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...
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Michael L. VanLoon michaelv@HeadCandy.com
--< Free your mind and your machine -- NetBSD free un*x >--
NetBSD working ports: 386+PC, Mac 68k, Amiga, Atari 68k, HP300, Sun3,
Sun4/4c/4m, DEC MIPS, DEC Alpha, PC532, VAX, MVME68k, arm32...
NetBSD ports in progress: PICA, others...
Roll your own Internet access -- Seattle People's Internet cooperative.
If you're in the Seattle area, ask me how.
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