Subject: Re: monitorless/keyboardless netbsd config?
To: J. Maynard Gelinas <maynard@jmg.com>
From: Michael L. VanLoon -- HeadCandy.com <michaelv@HeadCandy.com>
List: port-i386
Date: 05/17/1996 10:31:34
>	At your own risk is right.  At a place I used to work we had four 
>NetBSD boxes hooked up to one head and one keyboard through a switchbox.  
>One day we switched it to one machine and *POOF!* no keyboard interface on 
>the motherboard.  Lucky we had another MB floating around.  The console 
>was used extensively by NOC personel.  I'd recomend against jamming 
>keyboards in on live computers - hell, after this I'd recomend aginsnt 
>using switchboxes.   

It's possible you may have been suffering Bad Karma. :-)

I use a switchbox at work, between four PCs and one Motorola PPC, and
switch back and forth probably more than a hundred times a day.
Almost everyone in my building has at least a couple machines on a
switch box.  I have yet to hear of this happening.

You probably should at least invest in a decent switchbox.  I think
mine keeps all the connections "live", even when switched away.  It's
completely electronic (i. e. no dial -- just a push button and some
LEDs.)

It's almost necessary for me.  Can you imagine trying to find any work
space on a desk with five monitors and keyboards? :-)

On the other hand, just plugging a keyboard in cold is probably asking
for trouble...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Michael L. VanLoon                                 michaelv@HeadCandy.com
        --<  Free your mind and your machine -- NetBSD free un*x  >--
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