VGA IP-KVM Dongle
Project Summary
An IP-KVM is a piece of hardware that allows a user to remotely control a computer or server through a web console as if they were using the keyboard and mouse directly plugged into the device. An IP-KVM is an essential tool for an Information Technology Professional. A device like this is very common in a business data center. Although they can be very expensive which commonly precludes its use in a small business or home lab.
One very affordable alternative to look at is Pi-KVM. Pi-KVM is a popular Open-Source IP-KVM solution with rich easy to use features. In fact, Pi-KVM rivals the products sold by the leading IP-KVM manufactures. In many cases, Pi-KVM is easier to use and provides a better user experience. Hardware offerings for Pi-KVM are very affordable and turnkey for immediate use. Pi-KVM currently makes use of an HDMI input for the video source. However, in enterprise data centers, the rack mount servers are still sold with VGA video outputs as a high end graphics display is not need to simply administer a server. In order to see market adoption in business data centers, Pi-KVM will need direct support for VGA video sources.
The S4 Gadgets VGA IP-KVM Dongle project is intended to address this. The S4 Gadgets hardware will be specifically designed to run the open-source Pi-KVM software. However it is important to note that the S4 Gadgets Dongle is not in competition with the Pi-KVM solution in any way. Actually our goal is to compliment Pi-KVM and help increase availability to new markets. S4 Gadgets will be making a donation to the Pi-KVM project for every VGA Dongle we sell. We think this is important in order to keep Pi-KVM development moving forward. Who knows what the next big feature will be!