StarTech.com CAB831HD Manual

The Professionalsí Source For Hard-to-Find Computer Parts
KVM SWITCH
CAB831HD
CAB1631HD
CAB1631D1U
Instruction Guide
* Actual product may vary from photo
* CAB1631D1U shown

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................2
System Requirements................................................................................2
Installation ..................................................................................................3
Operating Your KVM Switch.......................................................................4
Pushbuttons ...............................................................................................4
OSD Operations.........................................................................................4
OSD Function Keys....................................................................................5
Hot Key Commands ...................................................................................8
Changing Your Configuration.....................................................................9
Keyboard Mapping ...................................................................................10
Troubleshooting .......................................................................................11
Technical Specifications...........................................................................12
Technical Support ....................................................................................13
Warranty Information................................................................................13

2
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing a StarTech.com 1U KVM module. Designed for use with StarTech.com’s
CABCONS or CABCONS17 integrated cabinet consoles, these KVMs allow you to control your PCs from
one convenient location. Our universal KVM switches let you control either 8 (CAB831HD) or 16
(CAB1631HD) USB or PS/2 computers. Our slim 16-port PS/2 switch (CAB1631D1U) lets you connect 16
PS/2 computers. These slim KVM switches take up only 1U of space in your cabinet and use rear cable
connections for maximum space efficiency. Each KVM can be cascaded to support 64 (CAB831HD) or
136 (CAB1631HD, CAB1631D1U) computers and support both Manual and Auto scan modes for easy
monitoring of your PCs.
Features
•CAB831HD, CAB1631HD: Supports PCs with both USB and PS/2 keyboard/mouse connections
•CAB1631D1U: Supports PCs with PS/2 keyboard/mouse connections
•Saves valuable rack space with thin 1U height form factor
•Supports hot-plugging: allows computers to be added or removed without having to reboot the
other connected systems
•CAB831HD, CAB1631HD: Works with PC, Mac, and Sun systems
•Fast switch-buttons for each port provide quick access to any connected system
•Uses On-Screen Display (OSD) menu for easy PC selection and switch configuration
•Can be cascaded to control up to 64 (CAB831HD) or 136 (CAB1631HD, CAB1631D1U) PCs
•Allows effortless monitoring of devices through configurable Auto and Manual scan modes
•Acts independent of operating system: no software or drivers required
•Complies with Plug and Play specifications
•Backed by StarTech.com’s 3-year warranty
Before You Begin
To ensure a quick and easy console installation, please read through this section carefully before attempting
to install the device.
Contents
This package should contain:
•1 x StarView KVM Switch (CAB831HD, CAB1631HD, CAB1631D1U)
System Requirements
•1 x StarTech.com 1UCABCONS or 1UCABCONS17
•CAB831HD, CAB1631HD: StarTech.com’s 2-in-1 USB KVM cables or 3-in-1 PS/2 KVM cables
•CAB1631D1U: StarTech.com’s 3-in-1 PS/2 KVM cables

3
Installation
This section will guide you through the hardware installation of your KVM switch. Please read through this
section carefully and complete each step in the order listed.
1. Make sure all computers and devices are powered off.
2. Connect your KVM module to your 1UCABCONS or 1UCABCONS17 as directed in their user
guides.
3. Attach each of your managed computers to your StarView KVM console’s PC ports using ultra-thin
KVM cables. The CAB831HD and CAB1631HD are capable of using either 2-in-1 USB or 3-in-1
PS/2 cables. The CAB1631D1U uses 3-in-1 PS/2 cables. Use the cables to connect one of the PC ports
on the back of the switch to the computer's keyboard, mouse, and video ports. Note: These instructions
are for a single KVM switch only. For information on cascading multiple KVMs, see Cascade
Configuration below.
4. Turn on your computers.
Note: After the initial power up, you can hot-plug additional computers or slave KVM switches without
having to power down your KVM.
Cascade Configuration
You can connect a second level of KVMs to one or more of your Master KVM switch’s PC ports. The
KVM switches connected to the Master switch are know as Slaves. Once connected, the KVM switches
will automatically configure themselves as either Masters or Slaves. You can only connect an equal or
“smaller” KVM to the Master KVM. For example, a 16-port Master KVM switch can have both 16-port
and 8-port slaves. An 8-port Master KVM switch can only have 8-port KVM slaves or lower.
The 8-port KVM can support 64 PCs, with 8 8-port Slave KVMs, each connected to 8 PCs. The 16-port
KVMs can support 136 computers, with 8 16-port Slave KVMs, each connected to 16 computers. The
Slave KVMs must be connected to the 1~8 ports, not the A~H ports.
To cascade your KVMs, use a 3-in-1 PS/2 KVM cable to connect one of your Master switch’s PC ports to
the Slave switch’s PC 1~8 ports.
A slave KVM module may be mounted to the rear vertical poles inside a rack cabinet by the rear brackets
with the connectors facing out.
The connectors (keyboard and mouse) at the Local port on the rear of the KVM module are not applicable
when the module is connected to the drawer by the C-36 connector. When its C-36 connector is not
connected to the drawer, the KVM module can act as a rear-mount stand-alone KVM switch. The Local
VGA port can be connected to an external VGA monitor at any time.

