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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of Raritan’s Paragon II! The Paragon family is about breaking away from
the traditional, expensive model of server management – one server, one dedicated monitor, one dedicated
keyboard. Paragon allows for a single user station (monitor, keyboard, and mouse) for multiple servers –
even servers of different platforms! Why not a pair of user stations, each of which can control multiple
servers? Why not many monitors or user stations for the same server? Why not access or display any of
your servers, anywhere in the world, with any of your user stations or monitors?
With our Paragon products, there’s no reason why not. We carry a broad line of robust solutions for all
these applications:
• Do you have just two PCs and need an economical alternative to keeping two mice, keyboards, and
monitors on your desk? Or do you need to share many servers, including a mix of IBM PC, RS/6000,
Apple Macintosh, Sun Microsystems, and SGI types among multiple worldwide users with different
access levels?
• Do you have to send video from one server to two different local monitors? Or do you need to send
video from multiple servers to dozens of remote monitors?
• Does your switch have to sit solidly on a worktable and use regular everyday cables? Or does it have to
be mounted in an equipment rack, use convenient many-to-one cables, and have a rackmounted user
station that folds and slides into 1U of space?
No matter how large or small your setup, no matter how simple or how complex, Raritan is confident that
there is a Paragon system just right for you. The Paragon family from Raritan – the one-stop answer for all
your video and KVM switching and extension needs!
Paragon II Overview
The Paragon II is designed to perform heavy-duty multiple-user-to-many-server keyboard/video/mouse
(KVM) matrix switching without burdening you with big, confusing hydra-headed cables. Instead, the
Paragon II uses standard Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling, like the type that is already
installed at many sites. It can connect users with servers across as much as 1000 ft. (304 m) of such cabling.
Paragon II systems consist of three components: Base Units, which do the matrix switching; Computer-
Interface Modules (CIMs) connected to each server; and User-Station Modules (User Stations) connected
to each set of user-station equipment.
There are a number of Base Unit models that support different numbers of directly attached users and
server CPUs:
• Product code P2-UMT242 supports 2 users and 42 CPUs
• P2-UMT442 supports 4 users and 42 CPUs
• P2-UMT832M supports 8 users and 32 CPUs
• P2-UMT1664M supports 16 users and 64 CPUs
There are also several different CIMs for different types of servers (all must output VGA video):
• P2CIM-PS2 and ZCIM-PS2 support CPUs with IBM PS/2 type keyboard and mouse ports; Z-CIM has
an extra RJ-45 port to support a “local CPU” installed between a User Station and a Base Unit, as well
as chaining of ZCIMs for clustered access.
• P2CIM-SUN supports CPUs with Sun type keyboard and mouse ports
• P2CIM-USB and P2CIM-SUSB support CPUs with USB keyboard and mouse ports
• AUATC supports CPUs connected through their RS-232 serial ports
There is one universal User Station (P2-UST) that supports PS/2, Sun, or USB keyboards and mice. (We
recommend that you use a Sun keyboard if there are any Sun CPUs in your system; if you must use a PS/2
keyboard to control Sun CPUs, please see Appendix F: Emulating Sun Keys with a PS/2 Keyboard for
additional information.) If you want to connect one user station to one CPU across a long stretch of CAT5
or higher cable, you can run such a cable between a “direct mode” User Station and a P2CIM-PS2 (please
see Appendix B: User Station Direct Mode for additional information).