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How does PiKVM work? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

4 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hi, I was wondering about the software utilised in DIY KVM products like PiKVM and BliKVM.

If I understand correctly, to be able to interface with a computer like with a KVM, you would have to:

Have an HDMI capture card capture the feed from the server.
Feed it into the main computer.
Have both a VNC server and VNC client running on the main computer.
Feed the HDMI capture to the VNC server.

If this is indeed the flow, then why do people use PiKVM? Or if I'm missing a step/am wrong in these steps, please let me know.

Thanks!

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hi, thanks for your comment. I do realise that a KVM is a physical connection to the computer. I might not have worded it properly in my post, I'll edit that.

I was trying to ask about what exactly does the software stack in PiKVM do: and I think the selling point is likely the part of the software used to interact with the HDMI stream coming from the server. Am I correct in thinking that if I were to run the PiKVM software on my computer, get the HDMI capture from my server into my computer, and run a VNC client to access the PiKVM server which is being fed the capture stream, I will have, in essence, created a "DIY PiKVM"?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

PiKVM is a collection of tools rolled into a distro to make keyboard/mouse input and attaching an emulated install media (virtual USB disk using ISO files) easily possible through a VNC-based web application. The idea is you can just build your own using the same software on different hardware, but it's aimed at using a raspberry pi for low power consumption, portability, and it has specific hardware compatibility with a HAT/addon board. The software can also make "reverse connections" through a remote NAT for support purposes, and you'd just port forward on your end. There are a lot of well thought out features in PiKVM (hardware) that make it much more convenient than building your own solution. You could install PiKVM on a different system than a Pi and try to make it work with your configuration.. You'd probably lose things like simulated power button press and virtual USB storage support. You might consider alternatives like PXE/netboot and wake-on-lan for those, but that might not always work for you.

(YMMV, I have not tried running PiKVM on an x86 cpu)