4
Operating Your KVM Switch
To toggle between computers, you can use the hot-key commands, OSD (On-Screen Display) menu or by
using the pushbuttons.
Push Buttons
A solid red indicator reflects the port selected. The indicator flashes red when in Auto or Manual Scan
mode. You can press any of the corresponding pushbuttons to select the active computer. On the 16 port
models, Port 1 and Port A share the same pushbutton, as do Port 2 and Port B, etc. To select Ports 1
through 8, press the pushbutton once. To select Ports A through H, press and hold the pushbutton for two
seconds. Alternatively, if Port 1 is currently selected and you want to select Port A, you can press the
pushbutton once to switch to Port A.
The K/M Reset function reconfigures your system without powering down your computers or your KVM
switch. To reset the switch, press and hold the front-panel 1and 2buttons simultaneously.
The Auto-Scan function automatically scrolls through your connected computers. Press and hold the front-
panel 7 and 8buttons simultaneously to enter Auto Scan mode.
OSD Operations
By hitting the left <CTRL> key twice within two seconds, you may see the 'Hotkey Menu' if it is enabled
(an OSD option). Or, by hitting the left <CTRL> key three times within two seconds, you will see a 'KVM
MENU' screen (below) showing a list of the computers with corresponding channel addresses, names and
status.

5
•The port number (or channel address) of the currently selected computer is displayed in red in the top
right of the screen.
•The device name is green if the device has power and is ready for selection or white if it has no power.
The OSD menu automatically updates the color when it is activated. On the 16-port models, use the
<Page Up> and <Page Down> keys to view the other 8 computers.
•Use the <UP>, <DOWN>, 1~8, or A~H keys to highlight a computer and <ENTER> to select it.
•Press <ESCAPE> to exit the OSD menu and remove the OSD menu from the screen.
•A triangle mark on the right side of the screen indicates the port is cascaded to a Slave KVM; the
number at the left of the triangle mark shows the number of ports the Slave has. With that port
highlighted, press <ENTER> to bring up a screen listing the computers connected to that Slave. The
name of the Slave KVM will be shown at the upper right corner of the OSD menu.
•An eye mark on the right side of the screen indicates that the computer has been selected to be
monitored in Scan mode. You can switch this mark on and off using function key <F2>.
•Press <ESCAPE> to exit the OSD and to return to using the selected computer. The computer name is
shown on the screen.
OSD Function Keys
You can use the function keys when the OSD menu is active.
Function key <F1>
Edits the name of a computer or a Slave KVM. First, use the <UP> and <DOWN> arrow keys to highlight
a channel then press <F1> followed by name entry. Your name can be up to 14 characters long. Valid
characters are A to Z, 0 to 9, and the dash character. Lowercase letters are converted to uppercase. Press
<BACKSPACE> to delete a letter one at a time. Non-volatile memory stores all name entries until you
change, even if the unit is powered down.
Function key <F2>
Marks a computer to be scanned by switching the eye mark on or off. First, use the <UP> and <DOWN>
arrow keys to highlight the device, then press <F2> to switch its eye mark on or off. If Scan Type is Ready
PC + Eye (see Function key <F4>), only the powered and eye-marked computers will be displayed in Scan
mode.

