Black Box AC1059A User manual

Connect your monitor and USB and serial devices
to a secure server over an IP network.
Connect your monitor and USB and serial devices
to a secure server over an IP network.
Remote Video System IP
© 2007. All rights reserved. Black Box Corporation.
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FEATURES
• Video over IP eliminates distance
barriers that hamper standard video
connections.
• A dedicated server is not required at the
workstation’s location, and there are no
changes to your application software.
• Ideal for access control systems,
industrial settings, restaurant kitchens,
or anywhere that requires a server to be
secure or protected from environmental
conditions.
• Great for managing and monitoring
touch screens from the server.
• Perform remote troubleshooting and
reduce costs associated with travel
and IT support.
• Robust VT220™terminal emulation
enables you to migrate from legacy
terminal-based systems to newer
graphics displays.
• Multiple units may be supported
per server.
• Field-upgradable software and
firmware.
Typical application for the
Remote Video System IP.
OVERVIEW
This network-enabled video system helps you connect and
monitor serial, USB, and VGA/SVGA devices over IP—without
using a locally attached dedicated workstation or “thin”
client.
In today’s world of client-server computing, you typically
need a locally connected, dedicated PC or thin client to
support the running of peripheral devices—a rather expensive
setup when you factor in the cost of extra workstations,
operating systems, and client-access software licenses.
The BLACK BOX®Remote Video System IP is a much less
expensive—and longer lasting—peripheral communication
solution. The compact device functions as a “zero-client,”
meaning that no thin client is needed at the same location
as the connected peripherals. This saves you equipment,
operating, and maintenance costs now and in the future—
and there’s no need for a bulky server to clutter the area
around your serial and video devices.
Remotely manage VGA/SVGA, serial,
and USB devices.
Network based, the Remote Video System IP supports
serial and video interfaces over an IP connection that links
to applications running elsewhere on your LAN or other IP
network. This enables you to centrally manage and monitor
remote displays containing VGA or SVGA screens or serial
touch screens by using a remote server or PC via an IP address.
What’s more, because the system also contains USB ports,
you can connect keyboards, cameras, or other peripherals with
USB Type A connectors.
Ideal for use in any area where an on-site PC isn’t practical
or advisable, the system strongly suits industrial automation
and control applications, as well as retail digital signage and
point-of-sale uses. Because it allows you to eliminate a host
PC from high-traffic, electronically noisy, or dirt-filled areas,
you can keep server components free from harm and
operating error-free. It’s also a much more secure client-server
setup, because important data, archives, and application
programs remain on a main server—with access that you
more easily control.
You also get full hardware and software flow control,
along with controls that let you adjust and optimize latency
and throughput to the specific requirements. And because
it has an embedded virtual network computing (VNC) server,
you can remotely view, manage, and troubleshoot operation
via an IP address.
The system even includes a Java™viewer, so you can
control any desktop remotely from within a browser without
having to install any additional software.
Establish multiple TCP/IP connections to multiple ports.
With its advanced COM/TTY redirector technology, the
Remote Video System IP uses the TCP/IP infrastructure to give
you greater port control. It does this by providing a virtual
connection to peripheral devices at the point of service. Plus,
it doesn’t require any modifications to your existing software
applications. The system’s software installs directly on the
server and communicates with devices across the network as
if they were attached directly to the server.
Remote Video System IP
(AC1059A)
Remote
server
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And unlike many other COM port director software
packages on the market today, the Remote Video System IP’s
software supports multiple connections to multiple ports over
a single TCP/IP link. By not requiring a separate TCP/IP connec-
tion for each serial port, you have less network overhead and
lessen processing demands on your network-based server.
Even better, if the network is interrupted, the Remote
Video System IP’s connection recovery features restore device
links automatically, thereby making it a great choice for
mission-critical environments.
Also, with its serial, USB, and video connectors, the system
functions as an I/O hub for various equipment interfaces. You
can use it in applications such as in a retail kiosk that contains
a VGA monitor, touchpad, and USB camera. Powered by a
high-performance AMD®Alchemy™Au1200™processor, the
Remote Video System IP’s chip set is optimized for the most
demanding multimedia equipment.
The system also supports standard terminal emulation, so
you can easily integrate it into existing legacy terminal-based
systems today and migrate to a newer style of graphics display
later. It’s compatible with Microsoft®Virtual Server, VMware,
and other server virtualization applications, and works with
today’s common operating systems.
Thin client and ”zero client” computing.
In client-server networks, a thin client is a network
computer without a hard drive that works off a centrally
located and managed application server that processes the
data. Compared with a “fat” client, which handles consid-
erably more processing and storage capabilities, a thin client
typically has little or no software and provides only the most
basic boot and data recovery operations. It also usually has
only basic user-interface functions (such as a PC workstation
with keyboard and a basic display device) at the user interac-
tion point.
A thin client computing architecture not only enables you
to save in management, IT, and hardware costs, it also offers
greater data security because important information is kept
on the central or back-office LAN side, usually in a secured
room. What’s more, running thin devices consumes a lot less
network bandwidth than transferring files on an application-
heavy terminal server does.
Zero client computing takes thin client computing a step
further. Like thin clients, zero clients connect to applications
running on a PC or server elsewhere on a network. But, with
a zero client architecture, there’s no need for a dedicated PC
at the user interaction point. The dedicated PC is the appli-
cation server located in the back room or data center. It
communicates with peripheral devices over a standard TCP/IP
network connection.
This architecture not only enables you to save additional
equipment room—space that you can better use to connect
your latest peripherals—it also greatly lessens your main-
tenance and equipment management costs (because there are
no thin client workstations to keep running throughout your
application).
Using leading-edge technology, zero client devices use
networking protocols to communicate with central servers
and feature a variety of peripheral interfaces, such as ports
for video, serial, and USB connections.
Zero client systems, such as the BLACK BOX®Remote Video
System IP, often operate in two modes: standard remote
device mode, which enables remote peripherals to connect
to applications running on servers elsewhere on the wired
or wireless network; and terminal emulation mode, which
enables you to use standard network devices such as printers
or keyboards to replace legacy terminals.
Technically Speaking
TECH SPECS
Network Compatibility — 10-/100-Mbps switched Ethernet
Operating Systems Supported — Compatible with any operating
system supporting VNS server application, including Windows®,
Linux®, and other UNIX®platforms; Macintosh®; and DOS (no
RealPort®support)
CE Approval — AC1059A-E
Connectors — Ethernet: (1) RJ-45;
Video: (1) HD15 F;
USB: (2) Type A F;
Serial: (1) RS-232 DB9 F, (1) RS-232 RJ-45
Operating Environment — Temperature: 32 to 131°F (0 to 55°C);
Humidity: Up to 95% noncondensing
Power — AC1059A: 115 VAC, 60 Hz, external;
AC1059A-E: 230 VAC, 50 Hz, external
Size — 1"H x 7.2"W x 4.4"D (2.5 x 18.3 x 11.2 cm)
Weight — 0.6 lb. (0.3 kg)
Item Code
Remote Video System IP
115-VAC AC1059A
230-VAC AC1059A-E