ADDER AVS-2214 Secure KVM Switch API

Product Information

• Product Name: Secure KVM Switch API
• Manufacturer: Adder Technology Limited
• Model Numbers: AVS-2114, AVS-2214, AVS-4114, AVS-4214 (KVM Switches), AVS-4128 (Flexi-Switch), AVS-1124 (Multi-Viewer)
• Description: The Secure KVM Switch API is a remote control system that allows users to control Adder Secure KVM switches, flexi-switches, and multi-viewers using RS-232 connection. It provides the ability to perform actions on the switch remotely that would typically require manual operation from the front panel.

Product Usage Instructions

Installation

1. Connect a suitable RS232 cable with an RJ12 connector to the RCU port of the switch.
2. If your controlling device (PC or custom device) does not have an RS232 port, use a USB or Ethernet adapter.

Operation

Configuring Example Using PuTTY
This example demonstrates how to switch channels via RS-232 using a Windows PC as the remote control device.

1. Install PuTTY on the remote computer.
2. Connect a serial cable from the PC’s USB port to the switch’s RCU port.
3. Run the PuTTY utility.
4. Configure the Serial, Terminal, and Session settings as shown in the figures below:

PuTTY Serial Settings

PuTTY Terminal Settings

PuTTY Session Settings

Note:
After configuration, the device will start sending Keep-Alive events every five seconds to communicate the current configuration.

Switching Channels

KVM Switches
To switch channels on KVM switches, enter the command #AFP_ALIVE followed by the channel number operand:

Flexi-Switch
To switch channels on a flexi-switch, enter the command #AFP_ALIVE followed by the left/right side and channel number operand:

Multi-Viewer
To control the multi-viewer, use the command structure comprised of 4 fields. The specific command structure and operands may vary based on the multi-viewer model. Refer to the product manual for detailed instructions.

Introduction

• This guide explains how to use RS-232 to remotely control an Adder Secure KVM switch (AVS-2114, AVS-2214, AVS-4114, AVS-4214), flexi-switch (AVS-4128) and multi-viewer (AVS-1124).
• To control a switch using RS232, the user needs to connect a controlling device to the switch’s RCU port. The controlling device can be a PC or any custom device with RS-232 capability.

Remote controlling means performing actions that users could otherwise do only using the front panel, including:

• Switching channels
• Audio hold
• Selecting channels to display on left and right monitors (AVS-4128 only)
• Switching KM control between left and right channels (AVS-4128 only)
• Selecting preset layouts and updating window parameters (AVS-1124 only)

Installation

This procedure shows how to connect a switch to a remote-control device. A suitable RS232 cable will be required with an RJ12 connector to plug into the RCU port with the pinout shown below:

Pinout for the RDU port:

• Pin 1: 5V
• Pin 2: Not connected
• Pin 3: Not Connected
• Pin 4: GND
• Pin 5: RX
• Pin 6: TX

Few modern PCs have an RS232 port, so it may be necessary to use a USB or Ethernet adapter.

Operation

Configuring Example Using the PuTTY open-source serial console utility. This procedure demonstrates how to switch channels via RS-232 using a remote control Windows PC.

Pre-configuration

1. Install PuTTY on the remote computer.
2. Connect a serial cable from the PC’s USB port to the switch’s RCU port.
3. Run the PuTTY utility.
4. Configure the Serial, Terminal and Session settings, as per figures 1 to 3

Figure 1: PuTTY Serial Settings

Figure 2: PuTTY Terminal Settings

Figure 3: PuTTY Session Settings

Note:

• At this point, the device starts sending Keep-Alive events, every five seconds.
• Keep-Alive events are transmitted by the switch periodically to communicate the current configuration. For example, to switch a KVM to Channel 4, the user types: #AFP_ALIVE F7
• Then, every five seconds, the device sends the following keep-alive event: 00@alive fffffff7 as shown in Figure 4.

The interval time of keep-alive events can be changed, using the #ANATA command followed by a time period operand in units of 0.1 second. Thus:

• ANATA 1 gives an interval of 0.1 seconds

• ANATA 30 gives an interval of 3 seconds

KVM Switches
To switch channels, enter the #AFP-ALIVE command followed by a channel number operand. For example, to switch to channel 3, enter:

#AFP_ALIVE FB

Figure 5: KVM Switch Channel Operands

To toggle the audio hold button, enter the command #AUDFREEZE 1

Flexi-Switch
To switch channels, enter the #AFP-ALIVE command followed by a left/right side and channel number operand. For example, to switch to channel 3 on the left monitor, enter:

#AFP_ALIVE FFFB

Figure 6: Flexi-switch Channel Operands

Other commands:

• Toggle the audio hold button: #AUDFREEZE 1
• Toggle KM focus between left and right sides
  • Left: #AFP_ALIVE FEFFFF
  • Right: #AFP_ALIVE FDFFFF

Multi-Viewer

Command Structure
The command structure is comprised of the following 4 fields: