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CHAPTER 4: Operation: Hardware and Keyboard Commands
4.1.3 M
ONITOR
NOTE
At resolutions up to 800 x 600, the video quality for most ServSwitch
applications will be excellent. At higher resolutions, however, you might
see a little fuzziness on your monitor no matter how close to ideal your
ServSwitch system is.
If all of your CPUs are of the same type, we recommend that you use the
corresponding type of monitor. If your CPUs are of different types, the monitor
must be a multisync model, able to sync to every CPU’s video-output frequencies,
and compatible with all of the CPUs’ video cards.
Multiplatform ServSwitches: While PC-type CPUs and VGA monitors normally use
two separate leads to send/receive sync signals, one lead for horizontal sync and
one for vertical sync, Mac and Sun CPUs/monitors normally send/receive a
composite sync signal on a single lead. This means that either your monitor must
be capable of accepting both H/V and composite-sync input, or you will have to
use a sync converter and special cables to convert H/V to composite sync or vice
versa (call Black Box Technical Support for a special quote).
For maximum compatibility, we recommend a 17" or larger, high-quality
multisync monitor capable of (a) displaying a maximum resolution of not less than
1280 x 1024 at a maximum refresh rate of not less than 75 Hz, and (b) accepting
both relevant types of sync input (H/V and composite). The NEC Multisync 5SG is
one such monitor, and others are available from NEC, Sony
®
, CTX
®
, etc. (However,
since these monitors usually have an HD15 video-input connector, you will need a
special M/K/M Adapter Cable to use them with Mac or Sun keyboards and mice;
the Sun cable is stock product code EHN059, but for a Mac cable you’ll have to call
Black Box Technical Support for a special quote.) The higher the resolution you
use, the less distance you can run; see Tables 4-2 and 4-3 on the following pages.
Other concerns specific to IBM PC systems:
•
The ServSwitch is designed to support standard VGA video, including VGA
monochrome (“page white”). It does not support PCs that use CGA, EGA, or
proprietary versions of VGA that depart from the original specifications.
Consult your PC’s manual, and if that doesn’t tell you whether or not the PC
uses standard VGA, consult with the PC’s or the video card’s manufacturer.
• The ServSwitch is also designed to support SVGA, although it doesn’t handle
higher resolutions or longer distances very well without coaxial cabling (see
the next two pages). With coaxial cables, it will also support XGA.
Mac systems: You’ll need a Mac Adapter for ServSwitch for each CPU that outputs
video in a format other than VGA (640 x 480). See the Note on page 23.