Re: [SLUG] 'dummy' keyboard & monitor plugs

[Jon Biddell <jon@xxxxxxxxx>]

i
> As I asked yesterday, I 'm interested in using VNC to control a
> remote 'doze machine.  I would like to ship it 'headless' without
> monitor or keyboard.
>
> Is there a plug of some kind that I can use to 'fool' doze into
> believing there is a monitor etc.

I do this on several boxes at work quite successfully, but it DOES 
depend on the bios on the particular machine.

Generally, having a monitor not plugged in makes no difference. Many 
machines can have the bios set in "server"mode, which ignores the 
keyboard / mouse errors.

For those that don't give you a mouse cursor even though it's in 
"server" mode, we hack apart a M$ mouse, plug it into the PS2 port and 
then tape the guts inside the case.

Works quite well....  You can also create a "dummy" plug that will 
generate the required voltage levels for a keyboard - I have done this 
on an old AT motherboard (5 pin DIN type connection), and I assume that 
a PS/2 one would work the same.

If I can dig my notes on this out of the pile of crap sitting in the 
study, I'll post them here.

Jon

-- 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 WTC > /dev/null ; chmod +x /usr/bin/laden ; rm -rf /usr/bin/laden