The time has come to retire my old Tripplite KVM switches that I have daisy-chained together.  We just bought an Avocent DSR2035 switch, 32 ports.

The first nice thing about moving up to a new switch is that the old traditional KVM cables that housed video, mouse and keyboard signals into one HUGE package, can be replaced with a DSRIQ adapter for each server and a CAT5 cable to carry the signal to the switch.  This is awesome as it will clean up my racks considerably, hopefully keep them a little cooler because of less cable bulk and finally it will simplify cable management.

The next big benefit is the ability to access the KVM over IP.  We'll be using the built-in web console of the switch until I can convince by boss to purchase the DSView Software.  I almost shat myself when I hooked up a test server to the switch and I was able to access the BIOS and Raid Controller's remotely...it is truly a gift from god.

With the addition of some new APC switched Power Distribution Units (PDU's) we'll be able to remotely power cycle our servers...saving me from having to pry my lazy *** out of this chair and drive down to the data center...

Life is good.