IOGear GCS1802 User manual

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GCS1802 / GCS1804
Part No. M1027
Installation
Installation
Installation Guide
USB 2.0 KVMP Switch with OSD
User Manual

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Table of Contents
Package Contents 4
Requirements 5
Cables 6
Operating systems 7
Hardware 8
Hardware set up 12
Installation Diagram 14
Before you begin 16
Default Manual button operation 18
Hotkey operation 19
Port switching 21
Summary of Default Hotkey Switch 22
Auto Scanning 24
Skip mode 24
OSD operation 26
OSD navigation 29
OSD functions 30
Default Vs Alternate Manual switching 37
OSD default settings 38
Keyboard Emulation 39
Firmware Upgrade Utility 41
Troubleshooting 48
Technical Support 50
Limited Warranty Statement 51
FCC Statement 52
CE Statement 54
Contact 55

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Package Contents
1 x GCS1802 [GCS1804] KVMP Switch
2 x Custom 6 ft USB KVM Cable sets with the GCS1802, or
4 x Custom USB KVM Cable sets with the GCS1804 (2x 4ft and 2x 6ft)
1 x USB-to-PS/2 keyboard / mouse converter cable
1 x Firmware Upgrade Cable
1 x Power Adapter
1 x User Manual
For parts damaged during shipping, or missing, please contact your dealer.
Read this manual thoroughly. Follow the installation and operation procedures to prevent damage to
the unit, and / or any of the devices connected to it. Refer to the 3 year limited warranty at the end of
this manual for further information.

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Requirements
Console
- VGA, SVGA, Multisync monitor or LCD display
- USB or PS/2 Mouse
- USB or PS/2 Keyboard
Note: Due to the keyboard emulation used by the KVM for switching, programmable keys on some keyboards
may not function
Computers
- A VGA, SVGA, DVI or Multisync card
- A free USB Type A port or PS/2 mouse and keyboard connections
Note: PS/2 cables must be purchased separately.
USB sharing will not function with PS/2 KVM cables

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Cables
Only cable sets specifically designed to work with this switch may be used to link the computers. Two 6 ft USB cables
sets are provided with the GCS1802. Two 4ft USB cables and two 6ft USB cables are provided with the GCS1804.
Both switches also support computers that use PS/2 keyboards and mice. Cable sets with PS/2 connectors, as
well as longer cable sets are available from your dealer. See the following table for details:
Connector Cable Length Part Number
USB (2.0) 4 ft G2L-5301U
USB (2.0) 6 ft G2L-5302U
PS/2 4 ft G2L-5301P
PS/2 6 ft G2L-5302P
Note: The GCS1802 [GCS1804] USB peripheral sharing works only with USB cable sets. It will not work with the
PS/2 cable sets.

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Supported Operating Systems
OS Distribution Version
Windows 2000 and higher
Linux
(Kernel 2.6 and higher)
RedHat 7.1 and higher; FedoraCore 2 and higher
SuSE 9.0 and higher
Mandriva 9.0 and higher
Unix
AIX 4.3 and higher
FreeBSD 4.2 and higher
Sun Solaris 9 and higher
Novell Netware 5.0 and higher
MAC OS 9.0 and higher

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GCS1802 Front View GCS1804 Front View
Hardware
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4
2
2

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No. Component Description
1 Port Selection Pushbuttons Pressing a front panel pushbutton focuses the switch on the computer attached to that
port.
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Port LEDs
The upper half is the KVM Port LED, the lower half is the USB LED.
KVM: A dim Orange light indicates that the computer attached to the port is On
1.
Line (connected and powered).
A bright Orange light indicates that the port is Selected.2.
A flashing Orange light indicates that the port is being accessed under Auto3.
Scan mode.
USB: A dim Green light indicates that there is a USB cable connection between
1.
the computer and the port.
A bright Green light indicate that the computer attached is accessing the2.
USB peripherals.
3 Audio Connectors The connections for your main console microphone and speakers. These audio ports
have priority over the ports in the rear panel.
4 Peripheral Port One of the two USB 2.0 peripheral ports (backwards compatible with USB 1.1).

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GCS1802 Rear View GCS1804 Rear View
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34
5
12
34
5

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No. Component Description
1 Firmware Upgrade The connection for the firmware upgrade cable.
2 USB Peripheral Port One of the two USB 2.0 peripheral ports (backwards compatible with USB 1.1)
3 Power Jack Connection for the power adapter
4 Console Port Area Connections for your mouse, keyboard, monitor, and audio devices. Each
connection has an appropriate icon for identification
5 CPU Port Areas Connections for the KVM cables between your computers and the switch. Each
KVM port is comprised of a microphone, speaker, and a special DB15 (yellow)
connector for monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Note: The speical DB15 connectors have been designed to work with this switch (see the Cables section of this
manual). Do NOT attempt to use ordinary 15-pin VGA connector cables to link these ports to the computers.

