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Author Topic: Calling all computer G33ks  (Read 96 times)

Sedit

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Calling all computer G33ks
« on: April 20, 2011, 09:33:32 PM »


I have a couple questions and its something I have never attempted so any help would be great.

The first is rather straight forward, I want to setup duel moniters which should be rather easy but im attempting to do so with an older HP mini with no HDMI capabilitys. I have seen DVI to USB connectors which seem like they could work. My moniter is a dell, it contains a standard connector for a computer monitor and it also has two USB connectors branching out one of the old 1334 USB(if thats the right name).


Another thing I wish I could do is a bit more complicated. IF I can manage to setup two monitors I wanted to setup duel mouse and keyboard as well. I have a linksys 2 port KMV switch but i am unsure if this is what I need.


Any suggestions how to go about these things?
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lugh

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2011, 11:29:23 PM »
Windows supports multiple mice and keyboards if one has the ports available to hook them up  ;) As far as multiple monitors, a comparison of various software enabling it is on Wikipedia:

h**ps://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Comparison_of_multi-monitor_software

 8)
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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2011, 11:43:59 PM »
The KMV switch should give me the avalible ports needed right? I am not 100% sure if its just so two computers can become one or if one can be "split" into two computers. I still got alot of reading to do but If I could run a single computer with two different mice, two keyboards and two moniters it would be like having two computers and for once the fighting over the computer may just stop ;D
There once were some bees and you took all there stuff!
You pissed off the wasp now enough is enough!!!

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2011, 11:48:19 PM »
My old setup at work had 2 21" monitors for GIS work.  I had this kind of setup for 10 year and it didn't seem to change much.  You buy a dual monitor video card - it has two outlets and then set the screen resolution to 2 monitors.  In older setups the software that came with the video card had the settings in it but later versions of Windows could do it.

KVM switches are for connecting two computers to the same keyboard not the other way around.  Not sure what the advantage of two keyboards are - I wouldn't think you could have multiple keyboards or mice operable at the same time.  Whenever I would log into my computer at work from a remote connection it overrode the local mouse.

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2011, 11:51:02 PM »
Ah soo, it becomes clear.  What you want are two virtual machines.  Don't know the details of that, but they have software to create virtual machines, just not sure it can split like you're thinking.

Running out of geek sorry.
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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2011, 12:07:07 AM »
Yeh basicly I want to be able to have two different people do two different things yet run off a single desktop computer. I don't mind if they are able to share windows IE: move a open website from one moniter to the other like can be done normally with a duel moniter setup.
There once were some bees and you took all there stuff!
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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2011, 01:46:16 AM »
Most of the time the programs have default locations they open in and it tends to favor the left monitor.  I do think you need to have two instances of windows or some sort of terminal emulation running because I think each windows instance expects one input each for keyboard or mouse at a time.

When I would remote into a server if someone was on the keyboard locally the inputs would get mixed up same for the mouse.  Only one set could have control of the screen at a time.

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akcom

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2011, 01:54:19 AM »
What you want is a ultra thin or zero client/server setup.  Just google that and that should put you in the right direction.  Citrix has some good thin client software that I've used in the past.  As far as directly hooking up 2 sets of input/output devices (monitor, keyboard, mouse) directly to the computer its simply not going to work without using some virtual desktop software (VMWare, virtualpc, etc) and even then its going to be very very slow as you'd essentially have 2 operating systems running on the 1 set of hardware.

edit: If you're just interested in having them share a single common desktop then just get a video card with two VGA outputs (the output for older monitors) and use USB keyboard/mice.

lugh

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2011, 01:58:18 AM »
This computer has two keyboards and they can be used simultaneously  8)
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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2011, 02:28:30 AM »
I don't understand why I couldn't have two keyboards or moniters. When I use to program computers there was various interupts that controlled various BIOS of the computer. If there was a means of setting it up I remember the keyboard has more then one Interupt function designated for use even though only one at a time was being used. This was done to avoid software conflicts so that if one interupt was in use they could still access the keyboard thru another function.

Given that information I find it completely possible to run a duel system on a single processor. Its just a matter of me figuring out how to setup my outdated computer to do so. An HDMI hookup would help greatly but I don't have one and im attempting to work with what I have without putting out so much cash that it would be cheeper to just buy another laptop.
There once were some bees and you took all there stuff!
You pissed off the wasp now enough is enough!!!

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #10 on: April 21, 2011, 06:56:08 AM »
If we're talking about PS2 keyboard and mice, then no, there are not multiple interrupts.  Intel 8086 only implements a single interrupt for each (0x09, 0x74 respectively).  Using USB devices sidesteps the issue of interrupts completely.

It's certainly possible to have shared control without using some sort of thin client software, but that depends on what exactly is your end goal, which I'm still a bit foggy on.  Whats the point of having two people in close physical proximity looking at the same display "competing" for control of the system with a keyboard and mouse?

Wizard X

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2011, 12:28:09 AM »
Albert Einstein - "Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds."

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2011, 12:44:10 AM »
If I may ask, what is the goal of this setup?

From a usability perspective, sharing a session will introduce nuisances.

From a hardware perspective, sharing equipment is a bottleneck.

From a security perspective - and I can't state this enough - this is an absolute nightmare, especially if anything sensitive like banking or chemistry browsing will be done on the computer. That setup opens up all sorts of avenues for cross contamination and key compromise, and seems like a hell of a barrier to the one man, one machine, one FDE key principle.


My computer background has taught me to try and avoid these sorts of kludges in the first place. If something like this is the answer, then you're probably asking the wrong question.

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2011, 12:50:27 AM »
To allow two different people to browse the web using the same system at the same time. Or, allow a movie to play on one screen while someone does something on the other.
There once were some bees and you took all there stuff!
You pissed off the wasp now enough is enough!!!

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Re: Calling all computer G33ks
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2011, 10:37:00 AM »
lets all put in and send him a new computer

Wizard X

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Windows Virtual PC
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2011, 10:54:19 PM »
Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC, available on Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate, allow you to run multiple Windows environments, such as Windows XP Mode, from your Windows 7 desktop.  http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/

Window XP OS, use Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/
Albert Einstein - "Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds."
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