[HN Gopher] TinyPilot: Build a KVM over IP for Under $100
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TinyPilot: Build a KVM over IP for Under $100
Author : Brajeshwar
Score : 114 points
Date : 2022-05-29 14:24 UTC (8 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (tinypilotkvm.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (tinypilotkvm.com)
| MichaelBurge wrote:
| > Every few months, I'll screw something up and prevent the
| server from booting or joining the network, effectively locking
| me out of the machine. To get things running again, I have to
| disconnect everything, drag the server over to my desk, and
| juggle cables around to connect the server to the keyboard and
| monitor at my desktop.
|
| It's worth a couple hundred extra dollars to get a server
| motherboard with a management port. Just open a web browser to
| the management IP and it has a KVM.
|
| All my newer servers use server motherboards. The older ones
| before I learned, always take extra effort.
| glitchcrab wrote:
| I've just replaced the main board in my storage machine with a
| supermicro board, and although the ipmi web UI isn't great, it
| still allows me to fix issues without having to dig out the
| monitor and keyboard I used to keep around for things like
| this.
| red0point wrote:
| Are there solutions that allow you to do this for more than 1
| server?
|
| I'd like to be able to choose one of the servers in the rack to
| access and not buy & manage one of these devices for every
| server.
| dsr_ wrote:
| Yes, that's what a remote KVM switch (or, KVM-over-IP) does.
|
| Here's a vendor with a lot of options: https://www.kvm-
| switches-online.com/kvm-switch-over-ip.html
| jjeaff wrote:
| You can hook these up through a regular kvm switch that allows
| you to use a single mouse, keyboard, monitor with more than one
| system. But you should read up a little before purchasing. Only
| certain switches will work correctly to switch servers using a
| keystroke combo. I have read that some didn't seem to work with
| a virtual keyboard like this tinykvm.
| xet7 wrote:
| Open Source software KVM for Linux/Windows/Mac:
|
| https://github.com/debauchee/barrier
| pronoiac wrote:
| It looks more like vnc or Remote Desktop than, say, something
| you could use to configure bios settings or other stuff at
| boot.
| Underphil wrote:
| Yeah, this doesn't crack the same nut at all.
| latchkey wrote:
| I have two of them now. They work great. Very happy to support a
| small indie developer.
| system2 wrote:
| All good but the idrac comparison is a little faulty. I purchase
| used dell 630/730/830s often. Idrac card used is around $20-50
| max. Used servers are around $200 including idrac...
| jjeaff wrote:
| Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe those idrac cards only
| work on compatible Dell servers. So it really isn't a catch-all
| solution for most people like these ip KVM Solutions.
| [deleted]
| vardump wrote:
| I wonder if Raspberry Pi could just have been underclocked to
| reduce power consumption instead of USB power / data splitter.
| Sirened wrote:
| The original author here is using a Pi 4 which is well known
| for being pretty fast and hot. One easier way to solve the
| power usage problem would just be to not use a Pi 4. Something
| like a Zero 2W _might_ be able to pull it off since it has a
| quad core cortex A53 SoC which runs with dramatically less
| power. The Cortex A72 in the Pi 4 is great but it is a
| comparatively very large processor compared to the A53 (you
| even often see A72-A53 big-little SoC configurations for this
| reason. GPU acceleration might become necessary for high
| performance video streaming but iirc the VideoCore IV on the Pi
| is pretty okay, especially for transcoding.
| jsjohnst wrote:
| > "for under $100"
|
| Maybe back in the day when rPis weren't as hot a commodity as a
| high end video card or a latest gen gaming console. Yes, I've
| bought rPis this year for MSRP, but only if you consider the
| amount of time I spent monitoring sites like rpilocator to be
| "free".
| ajsnigrutin wrote:
| So many raspberry pi projects here today, and so little (zero, 0)
| Pis available to buy :/
| GekkePrutser wrote:
| Really? I've bought 2 pi zero 2's and one pi4 (4gb) this year.
| I did have to look around a bit but it was pretty quick. (In
| EU)
| ajsnigrutin wrote:
| https://rpilocator.com/
|
| It seems that only rpi3 a+ are available in two stores, only
| one in EU
|
| If you find me available rpi 4s in stock in EU, i'm ordering
| 5 right now :)
| geerlingguy wrote:
| They often find a few 3 B+, or a few 4 B, or a few Compute
| Modules available, but usually for < 30 minutes. Follow on
| Twitter or set up some alerts if you really need a Pi right
| now. Hopefully it lets up someday :(
| mosselman wrote:
| I just saw this post as well and I was already dreaming about all
| of the troubles this would have saved me in the past giving tech
| support to my mother who is 3000km away.
|
| She has a chromebook, which doesn't allow interaction-less remote
| control which is a huge pain. So much so that I will set her up
| with a Macbook air next time I am there.
|
| Tinypilot seems like a good solution as well. Though for a laptop
| it seems like there could be some physical troubles on her end to
| connect it, etc. Maybe usb-c might be a good alternative at some
| point of both mouse, keyboard and video could go over the same
| cable.
