Emerson AVOCENT Installation and maintenance instructions

AVOCENT® MATRIX HIGH PERFORMANCE KVM SWITCHING SYSTEM
INSTALLER/USER GUIDE

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Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM
Switching System
Installer/User Guide
Emerson, Emerson Network Power and the Emerson Network Power logo are trademarks or service marks of Emerson Electric Co. Avocent, the
Avocent logo, AMX and Dambrackas Video Compression are trademarks or service marks of Avocent Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other
countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. This document may contain confidential and/or proprietary information of
Avocent Corporation, and its receipt or possession does not convey any right to reproduce, disclose its contents, or to manufacture or sell anything that it
may describe. Reproduction, disclosure, or use without specific authorization from Avocent Corporation is strictly prohibited. ©2013 Avocent
Corporation. All rights reserved.
NOTE: This document supports versions up to and including release 1.0.
590-1141-501A

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T A B L E  OF  C O N T E N T S
ProductOverview 1
Features and Benefits 1
Security 1
Flash upgrade 1
Video support 2
Audio support 2
USB support 2
On-Board Web Interface (OBWI) 2
On-Screen Display (OSD) 2
Matrix switch 2
Receiver 3
Transmitter 4
InstallationandConfiguration 7
Configuration Options 7
Single switch Matrix system 7
Multi-switch cascaded Matrix system 8
Switch Configuration 9
Setup Port 9
Unit information 9
Network configuration 9
Appliance mode 10
Username/password 10
Set session timeout 11
On-BoardWebInterface 13
Common features 14
Forgotten password 15
OBWI Help 15
Dashboard Tab 15
User sessions pane 15
Events pane 15
Sessions Tab 15
Users Tab 16
New user 17
Login and Logout 18
Users – Attributes tab 18
Users – Permissions tab 18
i

Users – Targets tab 19
Users – Favorites tab 20
Users – OSD tab 20
Users – OSD F1-F12 tab 20
Users – Status tab 21
Devices Tab 21
Restore defaults 21
Update firmware 21
Reboot device 22
Remove device 22
Remove offline 22
Flash display 22
Switch details 22
Receiver details 23
Transmitter details 25
Modes 26
Private mode 26
Share mode 26
Peripherals Tab 26
System Settings Tab 27
Save settings to file 27
Load settings from file 28
Restore full defaults 28
Restore partial defaults 28
OBWI tab 28
OSD 28
Events tab 29
Defaults 29
Other 29
Events Tab 30
on-screendisplay 31
Targets Tab 32
Connect private 32
Connect shared 33
Favorites 33
USB 33
Settings 34
Settings – User tab 35
Settings – Receiver tab 35
iiAvocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Installer/User Guide

Info Tab 37
Diagnostics Tab 37
Appendices 39
Appendix A: Technical Specifications 39
Appendix B: Cable Pinout Information 41
Appendix C: Technical Support 42
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Table of Contentsiii

ivAvocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Installer/User Guide

Product Overview
1
1
TheAvocent®MatrixHighPerformanceKVMswitchingsystemisthenextgenerationofAvocentkeyboard,
videoandmouse(KVM)products.ThisnewclassofdigitalMatrixsystemsandextensionproductsprovidesthe
high-performance,reliabledesktopextensionexperienceexpectedfromanAvocentproduct.Combiningthebestof
thepreviousgeneration,suchastheinstantaneousswitchingtimeoftheAvocentAMX™switchingsystemand
thedigitalqualityandadvancedmanagementfeaturesoftheAvocentHMXextendersystem,thedigitalMatrix
switchingsolutionoffersawaytomigratetoadigitalsolutionwhileleveragingexistinginfrastructure.
Inatypicalscenario,numeroustransmitterandreceiverdevicescanconnectinaMatrixfashiontocommunicate
throughtheproprietarycentralswitchoranetworkofswitches.Theswitchhandlesthedistributionofthedata
streamsbetweentransmittersandreceivers.Asingleshieldedtwistedpair(STP)CAT5e/6cable,connectseach
transmitterandreceivertotheswitch.Usersarelinkedtocomputersinreal-timeacrossaMatrixthatconnects
video,USBperipheralsandaudiofromatargetcomputertoareceiverwheretheusercanoperateasifthecomputer
isdirectlyconnectedtoamonitor,USBperipheralsandspeakers.
TheMatrixSwitchingSystemisthebasisforanadditionalsetofproductsintendedtoaddressthedigitalsignage
andProA/V,asITandA/Vequipmentconverge.ThisunifiedapproachprovidesanenhanceddigitalMatrix
switchingsolutionforbroadcast,postproductionanddatacenters(government,militaryandindustrial).
FeaturesandBenefits
• TransmittersarepoweredfromtheswitchoverSTPCAT5e/6
• Dualpowersupplyswitches(availableonthe32-portswitch)
• HighspeedUSBistransparentlypresentedtothetargetcomputer
• Transmitters,receivers,andswitchesareallequippedwithfullcolorLCDdisplaysshowingcolorcodedunit
status
• Transmitterssupportdiscretecablesforconnectiontothetargetvideo,USBandaudio
Security
TheswitchsystemsupportsSecureSocketsLayer(SSL)overaTCP/IPconnectionandAES.Passwordprotectionis
alsoprovidedtocontrolaccesstoalladministrationfunctions.IndividualKVMusershaveusernames,passwords
andalistoftargetstheyareallowedtoaccess.ThetypeofallowedUSBdevicescanbecontrolledonaper-user,
per-receiverandper-transmitterbasis.
Flashupgrade
Thefirmwaremaybeupgradedatanytimeusingvariousindustryprotocolstoensurethatthesystemisalways
runningthemostcurrentversionavailable.Boththetransmitterandthereceiverareflashupgradable.

Videosupport
TheadvancedDambrackasVideoCompression™algorithmusedbythesystemenablesapixel-accuratevideo
experiencewithlag-free,real-timeinteractionwithcomputingequipment.Theresultingperformanceandspeed
providenewlevelsofcontentcreation,productionanddelivery.Videoisdistributedinmultipleformats
supportingvariousconnectorsincludingDVI-DandVGA.
Audiosupport
TheMatrixreceiverprovidesCDquality(Redbook)44.1kHz,16-bitperchannelstereoaudiosupport.
USBsupport
TheMatrixSwitchingSystemprovidessixUSBversion2.0connectorswithanindustry-leadingcombined
throughput.
On-BoardWebInterface(OBWI)
AdministratorscanmanagethesystemthroughtheOBWI(accessedwithHTTPS).TheOBWIrunsonany
supportedbrowserthathasnetworkaccesstotheswitch.AnadministratorcanusetheOBWItocreateuser
accountsandconfiguretransmittersandreceivers.
On-ScreenDisplay(OSD)
TheMatrixreceiverincludesanon-screendisplaythatallowsuserstoestablishconnectionstothetargetsfrom
thelocalkeyboardandmouse.
Matrixswitch
TheMatrixswitchisarackmountablechassiswithRJ-45portstowhichthetransmitters,receiversandswitches
connect.Itisavailablein20-portand32-portmodels.Theinterconnectionattheswitchisaproprietary,non-
routableprotocol.
• Redundantpowersupplies(600W)on32-portswitch
• 350Wsinglepowersupplyon20portswitch
• TransmittersarepoweredfromtheswitchoverSTPCAT5e/6
• Supportscascading(interconnectingswitches)
• Transmitterandreceivercanconnecttoanyport
• DualNetworkInterfaceCard(NIC)forfailover
• Setupportaccessforconfiguration
• Frontorrearmountingpossible
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2Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Installer/User Guide

Figure1.1:Avocent™MatrixSwitch
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Number Description
1 Power supplies (dual on 32-port switch)
2 RGB LCD and scroll buttons for device information
3 Dual NIC ports
4 Setup port
5 RJ-45 ports for KVM signaling
Table1.1:Avocent™MatrixSwitchDescriptions
Receiver
TheMatrixreceiverenablesthedesktopuser’smonitor,speakersandUSBperipheralstoconnecttoatarget
computerthroughtheMatrixswitch.
Chapter 1: Product Overview3

Figure1.2:Avocent™MatrixReceiver
Number Description
1 RGB LCD for color-coded status and device information
2 Audio connection
3 Microphone connection
4 USB 2.0 connections
5External power button for turning on/off and resetting the
receiver
6 T-Channel locking for secure rack mounting
7 USB 2.0 connections
8 DVI-I video connection
9 RJ-45 ports for connection to the Matrix switch
10 Cable catch for securing the power cable
11 Power connector
Table1.2:Avocent™MatrixReceiverDescriptions
Transmitter
Thetransmitterisasmalldevicewithcablesconnectingvideo,USBandaudiotoatarget.Thetransmitter
captures,compressesandencodesthemediastreamsandtransmitsthemtothereceiveroveraproprietary
network.Itattachestoacomputer,AVplayer,orotherdevicetobeextended.
4Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Installer/User Guide