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Hardware Setup
Cable Connection
Make sure that power to all the devices you will be connecting has been turned off, and power cords unplugged.
To set up your KVM, refer to the installation diagram (Pg 14). The connections are color coded and / or marked with
icons for easy installation.
Connect your keyboard and mouse to the keyboard and mouse USB console ports located on the unit’s1.
back panel. If you are using the PS/2 converter, connect it to the keyboard port
Connect your monitor to the Console’s monitor port located on the unit’s rear panel
2.
Connect your microphone and speakers to the Console’s microphone and speaker jacks located on the3.
unit’s front or rear panel. The microphone and speakers connected to the front panel have priority over
those plugged into the back panel
Using one of the KVM cable sets provided, connect the custom DB15 (yellow) connector to a CPU port4.
on the rear of the switch, and connect the accompanying microphone and speaker plugs to the KVM’s
microphone and speaker jacks

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At the other end of the cable5.
a. PS/2 connections: connect the keyboard, mouse, video, microphone and speaker cables to their
respective ports on the computer
b. USB connections: connect the USB, video, microphone and speaker cables to their respective ports on
the computer. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the other computer(s)
Connect the power adapter that came with your switch to an AC power source, then connect the power
6.
adapter cable to the switch’s Power Jack
Connect your USB peripherals to the USB hub sections on the front and rear panels7.
Turn power on the computers8.

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Installation Diagram

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PS/2 USB

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Port Numbering
Each CPU port on the KVM is assigned a port number (1, 2 for the GCS1802 and 1,2,3,4 for the
GCS1804). The CPU port numbers are marked on the rear panel of the switch.
The Port ID of a computer is the same as the CPU port number on the KVM. For example, a computer
connected to CPU port 2 has a Port ID of 2. The Port ID is used to specify which computer gets the KVM,
USB hub, and audio focus when using the Hotkey or OSD direct port selection method.
Hot Plugging
The KVM supports USB hot plugging – with no need to shut the unit down, components can be removed
and added to the installation by unplugging or connecting their cables from the USB hub ports.
Before you begin

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Power Off and Restart
If it becomes necessary to Power Off the KVM, do the following:
1. Power off the switch.
Unplug the KVM cables from the switch’s rear panel.
Unplug the switch’s power cable.
2. Wait 10 seconds, then reconnect the KVM cables.
3. Reconnect the switch’s power adapter.

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Pushbutton operation (Default method)
1. Press a pushbutton once to bring only the KVM focus to the selected port (2 sec delay in switching).
2. Press a pushbutton twice to bring the audio focus to the selected port (2 sec delay in switching).
3. Press a pushbutton longer than 2 seconds to bring the KVM, Audio and USB focus simultaneously
to the selected port.
4. Press pushbuttons 1 and 2 simultaneously for 2 seconds to start the Auto Scan Mode.
5. Press pushbuttons 3 and 4 simultaneously for 2 seconds to perform a keyboard and mouse reset.
(GCS1804 only) It is equivalent to disconnecting and re connecting the devices.
Note: When changing ports, the On Screen Display appears showing which ports the KVM, Audio, and
USB are connected to ( the default duration is 3 secs).
Manual Operation

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Hotkey Operation
There are two aspects of Hotkey operation. Each of the following items performs a different function, but
both are invoked from the keyboard. The following table defines these aspects.
Function Description
Port Switching A quick efficient, method for switching KVM focus, Audio, and/or USB
Peripheral sharing ports between computers.
On Screen Display (OSD) A window temporarily displayed on the monitor, that provides a means
to invoke KVM switching, and configure the KVM’s working environment.

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The following pages describe the invocation and use of these functions. For clarity, default settings will
be used in describing Hotkey operations, the alternative hot keys will be discussed under the OSD
section.
If your keyboard does not have a Scroll Lock key, or you need to press ƒ( function key) to use the Scroll
Lock key, please refer to the OSD section for the alternate Port Switching mode.
If you change to the alternate mode substitute [Ctrl] + [Ctrl] for [Scroll Lock] + [Scroll Lock] in the
following steps
Note: You can use either the left OR right Ctrl key, but not left AND right Ctrl keys