remaining switches are configured as slaves.
Product Overview..... 3 On-Screen Display (OSD) The Matrix receiver includes an on-screen display that allows users to establish connections to the targets from the local keyboard and mouse. Matrix switch The Matrix switch is a rack mountable chassis with RJ-45 ports to which the transmitters, receivers and switches connect. It is available in 20-port and 32-port models. The interconnection at the switch is a proprietary, non-routable protocol.
4.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Avocent® Matrix Switch Descriptions Number Description 1 Power supplies (dual on 32-port switch) 2 RGB LCD and scroll buttons for device information 3 Dual NIC ports 4 Setup port 5 RJ-45 ports for KVM signaling Receiver The Matrix receiver enables the desktop user’s monitor, speakers and USB peripherals to connect to a target computer through the Matrix switch.
Product Overview..... 5 Number Description 10 Cable catch for securing the power cable 11 Power connector Transmitter The transmitter is a small device with cables connecting video, USB and audio to a target. The transmitter captures, compresses and encodes the media streams and transmits them to the receiver over a proprietary network. It attaches to a computer, AV player, or other device to be extended.
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Installation and Configuration At this point you should have already mounted the switch and completed the installation instructions outlined in the Avocent® Matrix Switching System Quick Installation Guide. For important safety information on your Matrix switch, please visit http://www.emersonnetworkpower.com/ComplianceRegulatoryInfo. Configuration Options Single switch Matrix system In the figure below, multiple transmitters and receivers are attached to a single Matrix switch.
8.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System On-screen Display (OSD) interface, as if all the target devices were connected to one switch. To use seamless cascading, you will need to configure the cascaded switches as a master and slave (s). There can be only one master in a cascaded system. NOTE: If you need to limit the number of interconnects being used in your cascaded system, you can connect the transmitters and receivers directly to a slave switch.
Installation and Configuration..... 9 3. You can now connect transmitters and receivers to a numbered RJ-45 port on the cascaded master and slave switches. 4. When you have connected the transmitters and receivers to the switching system, you will need to configure the cascaded switch as a slave. For more information on configuring the switch modes, see Switch details on page 23. 5. You can repeat steps 2 through 4 to cascade a third or fourth switch.
10.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System To access the serial menu: 1. Using a null modem cable, connect a terminal or a PC that is running terminal emulation software to the Setup port on the back panel of the Matrix switch. NOTE: The terminal settings are 9600 bits per second (bps), 8 bits, 1 stop bit, no parity and no flow control. 2. Connect the other end of the serial cable to the serial port of your computer. 3. Launch the terminal emulation software. 4.
Installation and Configuration..... 11 The following table describes the options for configuring IPv6. IPv6 Configuration Option Description Stateless only The switch uses IPv6 stateless address autoconfiguration to obtain an IPv6 address. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) The switch is a DHCP client and receives all the network parameters from a DHCP server on the network.
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On-Board Web Interface The On-Board Web Interface (OBWI) is a remote, web browser-based user interface that allows an administrator to manage users, switches, receivers and transmitters. The first time you log in to the administrator account, you will be required to set the account password. NOTE: The OBWI and the Setup port use the same administrator account.
14.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System On-Board Web Interface (OBWI) Number Description 1 Tab bar - Use the tab bar to display and manage users, sessions, devices, peripherals, settings and events. 2 Side bar- The sidebar is used to initiate actions related to the current tab. The content of the sidebar changes depending on which tab is selected.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 15 Dashboard Tab User sessions pane The user sessions pane lists the current KVM sessions and details the user that is logged in, the transmitter and receiver that are being used by the KVM session, whether the session is shared or private and how long the session has been active. Events pane The events pane displays a list of recent events including the date and time of the event, the type of event and a brief description.
16.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Sessions Tab in OBWI When a specific session is selected, the details are displayed in the bottom Session Details pane. The session details are read only. To connect a KVM session: 1. On the sidebar under Connect Session, click Connect. 2. From the drop-down list, select either Private or Shared session (other authorized users will be able to join a shared session). 3. Select the username, receiver and transmitter.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 17 Users Tab New user When a user has been created, you can configure the permissions, targets, OSD settings and set up a list of favorites for the user. By selecting more than one user, you can change the permissions, targets, settings and favorites for multiple users at the same time. To create a user: 1. On the sidebar under New User, click New. 2. In the Attributes tab, enter the following: a. Username - The name that the user will log in with.
18.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System To delete a user: 1. From the Users pane, select a user or CTRL + click to select multiple users. 2. On the sidebar under Delete User, click Delete. 3. Click Delete again to confirm. NOTE: You cannot delete all administrator accounts. Login and Logout The Login option allows an administrator to log a user into a specific receiver. The user must have permissions to be able to access the receiver.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 19 Users – Permissions tab On the permissions tab you can change the role, Access Mode and USB Mode for each user. There are two options available for the user roles: User or Administrator. An administrator can login to the OBWI and perform all functions. A user can only log in to a receiver. To set user permissions: 1. Select a user. 2. On the User Details pane, click Permissions. 3. Select either User or Administrator for the user role from the drop-down list.
