Remote Desktop tends to work well for me provided that the computer is turned on, booted up, and not locked up. If those conditions are not met, physical interaction is needed. There have been a few times when my computer is hibernating, but I realize I need to access. Today, I’m writing about one of the solutions that I’m using for this. I installed a KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) into my computer. KVMs generally let you use a keyboard, mouse, and display with multiple computers. They are usually connected to a computer over a USB connector and an HDMI cable. But this solution is an IP based solution. Between the user and the target computer is a network connection.
What about Wake-On-LAN
If the problem is only ensuring that a computer is turned on, a sufficient solution may be to enable Wake-On-LAN on the computer. This is a setting that must be enabled through the BIOS/UEFI. Once enabled, a special signal broadcast over your network will result in the computer waking up if it is asleep or turning on when it is turned off. (Find information on building a Wake-On-LAN packet here) Where it doesn’t work is if the computer powered on, but did not boot up, such as when the BIOS is showing a notification and prompting for someone to press a key to continue, or when Windows Update is performing changes (or has failed). A hardware solution is unaffected by these conditions. There are many hardware solutions for KVMs. I decided on PiKVM.
What is PiKVM?
PiKVM is a KVM solution available with different sets of features and capabilities. The most basic PiKVM doesn’t have video capabilities, but interfaces with the power and reset buttons on a computer (PiKVM version 1). With the PiKVM v2 the device is also able to emulate a USB drive to present files to the computer. The next step up, v3, has HDMI video capture for 1920×1080 @ 25fps and has support for a mini-OLED display for showing the IP address. Version 4 supports 1920×1200 @ 60 FPS. There is an OS image for the PI specifically for PiKVM hardware. You can find the images at https://pikvm.org/download/.
About the Geekworm PiKVMs
The hardware that I’m using is the Geekworm PiKVM X651 . It is derived from the PiKVM v3. If you read about the general features of the PiKVM3 on pikvm.org, you will find some differences in what is listed there and what Geekworm offers in this model. The Geekworm X651 installs inside the computer. It is secured to one of the PCI covers, though it does not insert into a PCI slot. It also has a space for a WiFi antenna to be put on the card and be external to the PC. The PiKVM v3 hardware described on the website doesn’t install inside the computer, nor does it offer a solution for externalizing the antenna.
My Hardware Selection
After a bit of debate, I decided on the Geekworm X651. This is the hardware that I purchased.
If you want to make use of the drive-emulation features, you will want a setup that has more access to memory. Consider the following in place of the CM4 with storage.
If you would prefer to use an M.2 drive instead of an SD card, Geekworm also makes the X652.
Comparison with Remote Desktop
I’ve already mentioned the most significant difference between RDP and the PiKVM; The PiKVM provides some level of access even if the computer isn’t turned on or hasn’t booted up. There are differences beyond this. You may find that you want to use both the KVM and RDP in the same system. The PiKVM’s maximum resolution is 1920×1080 (for v3) or 1920×1200 (for v4). I’ve seen RPD work up to 5K in resolution. It may support higher resolutions, but I’ve not used a display that support higher. But I don’t have a display of a higher resolution for confirming. RDP also supports sharing resources such as drives and printers with a remote machine, making it easier to work as though the machine is there with you. I will likely continue to use RDP for general access, but fallback to the PiKVM when I need to wakeup my computer.
Installation and Setup Experience
Anyone that is comfortable with the PiCM4 would be comfortable setting up the Geekworm X651. A PiCM4 must be supplied for it to work. Most of the setup and configuration can be done outside of the computer in which it will be installed. The PiCM4 units are available with or without internal storage memory. For the units without internal memory, one will need a microSD card. It is recommended that the SD card be at least 32 gigs. Part of the card will be used for the OS image. Part of it will be used for providing data to the PC, such as presenting as a bootable drive when reinstalling an OS on the PC. That said, I’m using a Pi with internal memory and a capacity of 16 gigs. I don’t generally recommend this, but it was fine for me. Since I have a Pi with internal memory, to install the OS I had to use an included jumper with the card to short the BOOT jumper and the raspi_boot utility to have the CM4 present to my computer as a USB drive. I then used the Raspberry Pi Image Manager to write the image. For the X651, power will have to be provided via the USB-C port closest to the Ethernet jack or over the POE adapter to write the image. The USB-C port closest to the mini-HDMI input is the data port. Use this port for writing the the OS image. After the image is written, you are ready for setting your password for the device.
Setting the Passwords
You must change the default passwords on the device. Remove the jumper from the boot pins, connect it to your network cable to the device. If your network doesn’t support POE, then connect a power supply to the port next to the ethernet adapter. After the unit boots up, the tiny display will show the IP address (alternatively, use your router to discover the IP address). When you enter the IP address in the browser, you will be confronted with a login page. The default user name and password are admin and admin.
Once you are logged in, you have three options. Select the option to show the terminal.
The default user ID and password here are both root. You’ll want to change that immediately. The device boots mounting the file system in read-only mode. You’ll need to access the super user privileges to remount the files system in read-write mode.
su -
rw
Now, change the password for the root account with the following command.
passwd root
You will be prompted to enter the password twice. Next, you will want to change the password for the web interface.
kvmd-htpasswd set admin
You will once again be prompted to enter the password twice. Once you’ve set the password, remount the file system in read-only. Then reboot.
rw
reboot
The software configuration is complete. You are now ready to install the KVM into your computer.
Installation into the Computer
Before installation, you will want to either consult the manual for your motherboard or examine the motherboard and figure out where various switches are connected. The jumpers that you want to select are as follows.
- Power
- Reset
- Power LED
- HD LED
For each of these jumpers, you’ll need to disconnect it from the motherboard to connect it to the associated input on the PiKVM. Then connect the associated jumper from the PiKVM to the motherboard. After you’ve connected all of them, you will still be able to operate the power and reset buttons as you did before. You will need to secure the PiKVM in the computer case. Before you do, you may want to test it. Connect the mini-HDMI to HDMI cable to your computers video card and the PiKVM. Ensure it has power either from a USB-C cable or from POE. Connect the PiKVM’s USB-C port closest to the mini-HDMI port to your computer. This connection is necessary for sending keyboard and mouse messages. Wait a few moments for the card to bootup and connect to it via its IP address. You should be able to control your computer over the KVM. Once you’ve confirmed that it works, you are ready to secure the PiKVM in the computer.
Some computers have a slot on the case that doesn’t actually align with any PCI ports. If you have one such slot, consider using it. The PiKVM won’t establish an electrical connection with the computer’s slot anyway. But I advise against having it next to the video card since those can give off a lot of heat. The PiKVM only secures in the case with the screw on the slow cover. Though this is sufficient, I admit that I am not a fan of the card having the ability to wiggle a bit since it is only secured along one edge.
Future Purchase Considerations
I’ve been pleased with the performance of this unit, and am considering purchasing another one. But I’ve got several computers on racks that could use this. Rather than purchase one for each computer, it might make sense to get a unit that can control multiple machiens. The Geekworm X680 controls up to 4 machines. Though I would need to also purchase interfaces for each computer to more seamlessly get access to the power and reset buttons on the motherboard.
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