6
Function key <F3>
Locks a device (a computer or a Slave) from unauthorized access. To lock a device, use the <UP> and
<DOWN> arrow keys to highlight it, then press <F3>. Now, enter up to 4 characters (A to Z, 0 to 9, dash)
followed by <ENTER> as new password. A Security-enabled device is marked with a lock beside its
channel number. To permanently disable the security function from a locked device, highlight it, press
<F3> then enter the password.
If you want to access the locked device temporarily, simply highlight it and press <ENTER>. Enter the
password and you can access the device. The device is automatically re-locked once you switch to another
device. During Scan mode, OSD skips the security-enabled device.
If you forget the password, the only way to permanently erase all passwords is to press and hold
pushbuttons 1 and 2, then press and hold pushbuttons 7 and 8. Release 7 and 8 then release 1and 2.
Function key <F4>
More functions are available by hitting <F4>. A new screen pops up displaying the functions described
below. Most of them are marked with a triangle indicating there are options to choose from. Using the
<UP> and <DOWN> arrow keys, select the function and press <ENTER>. Available options will be shown
in the middle of the screen. To select an option, use the <UP> and <DOWN> arrow keys then press
<ENTER> to select the option. You can press <ESCAPE> to exit at any time.
Auto Scan
In this mode, the KVM automatically switches from one power-on computer to the next sequentially in
a fixed interval. During Auto Scan mode, the OSD displays the name of the selected computer. When
Auto Scan detects any keyboard or mouse activity, it suspends the scanning until activity stops; it then
resumes with the next computer in sequence. To abort Auto Scan mode, press the left <CTRL> twice,
or press any front button. Scan Type and Scan Rate set the scan pattern. Scan Type (<F4>: More\Scan
Type) determines if scanned computers must also be eye mark selected. Scan Rate (<F4>: More\Scan
Rate) sets the display interval when a computer is selected before selecting the next one.
Manual Scan
Scans through power-on computers using keyboard control. Scan Type (<F4>: More\Scan Type)
determines if scanned computers must also be eye mark selected. Press the up arrow key to select the
previous computer and the down arrow key to select the next computer. Press any other key to abort
the Manual Scan mode.
Audio Stick
An optional multimedia module can be LINKed to the back of each StarView for selecting microphone
and stereo speaker signals. There are two options for Audio Stick:On and Off. When set to On, audio
selection follows computer selection. When set to Off, audio selection stops following computer
selection. Off mode is useful if you want to listen to a particular computer's audio signal while
operating other computers. The non-volatile memory stores the Audio Stick setting.
Scan Type
Ready PC + Eye: In Scan mode, scans through only power-on and eye-marked selected computers.
Ready PC: In Scan mode, scans through all power-on computers.
Eye only: In Scan mode, scans through any Eye-selected computer regardless of power status.
The non-volatile memory stores the Scan Type setting.
Scan Rate
Sets the duration of a computer displayed in Auto Scan mode. The options are 3 seconds, 8 seconds,
15 seconds and 30 seconds. The non-volatile memory stores the Scan Rate setting.

7
Keyboard Speed
StarView offers a keyboard typematic setting that overrides the typematic settings in the BIOS and
Windows operating system. Available speed options are Low, Middle, Fast and Faster as 10, 15, 20
and 30 characters/sec respectively. The non-volatile memory stores the Keyboard Speed setting.
Hotkey Menu
When you hit the left <CTRL> key twice within two seconds, the Hotkey Menu appears displaying a
list of hot-key commands if the option is On. The Hotkey Menu can be turned Off if you prefer not to
see it when the left <CTRL> key is hit twice. The non-volatile memory stores the Hotkey Menu
setting.
CH Display
Auto Off: After you select a computer, the channel address and name of the computer will appear on
the screen for 3 seconds then disappear automatically. Always On: The channel address and name of a
selected computer and/or OSD status displayed on the screen all the time. The non-volatile memory
stores the CH Display setting.
Position
You can choose where the selected computer name and/or OSD status is displayed on your screen
during operation. The actual display position shifts due to different VGA resolution, the higher the
resolution the higher the display position. The non-volatile memory stores the Position setting.
UL as Upper Left UR as Upper Right
LL as Lower Left LR as Lower Right
MI as Middle
Country Code for Sun (CAB831HD, CAB1631HD only)
Sun keyboards of different languages have different layouts. This KVM switch can emulate a Sun
keyboard for a specific language type (or country). Select the proper country code that matches all
your Sun computers.
Function Key <F5> (CAB831HD, CAB1631HD only)
Switches the Sun mark on or off. The Sun mark indicates that the port is connected to a Sun server. First,
use the <UP> and <DOWN> arrow keys to highlight the device, then press <F5> to switch its Sun mark on
or off. When a Sun-marked port is selected, the KVM will translate the keys from a PS/2 keyboard to a Sun
keyboard. For more information see Keyboard Mapping on page 10.
ESC: To exit the OSD, press the <ESCAPE> key

