IOGear GCS1772 manual

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Table of contents for the manual

  • Page 1

    MiniView™ 2/4-Port Multi-Function USB 2.0 KVM Switch User Manual (GCS1772 / GCS1774) ®[...]

  • Page 2

    Thank you for purchasing one of the most feature-rich KVM with USB peripheral sharing, audio, and built-in Ethernet switch. Y ou can save mone y and space by eliminating the need for multiple monitors, k eyboards, mice, and USB peripheral devices such as printers, scanners, and more. Up to 127 USB devices can be daisy chained from this KVMP switch.[...]

  • Page 3

    T able of Contents 02 03 04 05 06 10 13 15 25 27 29 37 38 40 41 42 Package Contents Overview Features System Requirements Introduction Installation Basic Operation Hotkey Operation Keyboard Emulation Ethernet Switch Firmware Upgrade Appendix – T roub leshooting Specification T echnical Support Radio & TV Interference Statement Limited Warrant[...]

  • Page 4

    2 Package Contents This package contains: 1 x GCS1772 or GCS1774 KVM Switch 2 x Custom 6’ KVM cables (for GCS1772) 4 x Custom 6’ KVM cables (for GCS1774) 1 x Firmware upgrade cable 1 x P ower adapter 1 x User manual 1 x Quick start guide Check to make sure that all the components are present and that nothing was damaged in shipping. If you enco[...]

  • Page 5

    3 Overview IOGEAR’s Symphon y multi-function KVM Switch represents the new wav e in KVM technology . The GCS1774 allows you to control f our computers using a single V GA monitor , USB ke yboard and mouse. In addition, it has a built-in USB 2.0 hub, Ethernet 10/100 switch, and Audio sharing capabilities. With its built-in USB 2.0 High Speed hub, [...]

  • Page 6

    4 Features • Multi-function USB KVM switch integrates a USB 2.0 hub, Ethernet switch, and Audio • Controls multiple computers with a single V GA monitor , USB keyboard and mouse • Built-in USB 2.0 peripheral sharing to share printers, scanners, hard drives, etc., with data transfer rates of up to 480 Mbps. • Built-in Ethernet switch to expa[...]

  • Page 7

    5 System Requirements Console • VGA or SV GA monitor • USB mouse • USB keyboard Computer • VGA or SV GA por t • USB port for keyboard/mouse cable • USB 2.0 port for USB hub cable • Supports Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP; Mac OS 8.6 or higher; Solaris; Linux Audio • Requires powered speaker system[...]

  • Page 8

    Front View 2. Ports LEDs The P or ts LEDs are b uilt into the por t selection switches. The upper ones are the KVM por t LEDs; the lower ones are the USB LEDs. 1. Port selection buttons • Switch console only - Press selection button for less than two (2) seconds to bring only the KVM focus to the computer attached to its corresponding port • Sw[...]

  • Page 9

    • Lights BRIGHT ORANGE to indicate that the computer attached to its corresponding port is the one that has the KVM focus (Selected) • Flashes to indicate that the computer attached to its corresponding port is being accessed under Auto Scan mode. USB LED • Lights DIM GREEN to indicate that there is a USB cable connection to the computer atta[...]

  • Page 10

    Back Vie w 1. Ethernet port Connect CA T 5 LAN cables to these ports. 2. Console Audio jack The cables from your microphone and speakers plug in here. Each jack is color coded and marked with an appropriate icon. 3. Firmware upgrade port The included Firmware Upgrade cable that transfers the firmware upgrade data from the administrator’ s compute[...]

  • Page 11

    USB KVM Cable 5. Console port Y our USB ke yboard, USB mouse, and VGA monitor plug here. 6. CPU The cables included with the KVM switch plug into here and the other end to your computers. Note: The 15-pin connectors on the KVM hav e been specifically modified to work with the included cables. DO NOT attempt to connect any other ordinary 15- pin cab[...]

  • Page 12

    Before you Begin 1. Make sure that power to all the devices you will be connecting up has been turned off. Y ou must unplug the po wer cords of any computers that have the Keyboard Power On function. Other- wise, the switch will receive power from the computer. 2. T o prevent damage to y our installation, make sure that all devices on the installat[...]

  • Page 13

    Step 3 Plug one of the included KVM cables to the CPU port Step 4 Plug the other end of the KVM cable to the respective ports on the computer that is part of your installation. Step 5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 for any other computers you are connecting Step 6 Plug the USB peripherals that you want to be part of your KVM setup into the front USB hub port[...]

  • Page 14

    of the Ethernet ports on the switch, and plug network cables to each of your computer’ s Ethernet ports Step 8 Plug the power adapter cab le into the s witch’ s power jack, then plug the power adapter into an AC power source Step 9 T u r n on the power to the computers 12 Installation[...]

