I’m a IT sysadmin. Our company has a bunch of locations with one or two servers at each location, and we usually manage them remotely, so it doesn’t really make sense to have a Keyboard/Mouse/Video unit at each branch. However, sometimes I have to go on site and do things like update the BIOS, which means I need to be connected for real. So I have to bring out a monitor, find a flat surface, plug it in, attach a keyboard and mouse, balance them somwhere, etc. Super awkward, as a lot of the time this is a 4X4 closet with the rack mounted over my head.
So here’s what I want. A clamshell device that looks like a miniature laptop, maybe 6" X 9" or so, with a small keyboard, trackpad, and monitor. Ideally it’s entirely wireless, with a usb dongle that plugs into the server and talks to the device. But if it instead has a VGA cable and a USB cable, that works too.
Does such a thing exist? I can’t find one, but maybe I’m using the wrong search terms.
You can certainly get small combination keyboard/touchpads, often with wireless, such as this one.
You can also get small LCD screens with VGA input, like this one. It even has a little tilt stand.
If you had to, I’m sure you could cobble the two things together with some brackets from the hardware store, or even 3D print a mounting of some kind. The screen isn’t battery powered, but if you needed that you could find a 12 volt pack with the right connector.
A bit janky but easier than hauling around full-size stuff.
About 18 years ago, when I was a sysadmin for a local company, a vendor approached me with an PCI expansion card that would let you remote control a computer over a LAN or the Internet. He said it was “like PCAnywhere” (or Windows Remote Desktop or VNC and the like, nowadays) but would let you remotely turn the computer on and off, update the BIOS, etc. The company declined to spend the $1500 for the card, but it would have made it a lot easier for me to remotely administrate the server.
If that kind of thing still exists, perhaps it would be useful for what you are doing. But I would also be interested to hear if the kind of thing you were describing exists…
These come built in to most servers now, or at least as an option. I run Dell boxes and always get the iDRAC cards. I can even mount a disc image remotely, power down a hung server, or reinstall an OS from scratch without having to drive to the office as long as I have IP conectivity.
plugs into the KVM of the monitor, then access it remotely to get the same experience as if you were right there.
However, I agree, make a point of buying HP (ILO port) or IBM/Lenovo (IMM port) servers. Those ports allow you the same access as the local keyboard and monitor… (IIRC there is an additional license needed for full access beyond just reboot, however)
PC Weasel. Lost favor due to the price, the delay in releasing anything other than an ISA version, and server manufacturers offering a similar or better option on the motherboard. It was also intended to connect to a RS-232 terminal server, not directly to an Ethernet.
There are various external dongles that convert KVM to Ethernet, like the Lantronix Spider. Since the tech will likely have a notebook anyway, they don’t need to cart around an additional monitor / keyboard / etc. This would also allow remote management, so it might not be necessary to go to the site at all.
I’d still prefer a decent built-in remote management solution (recent generations of Dell DRAC have been fine, but my experience with HP iLO/iLO2 was abysmal).
This is probably even better than what I was describing, since I always have a notebook with me anyway. Thanks! Ordered one from CDW. (And thanks to everyone else for suggestions!)
I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner: Motorola Atrix Lapdock
The idea behind this device was simple: turn your smartphone into a little laptop. You plug the phone into a cradle in the back and the device powers the phone and gives you an LCD screen, keyboard, and one of those little touchpads that works as a mouse (like you find on laptops).
They turned out to not be super popular. (Reportedly they were going for $400, which probably didn’t help.) And if you got a new phone (or didn’t have the exact Motorola phone it was designed for), the jacks wouldn’t line up with the plugs correctly.
But what it is is simply a keyboard and mouse designed to connect over a single USB connector (that supplies power, which might be an issue) and a monitor with an HDMI connector. Okay, a weird male mini HDMI connector.
They go for about $80 on Amazon. Cables and adapters seem to run between $10 and $25.
Lots of folks buy them to turn a Raspberry Pi into a laptop.
Now, it isn’t wireless. You’d either need the servers to have an HDMI output or buy (or build) an HDMI to VGA connector. And a USB port.
But it does run off an internal battery.
And it is pretty much exactly what you described: “A clamshell device that looks like a miniature laptop, maybe 6” X 9" or so, with a small keyboard, trackpad, and monitor". (it will probably be more like 8 inches by 11 inches, guessing from the 11.5 inch screen size.) Just not wireless.
Well, for multiple purposes. I have it as a secondary display (and keyboard/touchpad) for my gaming computer, running Win 7, but if I need to put a display and keyboard/mouse on my headless NAS device I can unplug it from the PC and carry it, with its attendant cabling (but not power brick – since it has internal rechargable batteries) to plug into the USB and HDMI ports of the NAS.
Pretty nice for an eBay refugee (not to mention a refugee in Motorola’s failed mobile device strategy).
That said, JSexton’s chosen solution is probably better, if he’s going to have the laptop with him anyway.