Ok so has anyone had experience with imaging a bunch of machines either for their own personal use or in my case for a buisness. Now while imaging multiple machines it dawned on you that a KVM switch would be faster. Now we thought this way and we wanted a USB KVM switch (Iogear GCS1758) Now this KVM has a technology called ddc2b which is something for display. However when we are imaging multiple machines and something changes in the video with that machine and you dont have it set to that computers port on the KVM the monitor and the computers video card lose the ddc2b information needed to display on the screen. Anyone dealt with this problem? Again we are trying to implement USB also not PS/2 although PS/2 works but Learning in progress..........

mmm - I'd not heard of this standard before... But a trawl out there does bring up a range of hits about it... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Displa... is just one; and towards then of the info there is a reference to XP and its issues re' resolution switching etc... Perhaps the clue is in there? I wouldn't have considered using a kvm switch to image several PCs; rather I'd have "served" sed image out to "clients" (as in a network); or simply used a cd/dvd to same end? Using a cd/dvd would mean one has to attend each PC in turn to start it all; but then one can leave it to run/complet unattended?

Well in response to that we do use individual CD's for each computer. This CD has the basic image on it and all traffic going accross the network is basic LDAP information, autehntication, E.T.C., We dont not want to do XPE boot to a network server and pull images .. my guess would be the company is large and that would be a lot of traffic going accross. We do hook up each computer with CD's but we still have to have some interaction to get the boot process started and then after the image is brought down we need to secure each individual computer, and checks its integrity, and put our software delivery software on it so it can bring the domain security policies and default software. All Im saying is that about 4 or 5 times the computers will make some change that edits the ddc information getting passed to the KVM and if that computer is not the active port on the KVM at that time then when you go back to that port it displays information not available on screen. Its an 8 port so saying one is active at all times 7 ports and 4 or 5 times means you need to switch the computer having problems to that active port, then hard shut down the pc and allow a full boot up so say you could have to do this 49 times in one image process :( Learning in progress..........

mmm... understood... My experience with kvm systems is primarily to use them to access/control remote systems etc. in a broadcast environment. All PCs (office or studio, tech facs etc. use) are imaged individually (I think..) by our IT hardware pholks (possibly a locally applied CD etc., or a network pull-down occasionally). After-which they're brought on-site to where-ever and then customised as needs-be. Can understand heavy network traffic would be an issue if you went the network pull- down... Incidentally years ago the BBC did actually roll out '95 via a network pull down; teams wandered hither and yonder with network book bootdisks to start it all on "each " PC... Will watch this post for further more experienced input (which one hopes will materialise shortly?); as it may be useful "stuff" to have and know about anon...

Does anyone know about DDC information that gets passed between the video card and monitor? I guess we could start there Learning in progress..........

Does anyone know about DDC information that gets passed between the video card and monitor? I guess we could start there Learning in progress..........