Raritan CS-PENT User manual

CS-PENT
CompuSwitch®PENT
User Guide
Release 1.0
Copyright © 2006 Raritan Computer, Inc.
CSP-0A-E
August 2006
P/N

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Copyright and Trademark Information
This document contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated into another language
without express prior written consent of Raritan Computer, Inc.
© Copyright 2006 Raritan, CompuSwitch, Paragon, MasterConsole, and the Raritan company
logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Raritan Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Java
is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Internet Explorer is a registered trademark of
Microsoft Corporation. Netscape and Netscape Navigator are registered trademarks of Netscape
Communication Corporation. PS/2, PC/AT, RS/6000, and PC/AT are registered trademarks of
International Business Machines Corporation. All other marks are the property of their respective
owners.
FCC Information
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a commercial installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a
residential environment may cause harmful interference.
Japanese Approvals
Raritan is not responsible for damage to this product resulting from accident, disaster, misuse,
abuse, non-Raritan modification of the product, or other events outside of Raritan’s reasonable
control or not arising under normal operating conditions.
LISTE
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I.T.E.
For assistance in the North or South America, please contact the Raritan Technical Support Team
by telephone [phone], by fax [phone], or by e-mail [email protected]
Ask for Technical Support – Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern.
For assistance around the world, please see the back cover of this guide for
regional Raritan contact information.

Safety Guidelines
To avoid potentially fatal shock hazard and possible damage to Raritan equipment:
•Do not use a 2-wire power cord in any product configuration.
•Test AC outlets at your computer and monitor for proper polarity and grounding.
•Use only with grounded outlets at both the computer and monitor. When using a backup UPS,
power the computer, monitor and appliance off the supply.
Rack Mount Safety Guidelines
In Raritan products which require Rack Mounting, please follow these precautions:
•Operation temperature in a closed rack environment may be greater than room temperature.
Do not exceed the rated maximum ambient temperature of the appliances (see Appendix A:
Specifications).
•Ensure sufficient airflow through the rack environment.
•Mount equipment in the rack carefully to avoid uneven mechanical loading.
•Connect equipment to the supply circuit carefully to avoid overloading circuits.
•Ground all equipment properly, especially supply connections, such as power strips (other
than direct connections), to the branch circuit.

CONTENTS i
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................. 1
Product Overview........................................................................................................1
Product Photos............................................................................................................1
Product Features.........................................................................................................2
Package Contents.......................................................................................................2
Chapter 2: Installation.................................................................... 3
Initial Configuration .....................................................................................................3
Installation Notes.........................................................................................................4
Chapter 3: Operation...................................................................... 5
Overview.....................................................................................................................5
Front Panels................................................................................................................5
Front Panel Operation.................................................................................................6
Select a Channel ...............................................................................................................................6
Scan Channels ..................................................................................................................................6
Set Scan Rate ...................................................................................................................................6
Skip....................................................................................................................................................6
Appendix A: Specifications ............................................................ 7
Desktop Models ..........................................................................................................7
Power..........................................................................................................................7
Cables.........................................................................................................................8
Accessories.................................................................................................................8
Important Information for CompuSwitch Installation....................................................8
Appendix B: Troubleshooting......................................................... 9
Appendix C: Cable Support Bracket Kits..................................... 11
RCS24 to CS-PENT 2/CS-PENT 4...........................................................................11
RCS8 to CS-PENT 8.................................................................................................12

ii FIGURES
Figures
Figure 1 CS-PENT 2 Unit.............................................................................................................................1
Figure 2 CS-PENT 4 Unit.............................................................................................................................1
Figure 3 CS-PENT 8 Unit.............................................................................................................................1
Figure 4 Rear Panel of CS-PENT 2 Unit......................................................................................................3
Figure 5 Rear Panel of CS-PENT 4 Unit......................................................................................................3
Figure 6 Rear Panel of CS-PENT 8 Unit......................................................................................................3
Figure 7 Cabling Details...............................................................................................................................4
Figure 8 Front panel of CS-PENT 2 Unit......................................................................................................5
Figure 9 Front Panel of CS-PENT 4 Unit .....................................................................................................5
Figure 10 Exploded View of Scan Rates from the CS-PENT 4 Front Panel ................................................5
Figure 11 Front Panel of CS-PENT 8 Unit ...................................................................................................5
Figure 12. RCS24 to CS-PENT 2/CS-PENT 4 Installation.........................................................................11
Figure 13. RCS8 to CS-PENT 8 Installation...............................................................................................12

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
Product Overview
Congratulations on your purchase of Raritan’s CompuSwitch-PENT, which enables efficient
control of multiple computers, any combination of PC/ATs, and PS/2s, from only one keyboard,
monitor, and mouse. The 8-channel model connects and controls up to 8 computers, the 4-channel
model connects and controls up to 4 computers, and the 2-channel model connects and controls 2
computers.
CompuSwitch-PENT is built with Raritan’s unique intelligent emulation technology, which
dedicates and individual processor to each connected computer so that each computer always sees
its own keyboard and mouse. This prevents keyboard and mouse lockups and ensures flawless
bootup and operation of any mix of computers running any operating system.
Product Photos
Figure 1 CS-PENT 2 Unit
Figure 2 CS-PENT 4 Unit
Figure 3 CS-PENT 8 Unit

2 CS-PENT USER GUIDE
Product Features
•Dedicated keyboard and mouse emulators to ensure automatic booting and proper operation
of each computer
•VGA, SVGA, and XGA high resolution video support
•Simple operation either from the CompuSwitch-PENT front panel
•SCAN function to automatically cycle through all channels at a selectable scan rate from 1 to
16 seconds by using push buttons on the front panel
•SKIP function to automatically bypass channels without a powered computer connected
•Easy-to-manage, tangle-proof, high-resolution PC cables
Package Contents
(1) CompuSwitch-PENT unit

CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION 3
Chapter 2: Installation
Initial Configuration
Begin by connecting one computer, and once proper operation is confirmed, proceed to
connecting any additional computers.
Important: Make certain all computers are powered OFF before starting
installation.
1. Plug the monitor, keyboard, and PS/2 mouse into the ports marked VGA MONITOR, PS/2
or AT KEYBOARD, and PS/2 MOUSE on the CompuSwitch-PENT rear panel.
Figure 4 Rear Panel of CS-PENT 2 Unit
Figure 5 Rear Panel of CS-PENT 4 Unit
Figure 6 Rear Panel of CS-PENT 8 Unit
2. Using the appropriate CompuSwitch cable, connect one PC’s 25-pin connector to any channel
on the CompuSwitch rear panel.
3. Plug the cable’s video, keyboard, and mouse connectors into the computer ports.

4 CS-PENT USER GUIDE
4. Power ON the connected computer. On the CS-PENT front panel, the light above the [SKIP]
button will be ON, and the light above the connected channel button number will also be ON,
indicating that CS-PENT is powered ON.
Note: CS-PENT is automatically powered ON as soon as at least one connected computer is
manually powered ON.
5. The video from the connected computer will be displayed on the monitor. When boot-up is
complete, check keyboard and mouse operation. Operate the keyboard and mouse as if they
were connected directly to the computer.
6. After you have verified operation of one computer, connect the remaining PCs following
steps 2–4. You may now begin using the CS-PENT unit.
Figure 7 Cabling Details
Installation Notes
1. Connections are provided for either a 6-pin PS/2-style or a 5-pin Extended AT-style keyboard.
Do not connect both keyboards simultaneously.
2. You may simultaneously connect PS/2 and AT computers to CS-PENT with the appropriate
cables. However, only a PS/2 mouse can be used with CS-PENT to operate the computers.