Figure1.3:Avocent™MatrixTransmitter
Number Description
1 RGB LCD for color-coded status and device information
2 T-Channel locking for secure rack mounting
3 Audio connection
4 Microphone connection
5 DVI-D or VGA video connection
6 USB-B connector
7 RJ-45 port for connection to the Matrix switch
Table1.3:Avocent™MatrixTransmitterDescriptions
Chapter 1: Product Overview5

6Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Installer/User Guide

Installation and Configuration
2
7
Atthispointyoushouldhavealreadymountedtheswitchandcompletedtheinstallationinstructionsoutlinedin
theAvocent®MatrixSwitchingSystemQuickInstallationGuide.
ForimportantsafetyinformationonyourMatrixswitch,pleasevisit
http://www.emersonnetworkpower.com/ComplianceRegulatoryInfo.
ConfigurationOptions
SingleswitchMatrixsystem
Inthefigurebelow,multipletransmittersandreceiversareattachedtoasingleMatrixswitch.
Figure2.1:ExampleofSingleSwitchSystem
Number Description
1 Target device
2 Matrix transmitter
3 Matrix switch
4 Matrix receiver
5 Audio connection (speakers)
6 Video connection
7 Microphone connection
8 Mouse connection
9 Keyboard connection
Table2.1:SingleSwitchSystemComponents

Multi-switchcascadedMatrixsystem
UptofourMatrixswitchesmaybeinterconnectedtocreatealargerswitchingsystemcapableofsupporting
morereceiversandtransmitters.Thisisreferredtoasacascadedsystem.WhencascadingMatrixswitches,you
canseamlesslyconnecttoanytargetdevicefromasinglelistintheOn-screenDisplay(OSD)interface,asifall
thetargetdeviceswereconnectedtooneswitch.Touseseamlesscascading,youwillneedtoconfigurethe
cascadedswitchesasamasterandslave(s).Therecanbeonlyonemasterinacascadedsystem.Theswitchthatis
settomastermodeisusedtoadministertheotherswitches,transmittersandreceiversinthesystemthroughthe
OBWI.Inasystemwithonlyoneswitch,thatswitchshouldalwaysbesettomastermode.
Whenaswitchissettoslavemode,thewebuserinterfaceontheswitchwillbecomeverylimited.Aslave
cannotadministerotherdevices.
Figure2.2:ExampleofaMulti-switchCascadedSystem
Number Description
1 Matrix transmitter
2 Matrix switch
3 Matrix receiver
4 Ethernet
IP connection
Direct connection
Table2.2:CascadedSwitchSystemComponents
ToinstallacascadedMatrixSwitchingSystem:
1. PositiontheMatrixswitchestobeattachedandselectaswitchtobethemasterswitch.
2. AttachoneendofanSTPcableintoanumberedRJ-45portonthemasterswitch.Attachtheotherendof
thecabletoanumberedRJ-45portontheslaveswitch.
3. YoucannowconnecttransmittersandreceiverstonumberedRJ-45portonthecascadedmasterandslave
switches.
4. Whenyouhaveconnectedthetransmittersandreceiverstotheswitchingsystem,youwillneedtoconfigure
thecascadedswitchasaslave.Switch Modeonpage22.
5. Youcanrepeatsteps2through4tocascadeathirdorfourthswitch.
8Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Installer/User Guide

