WW: Colo Vending Machine

Mon Feb 20 17:32:57 UTC 2012

On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 10:34:58AM -0500, Jon Lewis wrote:
> Speaking of that sort of thing, I'd really LOVE if there were a
> device about the size of a netbook that could be hooked up to
> otherwise headless machines in colos that would give you keyboard,
> video & mouse.  i.e. a folding netbook shaped VGA monitor with USB
> keyboard and touchpad.  I know there are folding rackmount versions
> of this (i.e. from Dell), but I want something far more portable.
> Twice in the past month, I'd had to drive 100+ miles to a remote
> colo and took a full size flat panel monitor and keyboard with me.
> Has anyone actually built this yet?

http://www.lantronix.com/it-management/kvm-over-ip/securelinx-spiderduo.html

Get a usb ethernet adapter to plug it in if you don't want to use the
only one in your laptop.

Ethernet is a great convenience for this purpose. It is much nicer to
use a long cable to get away from the heat and cramped aisle so you can
stretch your legs while typing.

The spider duo even allows RS232 access with reverse telnet and ssh.

IMO having a portable IP KVM at every site is a very good investment.
Just ask remote hands to connect it. Then you can diagnose at home and
drive only when it is necessary. In customer sites the customer will
usually be very happy to be the remote hands, so they will get faster
repairs for less cost.