This is some great timing, I might need a KVMoIP setup soon and I couldn't find anything cheap. Very nicely written article, thanks!
Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
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Re: Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
#72This is some great timing, I might need a KVMoIP setup soon and I couldn't find anything cheap. Very nicely written article, thanks!
Awesome, glad it was helpful! Thanks for reading.
Re: Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
#73Author here. Happy to answer any questions or take any feedback about this post.
This is epic, I run a small computer cluster using workstation hardware (AMD 3970X's) and no IPMI boards exist. If I get some time I might build 7 of your little system to manage them all. Thanks!
Re: Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
#74This is pretty cool (for managing servers cheaply), but I remain disappointed that remotely controlling computers over a network with low latency is still a difficult task. I've been trying to find a way to use a bunch of machines remotely over my LAN (for gaming / media playback on multiple devices), and have been somewhat disappointed at the quality / latency of the various options I've played around with. It's esp…
Steam link does it, and fast enough to play games with no noticeable latency.
Not sure what the magic is, though.
Re: Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
#75The hardest part of this seems to be the V in the KVM and the solution of the author's is pretty neat. But I think things could still be improved by dropping his keyboard/mouse setup and just switching to the standard: barrier/synergy, https://github.com/debauchee/barrier
While Barrier works well, TinyPilot is more capable. TinyPilot gives you full control of the remote machine, including BIOS screens. With Barrier you rely on having Barrier running on both machines, so you can't use it for things like reinstalling an operating system. Or fixing a machine that won't boot.
Re: Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is my experience as well. I currently use a USB switch that I got off of Amazon for about 15 bucks. It typically "just works." Press the button, wait 2 seconds and my input devices have switched.
Care to share it? The one I have will work for a few switches, then both Windows/Mac will eventually stop recognizing the port its connected to until a reboot.
I have been using one from IOGEAR (SKU GUS432CA1KIT) for the last 6 months and I haven't had a single problem with it.
I use it to switch all of my peripherals (keyboard, mouse, wireless headset dongle, webcam, and mixer) between my desktop and my MacBook several times per day and have not had a single failure yet.
Re: Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
#77This looks great. To be useful in the datacenter environments I work in such a device would need VGA capture, though. Most servers don't have HDMI ports in my experience. Anybody know of a good, cheap V4L2 USB-based VGA capture dongle?
Could always add another dongle with something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BKYBKGP maybe?
Most obvious choice, but the USB port might not be able to provide enough power. You could splice in an external adapter with a bit of work, though :)
Re: Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
#78Author here. Happy to answer any questions or take any feedback about this post.
Cool project, but what about power management? What happens if the PC being controlled crashes and does not let you reboot it using keyboard shortcut? I'm might be damaged by testing and working with embedded development.
If you need access to the power and reset, you can replace the respective buttons with a cheap relay switch controlled by GPIO. If you know what you're doing you can also solder your own circuit using opto-isolators instead of relays, to reduce the power draw on the Pi.
Re: Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
#79This is pretty cool (for managing servers cheaply), but I remain disappointed that remotely controlling computers over a network with low latency is still a difficult task. I've been trying to find a way to use a bunch of machines remotely over my LAN (for gaming / media playback on multiple devices), and have been somewhat disappointed at the quality / latency of the various options I've played around with. It's esp…
SPICE (virt-viewer) performs well enough for my every day web browsing with VMs. The performance is annoying but adequate over wifi/WAN.
Re: Show HN: TinyPilot – Build a KVM over IP using a Raspberry Pi
#80Author here. Happy to answer any questions or take any feedback about this post.
This is epic, I run a small computer cluster using workstation hardware (AMD 3970X's) and no IPMI boards exist. If I get some time I might build 7 of your little system to manage them all. Thanks!
Awesome! I'd love to hear how it turns out.