zlacker

I'm all in favor of cool projects, and I have done my fair share of useless experiments. But wouldn't it just be simpler to attach a dumpster-sourced monitor and keyboard to the server in question for the 3-4 times a year you brick it? To me the idea of a locally placed 1:1 KVM "switch" (huh? it's not switching anything if it's 1:1) is crazy. It makes sense if it is remotely located, but not if it's within your own home.

>>vidana+(OP)
Of course it would be simpler, but it's also addressed multiple times in the blog post why he decided to do it anyway.

I'm glad he did because it looks like a fantastic project.

>>vidana+(OP)
Remote monitors like this are occasionally used in offices so that powerful workstations can be put in racks. I'm not completely convinced it is a great idea, even for that application, but it does get used in those instances quite a bit.

>>vidana+(OP)
Makes sense if you want the flexibility to do it from anywhere over IP, even across the house.

>>vidana+(OP)
Every time I update windows and reboot, I never know if the server is bricked or if it is just windows taking ages to update.

Also if you use TPM / full disk encryption for a server in colocation, it only takes a firmware update for TPM to request to reenter the key on reboot.

>>vidana+(OP)
Thanks for reading!

>But wouldn't it just be simpler to attach a dumpster-sourced monitor and keyboard to the server in question for the 3-4 times a year you brick it?

Maybe it's just personal preference, but I'd much rather plug in a Raspberry Pi than a whole monitor and keyboard. My server is tucked away in the corner without a good desk surface to place a keyboard and monitor.

With the Pi, I can just plug it and go back to my desk and do everything through the browser. It's also nice for when I have to Google things about why it's not booting, I can just do it from another browser tab rather than physically walking back and forth between computers.

>>vidana+(OP)
not sure why you talk about "switch"? The word never appears in the article?

And at such a no-brainer price (especially if you already have a Pi), kind of worth it just to avoid the hassle of moving a screen around.

>>detaro+d2
https://mtlynch.io/tinypilot/raritan-kvm.png

>>vidana+53
I think the confusion is that the original comment was worded as if I called TinyPilot a switch, but I think you're actually saying you think it's strange that Raritan calls their device a switch, despite the fact that it's only 1-port.