8
Hot Key Commands
A hot key command is a short keyboard sequence to select a computer, activate a computer scan, etc. A
hot-key sequence starts with two Left Control keystrokes followed by one or two more keystrokes. A
built-in buzzer generates a high-pitched beep for correct hot-key sequences and a low-pitched beep for
errors or bad key combinations that will not be carried out.
The short form hot-key menu can be turned on as an OSD function (<F4>: More\Hotkey Menu) every time
the left <CTRL> key is pressed twice.
•Left Ctrl refers to the <CTRL> key located at the left side of the keyboard.
•1~8/A~H refer to the number keys 1 to 8 at the upper row of the keyboard (Do not use the keypad at
the right of the keyboard) and character keys A to H (case insensitive).
Selecting a Computer
To select a computer by hot-key command you need to know the device’s channel address, which is
determined by the StarView connection.
•For a computer connected to a Master KVM, the address is represented by the PC port number (1~8 or
A~H). For example, to access the PC plugged into port 7 of the Master KVM switch, type:
left Ctrl + left Ctrl + 7
•For a computer connected to a Slave KVM, you need to know the channel address of the Slave unit
(1~8) and then the channel address of the device (1~8 or A~H). (Please note that only Master's PC 1 to
PC 8 ports can be connected to a Slave.) For example, to access the computer plugged into port C of
the Slave KVM Switch that is plugged into Port 6 of the Master KVM, type:
left Ctrl + left Ctrl + 6 +C
Auto Scan
Auto Scan automatically scans through power-on computers at a fixed interval:
left Ctrl + left Ctrl + F1
When Auto Scan detects any keyboard or mouse activity, it suspends the scanning until activity stops; it
then resumes with the next computer in sequence. The length of the Auto Scan interval (Scan Rate) is
adjustable (see Scan Rate on the following page). To abort the Auto Scan mode, press the left Ctrl key
twice.
Note: Scan Type (See “OSD Function Keys: F4”) determines whether eye mark is necessary during Auto
Scan.
Manual Scan
Manual Scan enables you to manually switch back and forth between power-on computers:
left Ctrl + left Ctrl + F2
Press the up or down arrow to select the previous or next computer in sequence. Press any other key to
abort the Manual Scan.
Note: Scan Type (See “OSD Function Keys: F4”) determines whether eye mark is necessary during Manual
Scan.

9
Scan Rate
Scan Rate sets the duration between switching to the next computer in Auto Scan mode:
left Ctrl + left Ctrl + F3
The StarView gives off one to four beeps indicating scan interval of 3, 8, 15 and 30 seconds respectively.
Keyboard Typematic Rate
You can adjust the keyboard typematic rate (given in characters/sec). This setting over-rides the keyboard
typematic rate of your BIOS and any operating system.
left Ctrl + left Ctrl + F4
The StarView gives off 1 to 4 beeps indicating 10, 15, 20 and 30 characters/sec respectively.
Audio Stick
An optional multimedia module can be LINKed to the back of each StarView for selecting microphone and
stereo speaker signals. There are two options for Audio Stick:On and Off. When set to On, audio selection
follows computer selection. When set to Off, audio selection stops following computer selection. It is
useful if you want to listen to a particular computer's audio signal while operating other computers.
left Ctrl + left Ctrl + F5
The StarView gives off 1 or 2 beeps corresponding to On and Off respectively.
Changing Your Configuration
After the initial power up, any device (either a KVM or a PC) can be added or removed from any PC x port
on the KVM without having to power down the Master KVM Switch. Make sure that devices are turned off
before connecting them to the Master KVM switch.
Note: After changing your configuration, the OSD will automatically update to reflect the new
configuration.