Raritan Peppercon LARA express User manual

LARA express
Quick Start Guide
Based on firmware 04.01.00
Last revision: January 30, 2006
We do not ship a printed manual on default. For detailed information please refer to the elec-
tronic manual provided as PDF file on the enclosed CD ROM. If you like to obtain a printed
version of the manual, do not hesitate to send an email to [email protected] in order to
receive your printed copy.
Copyright c 2004-2005 Peppercon AG, Zwickau (Saxony)
http://www.peppercon.com

Installation
The LARA express redirects local keyboard, mouse and video data to a remote administra-
tion console. All data is transmitted via IP. The LARA express can be used in a multi server
environment as well. Combining the LARA express with a KVM switch matrix allows to ac-
cess multiple remote servers over a single remote console.
1. Attach the pre-mounted system cable to
(a) The VGA outlet of your server of the local console video port of your KVM switch
(b) The USB to one of the USB interfaces of your server or your USB KVM Switch
2. Connect the RJ45 Ethernet connector to your local Ethernet hub using a CAT5 cable
3. Connect the external power supply to the 5V power connector and power on the LARA
express
Important note on USB power
The USB standard guarantees up to 500mA power per single USB port. The LARA ex-
press needs up to 700mA current and therefore does not work on USB alone. However,
most of the current USB ports provide more than 700mA so that no external power is
needed to power the LARA express. Taking more power from an USB port than speci-
fied may cause damage to your computer and is therefore not recommended.
Check the blue Power/Status LED on the LARA express to make sure that the unit gets enough
power (see below).
Front Side Connectors
System port This port is already connected (see above).
Port Replicator (rear side) Here you may attach an additional port replicator enabling PS/2
support, serial and local console.
Power supply DC 5V/1.5A Attach the enclosed power supply to the LARA express.
RJ45 Ethernet UTP3/5 cables can be connected to the LARA express using this standard RJ45
jack.
Power/Status LED (blue) Displays the status of the LARA express:
LED off The LARA express has no or not enough power.
LED blinking The LARA express is booting up. If this process takes longer than one
minute, the reason may be a lack of power.
LED on The LARA express is up and running.
Note: If the LARA express is connected via USB only, and the Power/Status LED tends not to
stop blinking after one minute, the LARA express may not receive enough power via USB. In
that case attach the enclosed power supply to the LARA express.

Initial Network Configuration
Initially, the LARA express network interface is configured with the parameters shown here:
Parameter IP auto configuration IP address Net mask Gateway IP access control
Value DHCP – 255.255.255.0 none none
If this initial configuration does not meet your local requirements, use the setup tool to ad-
just the values to your needs. The setup tool requires a MS Windows NT based OS and can be
found on the CD ROM delivered with this package. You can follow the procedure described
below. For other OS you may either use the web front-end or configure the LARA express via
serial console.
Start the setup tool from the CD ROM on the computer that the LARA express is installed.
Depending on the connection (USB or network), the device detection is different. A window
opens as seen below:
On the upper left corner, the MAC address of the LARA express is displayed. To detect the
MAC address manually, press the button ”Refresh Devices”. The displayed MAC address is
the same MAC address printed on the white sticker placed on the back of the LARA express.
If the LARA express is connected via USB, it is classified as an USB device and an appropriate
drive letter is chosen for this device.
On the lower right corner of the window, there are two buttons: ”Query Device” and ”Setup
Device”. Press the ”Query Device” button to display the preconfigured values of the network
configuration. The values are displayed in the text fields located above. If necessary, adjust
the network settings to your needs. To save the changes enter an user name and an according
password. Then press the ”Setup Device” button.
To close the window and accept the changes, press the ”OK” button, otherwise ”Cancel”.
Web Interface
LARA express may be accessed using a standard Java enabled web browser. You may use
the HTTP protocol or a secure encrypted connection via HTTPS. Just enter the configured IP
address of the LARA express into your web browser. The initial login settings are:
Login: super, Password: pass
Changing these settings to user specific values is strongly recommended and can be done on
the User Settings page.

Remote Console
The Remote Console is the redirected screen, keyboard and mouse of the remote host system
where the LARA express is installed. The web browser which is used for accessing the LARA
express has to supply a Java Runtime Environment version 1.1 or higher. However, we strongly
recommend to install Sun JVM 1.4. The Remote Console will behave exactly the same way as if
you were sitting directly in front of the screen of your remote system. That means that both the
keyboard and mouse can be used in the usual way. Open the console by clicking the preview
picture on the main site of the HTML front-end. The picture below shows the top of the Remote
Console.
There are some options to choose from the menu, the important ones are the following:
Auto Adjust Button
If the video displayed is of bad quality or distorted in some way, press this
button and wait a few seconds while LARA express tries to adjust itself
for the best possible video quality.
Sync Mouse
Choose this option in order to synchronize the local with the remote
mouse cursor. This is especially necessary when using accelerated mouse
settings on the host system. In general, there is no need to change mouse
settings on the host.∗)
Video Settings in Options Menu
This opens a new window with elements to control the LARA express
Video Settings. You can change some values, for instance related to bright-
ness and contrast of the picture displayed, which may improve the video
quality.
∗) Note: At first start, if the local mouse pointer is not synchronized with the remote mouse
pointer, press the Auto Adjust Button once.
Local Console and PS/2 Support
A local KVM console and a connection to the server or the KVM switch with PS/2 is sup-
ported by the LARA express. You may use a port replicator cable (item #7020036, available
separately) and connect this cable to the expansion connector on the rear side of the unit.