  • Page 15

    INTRODUCTION Hot Plugging The GCS1772/GCS1774 supports USB hot plugging – components can be removed and added back into the installation by unplugging their cables from the USB hub ports without the need to shut the unit down. Powering Off and Restarting If it becomes necessar y to Po wer Off the KVM unit, before starting it back up you must do t[...]

  • Page 16

    Port Switching There are two ways to access the computers in your KVM setup: · Manual switching – pressing the push-buttons on the unit’ s front panel · Hotkey switching – entering commands from the keyboard Manual Switching 1. Switch console only - Press selection button for less than two (2) seconds to bring only the KVM focus to the comp[...]

  • Page 17

    Hotkey Operation The GCS1772/GCS1774 provides an extensive, easy- to-use, hotkey function that makes it convenient to control and configure your KVM installation from the keyboard. PC keyboard Scroll Lock NO TE: The tab le below assumes the use of a PC- compatible ke yboard with the Scroll Lock ke y . If you are using a MAC keyboard (or a keyboard [...]

  • Page 18

    Port Switching Note: The n stands f or the computer’ s Port ID number (1, 2, 3, or 4). Replace the n with the appropr iate P or t ID when entering hotkey combinations. 16 Hotkey Operation[...]

  • Page 19

    17 Hotkey Operation Auto Scanning Note: • While Auto Scan is active, ordinary keyboard and mouse functions are suspended – only Auto Scan mode compliant keystrokes and mouse clicks can be entered. Y ou must e xit Auto Scan mode to regain normal console control. • Although the video focus switches from port to port, the keyboard, mouse, and US[...]

  • Page 20

    19 18 Hotkey Operation Invoking Hotkey Mode For all Hotkey operations, you must use the number keypad on the right side of your keyboard. T o In voke Hotkey Mode: (PC-Compatible keyboard) 1. Press and hold the Num Lock key PC keyboard Num Lock Minus 2. Press and release the Minus key 3. Release the Num Lock key within one half second after releasin[...]

  • Page 21

    19 T o inv oke Hotkey Mode (MA C keyboar ds): 1. Press and hold the Clear key 2. Press and release the Minus key 3. Release the Clear key within one half second after releasing Minus key; otherwise the KVM will not go into Hotkey mode. Mac keyboard Hotkey Operation Clear Minus[...]

  • Page 22

    20 Hotkey Operation Note: • If using the [Num Lock], [-] combination is not optimal, you may reprogram the KVM to use an alternate key combination (see next section) • When Hotkey mode is active, the Caps Lock and Scroll Lock LEDs flash in succession to indicate that Hotkey mode is in eff ect. They stop flashing and revert to normal status when[...]

  • Page 23

    21 Change Hotkey Mode Invocation Keys In case the default Hotkey Mode invocation keys ( Num Lock and Minus [-]) are not optimal in your setup, you may change them to Ctrl and F12 , respectively . T o s witch to an alternate Hotkey Mode invocation, do the following: 1. Invoke Hotkey Mode 2. Press and release H 3. This will change the Hotkey Mode inv[...]

  • Page 24

    22 Hotkey Operation Set Keyboard Operating Platform The GCS1772/GCS1774 default port configuration is for a PC Compatible keyboard operating platform. If you have a MAC attached to a port, you can change a port ’ s ke yboard operating platf o r m configuration as follows: 1. Bring the KVM focus to the desired port 2. Invoke Hotkey Mode 3. Press a[...]

  • Page 25

    23 Hotkey Operation USB Reset If the USB loses focus and needs to be reset, do the following: 1. Invoke Hotkey Mode 2. Press and release F5 function key Hotkey Beeper Control The beep sound the KVM makes when switching can be T oggled ON and OFF by doing the f ollowing: 1. Invoke Hotkey Mode 2. Press and release B Disable Port Switching Keys T o di[...]

  • Page 26

    24 Hotkey Operation Restore Default Settings T o reset the GCS1772/GCS1774 to its factory default settings, do the following: 1. Invoke Hotkey Mode 2. Press [ R ] [ Enter ] Hotkey Default Settings[...]

  • Page 27

    25 Hotkey Operation MAC Keyboard Emulation The PC compatible (101/104 key) keyboard can emulate the functions of the Mac keyboard. The emulation mappings are listed in the table belo w . Please note the following: • In order for these keys to work, you must first set that port to the Mac keyboard operating platform (see Page 22) • When using th[...]

  • Page 28

    26 Hotkey Operation Sun Keyboard Emulation The PC compatible (101/104 key) keyboard can emulate the functions of the Sun k eyboard. The emulation mappings are listed in the tab le below . Please note the following: • In order for these keys to work, you must first set that port to the Sun keyboard operating platform (see Page 22) • When using t[...]

