Local Port Browser Interface

• US 20080282003A1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raritan Americas Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Raritan Americas Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Inventors: Anderson, Swen, Coleman, Scott, Paetz, Christian, Holovacs, Jayson T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,136,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/72
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/24 Keyboard-Video-Mouse [KVM] switch
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

The present invention relates to KVM switches that contain both remote and local ports and provide a user of the local port with a similar WEB based interface experience as that experienced by the remote user.

Claims

1. A keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switch system, comprising:

a control processor for running a web browser module and a web server module;

a video graphics processor coupled to the control processor for routing video;

a local port for connection to a local user workstation; and

wherein the web browser module provides a web based interface to the local port of the KVM switch.

2. The KVM switch system of claim 1 wherein the web based interface provides a local user with interface access to a remote device

3. The KVM switch system of claim 2 wherein the web based interface access includes both functionality access as well as administrative access to the remote device.

4. The KVM switch system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second switch for coupling a larger number of inputs into a set number of video, keyboard, and mouse processing instances.

5. The KVM switch system of claim 1 wherein the web based interface contains screen scrolling capabilities.

6. The KVM switch system of claim 1 wherein the web based interface contains pop-up menu capabilities.

7. A KVM switch system comprising:

a plurality of remote servers coupled to the KVM switch;

a plurality of local workstations coupled to the KVM switch;

a plurality of computer interface modules;

a KVM switch including;

a plurality of interface ports for coupling to the plurality of computer interface modules

a local port for connecting to a local user workstation;

a control processor for running a web browser module and a web server module;

a video graphics processor coupled to the control processor for routing video;

a local port video switch, wherein the local port video switch is coupled to the local port and the video processor and allows a local user access to a web based interface that is resident in the control processor.

8. The KVM switch system of claim 7 further comprising an analog switch coupled to the video switch for routing analog video directly from one of a plurality of remote servers to the local port.

9. A method for accessing a KVM switch through a local port utilizing a WEB based interface comprising the steps of:

running a WEB browser application on a processor within the KVM switch;

processing a WEB browser image for display at the local port display;

switching a video switch to couple the local port display to the processor; and

displaying the WEB browser application on the local port display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the WEB browser application displayed on the local port display resembles a WEB server display experienced by a remote user.

11. A KVM switch system for simultaneously accessing multiple remote servers using a local port comprising:

a digitizing circuit for digitizing the incoming video streams from different server ports on the same KVM switch;

a video processor for manipulating the digitized incoming video data from the different server ports;

a combining circuit for combining the manipulated data into a single composite output stream; and

a video switch for connecting the output of the video processor to the local port of the KVM switch; and

a local display for receiving and displaying the combined manipulated video.

12. The system of claim 11 where the digitizing circuit is comprised of a plurality of digitizers.

13. The system of claim 12 where the plurality of digitizers equals the number of remote servers.

14. A method for accessing multiple remote servers connected to a KVM switch using a local port comprising the steps of:

digitizing incoming video streams from different server ports on the same KVM switch;

manipulating the digitized incoming video data from the different ports;

combining the manipulated data into a single composite output stream;

conveying the single composite output stream to a video display processor; and

displaying the composite output stream at a local port of the KVM switch.

15. The method of claim 14 where the incoming video streams are live video from the remote video.

16. The method of claim 14 where the incoming video streams are periodic snapshots of the remote video.

17. The method of claim 14 where the digitizing is accomplished by a single digitizer

18. The method of claim 14 where the digitizing is accomplished by a plurality of digitizing circuits equal to the number of different server ports.

19. A method of accessing a KVM local port comprising the steps of:

connecting a first KVM switch containing a local port to a network that includes a plurality of KVM switches;

redirecting a KVM web browser of the first KVM switch to a desired URL of a the second KVM switch out of the plurality of KVM switches;

authenticating a users access to the second KVM switch;

routing local port data from the second KVM switch to the KVM web browser of the first KVM switch; and

providing local port data from the second KVM switch at the local port of the first KVM switch.

20. The method of claim 19, where the local port data from the second KVM switch is streamed over the network to the first KVM switch.