Migrating from KVM

[vitoprimo]

Hi folks:

I currently have a bunch of (i.e. more than 4) machines, all dual-monitor equipped, connected to a pair of KVMs that drive my dual monitor setup. I'm investigating migrating from my dual 19" analog CRTs to dual 19" DVI-based LCDs at some point in the next year. The major issue with that is the lack of multi-port KVMs that support DVI.

In my current configuration each machine is configured with either a pair of old Matrox Millennium PCI based cards or dual-headed Matrox G4xx AGP or PCI based cards. I'm currently running at 1152x864 resolution but I'm prepared to live with 1280x1024 when running LCDs under DVI.

Migrating to DVI ain't cheap for such a setup. What's a geek to do?

My video needs are pretty modest. These machines support office tasks, software development (business applications using Microsoft's tools and software, IBM's DB2, Oracle, and MySQL), basic audio and video development (collecting, assembling, and compiling audio and video content and burning CD-Rs and DVDs), and video and audio playback. These machines are connected to a wired and wireless intranet. There's no gaming going on here what-so-ever - now or in the future.

The only option I can think of is to ditch the KVMs altogether. One major problem with that is booting "headless" machines: only one of my machines would have monitors attached. Is it possible to use tools such as VNC to boot the other monitor-less machines? If so, can I leave the current video cards in those other machines and simply install a DVI-based video card in the one machine with the monitors?

Are there any other options I'm missing?

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide.

Vito
I originally posted this in the Video forum.

 

[NokiaDude]

Seriously, I hardly noticed the change from analog to digital LCD's. I paid $50 for a really good DVI-D cable for my Samsung 930B, as far as I could tell, the only thing that changed was I couldn't auto-tune it and I couldn't change the contrast. So guess what, I returned it and went back to an analog connection.

 

[vitoprimo]

NokiaDude, you and I disagree on this one.

I purchased a Dell 1905FP last week and hooked it up using the analog connection. I found normal sized text (e.g. the front pages of the Wall Street Journal or New York Times and the source code view and help screens in Visual Studio.NET) too "broken up" and "lacking in smoothness" to read when connected directly to any one of my computers. This is in comparision to my current 19" CRT monitors, a pair of LG 995Es - hardly what I would call a top-of-the-line CRT monitors.

The 1905FP was completely unreadable (extremely blurry text) when connected through either one of my KVMs.

I sent it back 48 hours later. A shame too because I got it for about $300.

Oh, for what it's worth I own a pair of Belkin F1D108 OmniView Pro 8 port KVMs. Not top of the line KVMs by any stretch of the imagination but certainly more than adequate for my needs.

Vito

 

[NokiaDude]

That's quite interesting. Have you noticed that with any other flat panel on analog?

 

[vitoprimo]

I have no experience with other LCDs. The Dell 1905FP was my first LCD purchase.