20.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Check the box to enable access to all targets. Enabling all targets allows access to all current targets and any targets that are added in the future. 4. Click Save. To remove transmitter access: 1. Select one or more users. 2. On the User Details pane, click Targets. 3. Select one or more transmitters from the Allowed Transmitters list and click Remove.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 21 The OSD hotkey is the shortcut key that the user presses on his keyboard to display the OSD. The per-user OSD Hotkey setting applies only when that user is logged into a receiver. There is a system wide default that applies when no user is logged into a receiver. This default is found under System Settings on the OSD tab. The OSD inactivity time-out sets the time after which the OSD will be automatically dismissed if there is no user keyboard or mouse activity.
22.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Devices Tab From the Devices tab, you can manage switches, transmitters and receivers. This includes viewing and changing settings, updating firmware, and resetting to factory defaults. The current list of devices known to the master switch (including itself) is shown in the upper Devices pane. When a new device is physically connected to a switch in the system, it will automatically appear on the list.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 23 To reboot a device: 1. From the Devices tab, select one or more devices and click Reboot. 2. Click Reboot to confirm. The status of the device will change to reboot pending, offline and then back to ready when the device completes rebooting. Remove device Devices that are no longer being used can be removed from the Matrix switch. To remove a device: 1. From the Devices tab, select one or more devices and click Remove. 2. Click Remove to confirm.
24.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System There can be only one master in a cascaded system. The switch that is set to master mode is used to administer the other switches, transmitters and receivers in the system through the OBWI. In a system with only one switch, that switch should always be set to master mode. When a switch is set to Slave Mode, the OBWI on the switch will become very limited. A slave cannot administer other devices. To change the mode: 1.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 25 Receiver – Attributes tab The Attributes tab allows you to change the name, location and description of the receiver. Each receiver within a system must have a unique name. The Location, Description and Notes fields are optional, and are used only for your own information. Receiver – Settings tab From the Settings tab, you can change various settings for the receiver. The following table describes the receiver settings.
26.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Setting Description Session Timeout If there is no keyboard or mouse activity for this amount of time, the KVM session will be terminated and the user logged out of the receiver. Share Control Timeout When the keyboard and mouse are idle for this amount of time, another user on a shared KVM session can gain control of the keyboard and mouse. To edit the receiver settings: 1. Select a receiver from the list of devices. 2.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 27 Setting Description Wake on LAN MAC address The MAC address to which the Wake on LAN signal should be sent. Use MAC-48 or MAC-64 format such as xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx or xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx, where each x is a hexadecimal digit. You may also use hyphens instead of colons, such as xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx. USB Mode Determines what USB devices will be extended to the attached target by this transmitter. LCD backlight Determines whether the LCD backlight will be on or off.
28.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Private mode In Private only mode, no other receiver in the switching system can switch to that target device. If Private Mode is not available, the user will be notified via an on screen message. If the transmitter is configured for private mode only, the share mode option will be grayed out and only private mode will be available.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 29 Promoting a peer The backup controller (peer) needs to assume the role of the cascade controller (master) if a different switch needs to be assigned as the master or in the event of system failure. If a different switch needs to be assigned as the master, the roles of the switches must be manually exchanged using the Force Role Switch command. After the command is applied, you must then promote the peer switch. To force a role switch: 1.
30.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Peripherals Tab In order to understand the Peripherals Tab, you need to first understand what an EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) is. EDIDs are built in to video monitors so the computer that a monitor is connected to can query the monitor for its characteristics and capabilities. The computer’s video hardware can then drive the monitor according to the resolution and timing that the monitor can accept.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 31 presented to an attached target by the VGA and DVI transmitters, respectively. These entries provide a way to get back to the default EDID if you push a different EDID to a transmitter. To pull monitor attributes: 1. On the sidebar under Pull Monitor, click Pull. 2. Select a receiver from the list and click Pull. The monitor will be added to the list in the Peripherals pane. To push the monitor attributes: 1. On the sidebar under Push Monitor, click Push. 2.
32.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System To load system settings: 1. On the sidebar under Load Settings from File, click Load. 2. Click Next on the warning. 3. Browse to the path where the file is stored. 4. Enter the encryption password, if necessary, and click Next. 5. Click Reboot to reboot the switch. Restore full defaults The restore full defaults option will restore the switch to the full factory defaults, including the network settings.
On-Board Web Interface ..... 33 5. Click Save to push the changes to all attached receivers. Events tab The Events tab is where event logging is configured. Events can be manually downloaded to a file or automatically sent to a syslog server for longer term storage. Individual events can be enabled or disabled by manipulating the Disabled Events and Enabled Events lists. Simply click on one or more events and click the buttons to move them from one list to the other.
34.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Setting Description devices. Transmitter Traffic Priority The default for traffic priority on the transmitter. By default, USB is the priority. Other From the Other tab, you can set the time for the LCD backlight flashing feature. The LCD backlight flashing feature can help you identify a device. You can also enable or disable the settings for automatically rebooting after a firmware update.
