KVM (keyboard, video, and mouse) switch having a network interface circuit coupled to an external network and communicating in accordance with a standard network protocol

• US 6,378,009 B1
• Filed: 08/20/1999
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vertiv IT Systems, Inc. (Vertiv Holdings Co.)
• Original Assignee: Avocent Corporation (Vertiv Holdings Co.)
• Inventors: Durden, Paul D., Williams, Charles H., Pinkston, William J. II, Stafford, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Ilwoo
• Application Number:
  US09/379,576
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 710/131, 710/132, 710/62, 710/105, 710/316
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and system for providing control, status, and security functions in a peripheral switch for connecting one or more computers to one or more user stations. Information from a remote terminal is transferred on a network in a packet where the switch information in the packet uses a standardized management protocol. When the packet is received by a network interface card in the peripheral switch the switch information is translated to a proprietary protocol. The peripheral switch then responds to the switch information by performing a control function, providing status information to the remote terminal, or by changing security information. In addition to the transfer of peripheral information from the remote terminal, the peripheral switch is capable of transferring switch information from one of the user stations.

Claims

1. In a computer switching system having a peripheral switch for connecting one or more computers to one or more user stations, a method of transferring switch information including at least one of control information, status information, security information and data to the peripheral switch from a remote terminal different from the user stations and at a remote site while the peripheral switch simultaneously links a selected one of the computers to a selected one of the user stations, the method comprising:

establishing a communication path between the selected computer and the selected user station using at least one KVM switch port of the peripheral switch;

generating, at the remote terminal, a remote information signal having switch information;

packetizing the remote information signal thereby creating a network packet;

transmitting the network packet to a switch service port of the peripheral switch via a network, the switch service port being different from the KVM switch port of the peripheral switch and being associated with communication of said control information, status information, security information, or data to the peripheral switch for operational use by the peripheral switch;

receiving the network packet at the peripheral switch;

translating the network packet to a proprietary information signal identifying the switch information; and

responding to the proprietary information signal identifying the switch information.

2. The method of claim 1 where the translating step comprises:

translating the network packet to a protocol packet;

translating the protocol packet to an application packet; and

translating the application packet to a proprietary information signal having the switch information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote information signal is based on a LAN protocol.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the network packet has error detection information.

5. A computer switching system, comprising:

a peripheral switch for connecting one or more computers to one or more user stations, the switch including at least one first port for completing a transmission path between a selected computer and a selected user station and a second port for receiving switch information for operational use by the peripheral switch;

a network interface unit for translating a network packet from a remote terminal different from the user station to a proprietary switch signal containing the switch information, the network interface unit comprising;

a network interface circuit for receiving from the second port the network packet and converting the network packet to a processor readable network packet; and

a microprocessor programmed to parse the readable network packet by converting the network packet to a protocol packet, then converting the protocol packet to a proprietary packet protocol and upon verifying authorization responding to the switch information contained in the network packet.

6. The network interface unit of claim 5 further comprising:

a communication bus interface for coupling the switch information to a communication bus in the peripheral switch.

7. The network interface unit of claim 6 further comprising;

a video interface circuit for converting serial video to analog video and coupling the analog video to a video bus.

8. The network interface unit of claim 5 wherein the protocol for transferring the network packet to the network interface circuit is TCP/IP.

9. The network interface unit of claim 5 wherein the switch information in the network packet is generated in accordance with a standard management protocol.

10. A KVM switch, comprising:

KVM switching circuitry for establishing communication links between selected computers and selected workstations, and internally communicating via a proprietary data protocol;

a network interface circuit different from the KVM switching circuitry and having a first data interface communicating with the KVM switching circuitry in accordance with the proprietary data protocol and a second data interface coupled to a network external to the KVM switch and communicating in accordance with a standard network protocol.

11. A KVM switch as in claim 10, further including a common housing having KVM ports linking the KVM switching circuitry to a plurality of computers and user stations, wherein:

the KVM switching circuitry and the network interface circuit are contained in the common housing.

12. A KVM switch as in claim 11, further including a back plane in the common housing and wherein the KVM switching circuitry and the first data interface communicate therebetween via the back plane.

13. A KVM switch as in claim 12, wherein;

the first data interface includes a back plane interface circuit coupled between the network interface circuit and the back plane; and

the KVM switching circuitry further includes another back plane interface circuit coupled between the KVM switching circuitry and the back plane.

14. A KVM switch as in claim 10, further including a rack and wherein:

the KVM switching circuitry includes a set of computer interface cards communicating with corresponding ones of a plurality of computers, and at least one user peripherals card communicating with external computer peripherals equipment; and

the network interface circuit includes a network card having the first and second data interfaces.

15. A KVM switch as in claim 14, further including a data bus and wherein:

the computer interface cards, user peripherals card and network card all communicate with each other on the data bus in the proprietary data protocol.

16. A KVM switch as in claim 15, wherein the network card includes a processor to convert information in the proprietary data protocol received from the user peripherals card on the data bus to the standard network protocol.

17. A KVM switch as in claim 15, wherein the network card includes a processor to convert information in the proprietary data protocol received from the user peripherals card and the computer interface cards on the data bus to the standard network protocol.

18. A KVM switch as in claim 15, wherein the network card includes a processor to convert information in the standard network protocol received from the standard network to the proprietary data protocol for delivery onto the data bus.

19. A KVM switch as in claim 17, wherein the network card includes a processor to convert information in the standard network protocol received from the standard network to the proprietary data protocol for delivery onto the data bus.

20. A KVM switch as in claim 10, wherein the network interface circuit includes a processor to convert information in the proprietary data protocol at the first data interface to the standard network protocol at the second data interface.

21. A KVM switch as in claim 20, wherein the network interface circuit includes a processor to convert information in the standard network protocol at the second data interface to the proprietary data protocol at the first data interface.

22. A KVM switch linking a set of computer peripherals to a selected one of a plurality of computers, including:

a data bus employing a data protocol proprietary to the KVM switch;

a computer interface circuit connected to a selector circuit and establishing a communication link between the selected one of the plurality of computers and the data bus;

a computer peripherals interface circuit connected to the set of computer peripherals to establish a communication link between the set of computer peripherals and the data bus; and

a network interface circuit, unique to both the computer interface circuit and the computer peripherals interface circuit connected to a standard network to establish a communication link between the standard network and the data bus including a converter to receive data from the standard network in a standard network protocol and modify it into the data protocol proprietary to the KVM switch for delivery to the data bus.

23. A KVM switch as in claim 22, wherein the data from the standard network includes control data containing information used by the selector circuit to establish the communication link between the selected one of the plurality of computers and the data bus.

24. A switch, comprising:

a data bus;

a video bus;

a user data input port receiving computer peripheral equipment data and putting the peripheral equipment data and putting the peripheral equipment data o the data bus;

a user video output port delivering video data from the video bus;

a computer selector coupled to a plurality of computers and establishing a communication path to a selected one of the computers to receive therefrom the video data;

a computer data output port receiving the peripheral equipment data from the data bus and delivering it to the computer selector for delivery to the selected one of the computers;

a computer video input port delivering the video data from the selected one of the computers for delivery to the video bus; and

bidirectional network port, unique to the user data input port, user video output port, computer data output port and computer video input port, for linking the video data and the peripheral equipment data on the data bus to an external network.

25. A switch as in claim 24, wherein the peripheral equipment data includes keyboard data.

26. A switch as in claim 24, wherein the peripheral equipment data includes mouse data.