SwitchConfiguration
AftertheAvocentMatrixSwitchingSystemhasbeeninstalled,youcanbeginconfiguration.Bydefault,DHCP
isenabledontheswitch.OncetheswitchreceivesanIPaddress,itisdisplayedontheLCDdisplayontheback
oftheunit.YoucanbeginconfigurationbyusingthesetupportorusingtheOn-boardWebInterface(OBWI).
FormoreinformationontheOBWIsetup,seeOn-Board Web Interface onpage13.
SetupPort
ThesetupportonthebackoftheMatrixswitchallowstheadministratoraccesstoamenuforsetupand
configurationoftheswitch.Fromtheserialmenuyoucanconfigurenetworksettings,setuporchange
passwords,upgradethefirmwareorresettofactorydefaults.
NOTE:The default username and password is Admin with no password. When you login for the first time, you will be prompted to
change the password.
Toaccesstheserialmenu:
1. Usinganullmodemcable,connectaterminaloraPCthatisrunningterminalemulationsoftwaretothe
SetupportonthebackpaneloftheMatrixswitch.
NOTE:The terminal settings are 9600 bits per second (bps), 8 bits, 1 stop bit, no parity and no flow control.
2. Connecttheotherendoftheserialcabletotheserialportofyourcomputer.
3. Launchtheterminalemulationsoftware.
4. Pressanykeytologin.
5. Entertheusernameandpassword.
Tonavigatethroughtheserialmenu,typethenumberorletterthatcorrespondstotheoptionyouwishtochoose
andpressEnter.Thisactionwillbringyoutoasub-menuorscreenwhereyoucanmakeconfigurationchanges.
Toexitamenuorscreenandtoconfirmanyconfigurationchangesyouhavemade,type0(zero)andpress
Enter.
Unitinformation
Theunitinformationscreenprovidesthefollowingdeviceinformation:EID,MACaddress,PartNumber,Serial
Number,BootVersionandAppVersion.
Networkconfiguration
TherearetwonetworkconfigurationoptionsavailablefortheMatrixswitch,IPv4orIPv6.
ThefollowingtabledescribestheoptionsforconfiguringIPv4.
Option Description
Dynamic Host
Configuration
Protocol (DHCP)
The switch is a DHCP client and receives all the network
parameters from a DHCP server on the network.
Table2.3:IPv4Configuration
Chapter 2: Installation and Configuration9

Option Description
DHCP plus zeroconf
The switch attempts to obtain an IP address using
DHCP. If DHCP times out, then it uses zeroconf to
obtain an IP address. Zeroconf picks an IP address out
of the block 169.254.0.0/16. To use zeroconf the
network must use the 169.254.0.0/16 block of IP
addresses.
Zeroconf The switch will immediately use zeroconf to determine
an IP address.
Static The user will enter the IP address manually.
IP Address The IP address of the switch.
Netmask The Netmask of the switch.
Default Gateway The default gateway of the switch.
ThefollowingtabledescribestheoptionsforconfiguringIPv6.
Option Description
Stateless only The switch uses IPv6 stateless address
autoconfiguration to obtain an IPv6 address.
Dynamic Host
Configuration
Protocol (DHCP)
The switch is a DHCP client and receives all the network
parameters from a DHCP server on the network.
DHCP info only
The switch obtains configuration information from the
DHCP server but does not perform any address
assignment.
Static The user will enter the IP address manually.
IP Address The IP address of the switch.
Prefix Length The size of the link-local prefix.
Default Gateway The default gateway of the switch.
Table2.4:IPv6Configuration
Afterthenetworkhasbeenconfigured,youcanaccesstheOBWItoaddusersandmanagetheAvocent™
MatrixSwitchingSystem.
Appliancemode
Theappliancemodemenuoptionallowsyoutotoggletheswitchbetweencascademasterandcascadeslave.If
theswitchisconfiguredasacascadeslave,thisoptionallowstheadministratortoselectthecascademaster
usingtheswitchEID.
Username/password
Theusername/passwordmenuallowstheusertochangetheusernameandorpassword.
Thechangesetupportpasswordoptionallowstheusertoenableorchangeasetupportpassword.Thiswill
enableordisableaccesstothebootmenuwhichallowstheusertoselectthecurrentorpreviousversionof
firmwareforbooting.Whileconnectedtotheswitchfromthesetupport,administratorscanalsoselectaboot
image.WhennewfirmwareisloadedintoMatrixswitch,theswitchkeepsacopyofthepreviousversionina
separateflashimage.Thereisashortbootmenuthatallowstheadministratortoselectwhichbootimageistobe
used.Thebootmenuisaccessedinthefirstfive5secondsofbootingbypressinganykey.
10Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Installer/User Guide

Setsessiontimeout
Thesetsessiontimeoutoptionconfiguresthesetupportinactivitytimeout.Whenthetimeoutforthesetupport
expires,theuserisloggedout.
Chapter 2: Installation and Configuration11

12Avocent® Matrix High Performance KVM Switching System Installer/User Guide