On-Screen Display The Avocent® Matrix Switching System incorporates an On-Screen Display (OSD), allowing you to manage the receiver and any connected transmitter from the local keyboard and mouse. You can also login to the OSD from Extended Mode. The OSD is displayed on a monitor connected to a receiver. It has a list of available targets to which the user can connect. The OSD supports user defined hotkeys and favorites for frequently used actions.
36.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Targets Tab The Targets tab displays all of the targets available for the currently logged in user. From the list, you can connect to the various targets. The list will display up to 300 targets. Using the search box, you can search for a specific target or you can click the radio button to display All Targets or Favorites.
On-Screen Display..... 37 Connect private When connect private is selected, no other receiver can connect to that target device. If Private Mode is not available, the user will be notified via an on screen message. If the transmitter is configured for Private Mode only, the Share Mode option will be grayed out and only Private Mode will be available.
38.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System USB Tab The following table describes the options available on the USB tab. USB Tab Options Option Description Update Refreshes the list of attached USB devices. Enumerates the selected device through to the target, as if you disconnected and reconnected the Enumerate device from the receiver. This is only available when you are connected to the target. Map Keyboard Maps the selected device to the emulated keyboard on the transmitter.
On-Screen Display..... 39 Settings The Settings tab has two additional tabs, one for the user and one for the receiver. Each tab has a different set of options and/or settings that can be configured. OSD Settings Tab - User Settings – User tab The Settings/User tab allows you to view and change some of the settings associated with your account. The user rights section of the User tab displays the user's role, Access Mode and the USB Mode. These fields cannot be edited. To change your password: 1.
40.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System OSD settings The OSD settings allow the user to customize their OSD hotkeys and the inactivity timeout. The OSD inactivity time-out sets the time after which the OSD will be automatically dismissed if there is no user keyboard or mouse activity. The receiver OSD supports a 24 hour inactivity time-out. A value of zero (0) will disable the inactivity time-out.
On-Screen Display..... 41 OSD Settings Tab - Receiver The following table describes the options available on the Settings - Receiver tab. Settings - Receiver Tab Options Option Description Auto Login Controls whether this receiver is automatically logged into a user account. This field is read only. Auto Connect Controls whether this receiver automatically connects to a transmitter. This field is read only. USB Mode Type of USB devices that are allowed for use with this receiver.
42.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Info Tab The Info tab displays some information about the receiver and switch you are connected to. This information can be useful for troubleshooting. The following table describes the information available on the Info tab. Info Tab Descriptions Field Description Name The name of the receiver you are logged in to. Firmware Version The firmware version of the receiver. Hardware Version The hardware version of the receiver.
On-Screen Display..... 43 Diagnostic Tab Extended Mode Options In Extended Mode, when the receiver is turned on, you will automatically initiate a connection to the target device. To access the OSD from the receiver, press Print Screen. Some of the options in the OSD are only available when in Extended Mode. NOTE: You will need to log out of the OSD when switching to and from Extended Mode.
44.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Admin Password Recovery Settings - Transmitter tab When in Extended Mode, if you select the Settings - Transmitter tab, you will see a list of options only applicable to the transmitter. You can enable or disable the LCD backlight on the transmitter, restore the defaults, load a custom EDID or flash the backlight.
On-Screen Display..... 45 Transmitter Options When the Load Custom EDID button is selected, the receiver copies the EDID from the connected monitor to the extended transmitter. After a custom EDID is loaded, the Load Custom EDID button changes to Load Default EDID. If the Flash Backlight button is selected, the backlight will flash for two minutes. Settings - Receiver tab The Settings Receiver tab allows you to view and change some of the settings associated with your receiver.
46.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Extended Mode Receiver Settings The following table describes the options available on the Settings - Receiver tab for Extended Mode. Settings - Receiver Tab Extended Mode Options Option Description USB Mode Type of USB devices that are allowed for use with this receiver. LCD Backlight Option to turn the LCD backlight on or off.
On-Screen Display..... 47 Administration Mode The Administration Mode is used for limiting the settings available to users, resetting the admin password or disabling the admin password. To enable or disable Administration Mode, click Administration Mode and enter the admin password. You will need to exit the OSD for this setting to take affect.
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Appendices Appendix A: Technical Specifications Avocent® Matrix Transmitter (MXT5110) Specifications Category Value Mechanical Dimensions (DxWxH) 6.2 x 4.75 x 1.21 in. Weight 1.4 lbs. / 0.64 kgs Ports/Connectors USB 1 x Type B Microphone Microphone: 1 x 3.5 mm stereo Speaker 1x 3.
50.....Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Avocent® Matrix Switch (MXS5120 and MXS5132) Specifications Category Value Mechanical Dimensions (DxWxH): 21.1 x 17.1 x 3.4 in. Weight 20-port = 19.0 lbs (8.6 kg) 32-port = 24.8 lbs (11.
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Technical Support Site If you encounter any installation or operational issues with your product, check the pertinent section of this manual to see if the issue can be resolved by following outlined procedures. For additional assistance, visit www.avocent.com/support. Avocent Community Support Site To search product knowledge content, visit community.emerson.com/networkpower/support/avocent.
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