  • Page 29

    Ethernet Switch 27 Ethernet switch This section of the manual explains the capabilities of the built-in switch and where it fits in your Network. Essentially , the built-in switch allo ws you to connect the computers in your KVM setup to your existing Ethernet network. If you want to network and share Internet with the computers in the KVM setup, y[...]

  • Page 30

    Ethernet Switch 28 As you can see from the picture, your Cable/DSL line connects to your router’ s WAN port; network cable from any of the router’s LAN ports connect to any of the KVM’ s Ether net por ts; and network cable from KVM’ s Ether net por t connects to the Ether net card on your computer . Connect Computers: 1. Connect CA T 5 cab [...]

  • Page 31

    29 The Windows-based Firmware Upgrade Utility (FWUpgrade.exe) provides a smooth, automated process for upgrading the KVM s witch’ s fir mware. T o r un the fir mware, y ou will need to use a windows based PC with an available serial port. The Utility comes as part of a Firmware Upgrade Package that is specific for each device. New firmware upgrad[...]

  • Page 32

    30 Shut down the computers on your MiniView™ installation and make sure you have set the KVM in firmware upgrade mode as instructed under section Hotkey operation → → → → → Firmware upgrade mode Make sure the power is plugged into the KVM. Once the power is plugged in and the switch is set to upgrade, all of the amber lights on the KVM [...]

  • Page 33

    31 T o upgrade y our fir mware: Run the downloaded Firmware Upgrade Package file - either by double-clicking the file icon, or by opening a command line and entering the full path to it. The Firm ware Upgr ade Utility W elcome screen appears: Read and Agree to the License Agreement (enable the I Agree radio button). 1. 2. Starting the Up g rade The[...]

  • Page 34

    3. Click Ne xt to continue. The Firmware Upgrade Utility main screen appears: The Utility inspects your installation. All the devices capable of being upgraded by the package are listed in the Device List panel. 32 The Firmware Upgrade Utility[...]

  • Page 35

    4. As you select a device in the list, its descrip- tion appears in the Device Description panel. 33 The Firmware Upgrade Utility[...]

  • Page 36

    After you have made your device selection(s), Click Next to perform the upgrade. If you enabled Chec k Fir mware V ersion , the Utility compares the device’ s fir mware le vel with that of the upgrade files. If it finds that the device’ s version is higher than the upgr ad e version, it brings up a dialog box informing you of the situation and [...]

  • Page 37

    As the Upgrade proceeds status messages appear in the Status Messages panel, and the progress toward completion is shown on the Progress bar . After the upgrade has completed, a screen appears to inform you that the procedure was successful: Click Finish to close the Firmware Upgrade Utility . The Firmware Upgrade Utility 35[...]

  • Page 38

    If the upgrade failed to complete successfully a dialog box appears asking if y ou want to retr y . Click Y es to retry . If you clic k No , the Upgrade Failed screen appears: Clic k Cancel to close the Firmware Upgrade Utility . See the next section, Firm ware Upgr ade Recovery , for how to proceed. Firmware Upgrade Recovery There are basically th[...]

  • Page 39

    If the upgrade failed to complete successfully a dialog box appears asking if y ou want to retr y . Click Y es to retry . If you click No , the Upgrade Failed screen appears: Clic k Cancel to close the Firmware Upgrade Utility . See the next section, Firm ware Upgr ade Recovery , for how to proceed. Firmware Upgrade Recovery There are basically thr[...]

  • Page 40

    38 Specification Specification[...]

  • Page 41

    Specification 39 Specification[...]

  • Page 42

    T echnical Support If you need technical suppor t, please check out our IOGEAR T ech Info Librar y (T .I.L.) at www .iog ear .com/ support for the latest tips, tricks, and troub leshooting. The IOGEAR T .I.L. was designed to provide y ou with the latest technical information about our products. Most of the answers to your questions can be found her[...]

  • Page 43

    Radio & TV Interference Statement W ARNING!!! This equipment gener ates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause interf erence to radio comm unications. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device pursuan[...]

  • Page 44

    IN NO EVENT SHALL THE DIRECT VENDOR’S LIABILITY FOR DIRECT , INDIRECT , SPECIAL, INCIDEN- T AL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESUL TING FR OM THE USE OF THE PR ODUCT , DISK, OR ITS DOCUMENT A TION EXCEED THE PRICE P AID FOR THE PRODUCT . The direct vendor makes no warranty or representation, expressed, implied, or statutory with respect to the content[...]

  • Page 45

    23 Hubble • Irvine, CA 92618 • (P) 949.453.8782 • (F) 949.453.8785 • www .iogear .com Contact info. ®[...]