| jeroenhd wrote:
| One problem with such a setup might be that you'd need the
| display to be mirrored or either you or your mother might not
| see what you're doing. You can work around that by spamming
| ctrl+F4 (the screen mirror configuration switch shortcut) but
| if you need to give tech support, that may not be an option.
|
| There's also the need for the device to have decent internet.
| You can probably set it up to work quite comfortably over WiFi,
| but if the WiFi password changed somehow you'll need to mess
| with ethernet, which can be a pain for the person receiving
| support.
|
| You're probably much better off just using
| https://remotedesktop.google.com/ if you want to remote control
| the device. I don't know the exact situation of your mother, of
| course, but I imagine having her read a code off a screen will
| be much easier than having her hook up your special remote
| control device the right way.
| GekkePrutser wrote:
| I prefer pikvm instead. They support cheap HDMI to CSI boards
| that have lower latency. And they don't make you pay for some
| features like tiny pilot does. This site sounds like a hobby one
| but it's actually a commercial product.
| mtlynch wrote:
| TinyPilot founder here. TinyPilot also supports HDMI to CSI
| bridges. They're included in the pre-made TinyPilot Voyagers:
|
| https://github.com/tiny-pilot/tinypilot/wiki/HDMI-Capture-De...
| mrb wrote:
| Hey Michael, what do you think of building an HDMI-to-UVC
| device? Basically a device integrated in a cable with 2 ends:
| HDMI and USB. It would capture the video output of a
| computer, emulate a USB video class (webcam) device so the
| USB end can be plugged into another computer which would be
| able to see the video output of the other computer using any
| standard webcam software.
|
| Heck it could even be powered by the USB host. It would be an
| "active cable" that doesn't require any custom software.
| Would be super convenient to carry with a laptop for data
| center technicians.
| gyf304 wrote:
| Such a device exists and can be bought from Amazon for less
| than 20 dollars. Keyword USB HDMI Capture.
| morganw wrote:
| No mention of chroma sub-sampling for either pikvm (M-JPEG) or
| tinypilotkvm (H.264).
|
| I have an Apple Pro Display XDR and it's just not worth the
| hassle trying to use it with Linux or Windows machines. Instead,
| I plan to use an HDMI capture device to get 1080p windows on a
| Mac. OBS's
| [guide](https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/capture-card-
| document...) shows some devices that capture RGB at 1080p60 like
| the $170 AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra (GC553) and $300 Magewell
| XI100DUSB-HDMI. Uncompressed 24bpp x 1920 x 1080 x 60 is almost 3
| megabits/second, so OK for USB SS, but not great for networking
| over a distance, but my application doesn't need remote.
| frzen wrote:
| Would NDI (https://www.ndi.tv/ ) work or am I not understanding
| your requirement?
|
| It's around 200mbps for 60Hz 1080p but if you are just going
| from a local PC to a local mac it won't matter much
| joenathanone wrote:
| I have 3 PiKVMs and I love them.
|
| https://pikvm.org/
| zamadatix wrote:
| Came here to mention the pikvm. Slightly more expensive but
| much more well rounded.
| thangalin wrote:
| The IOGEAR 2-Port Cinema 4K DisplayPort KVM (GCS62DP) is about
| $200 CAD.
|
| https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01BSNSOPU
|
| Switches adequately between Linux and non-Linux operating
| systems, with both desktop environments set to 4K resolution at
| 60 Hz. Truly plug-and-play. Any $100 DIY solution will be a great
| learning experience. If you consider time as an expense, DIY
| solutions will likely cost north of $300 CAD.
| AnssiH wrote:
| AFAICS the device in your link does not support IP
| functionality at all (remote console access), which is what
| TinyPilot is for.
| amelius wrote:
| Wouldn't it be possible to keep the Pi alive by connecting to the
| 5V header pin directly (and possibly using a diode)?
| pronoiac wrote:
| Nifty! This was mentioned in the "Building a Budget Homelab NAS
| Server" article that was on the front page earlier:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31548829
|
| (I want this, now I just have to find a Raspberry Pi)
| nickjj wrote:
| If anyone is interested in how the author built it and what
| software it runs we chatted about it a while back on my podcast:
| https://runninginproduction.com/podcast/105-tinypilotkvm-let...
| DarylZero wrote:
| > The Pi 4 needs 3 Amps for stable operation, though it can run
| at lower power. A computer's USB 3.0 port provides only 0.9 Amps
| and USB 2.0 provides only 0.5 Amps [...]
|
| > To solve this problem, I worked with an engineering firm to
| create a custom circuit board that splits the Pi's USB-C port
| into two. The first port accepts USB power, so you can still
| deliver a full 3 Amps to the Pi. The second accepts USB data out,
| so the Pi can still impersonate a USB keyboard.
|
| OK, but this makes it sound like the Pi is just the wrong
| computer for the task. Surely there's some other SBC that just
| has native external power and can do USB OTG.
| resoluteteeth wrote:
| I think you can just power the pi via pins on the header unless
| this no longer works on the pi 4?
| GekkePrutser wrote:
| Yes but you still need to cut the power wires from the
| managed machine to avoid back feeding afaik.
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(page generated 2022-05-29 23:00 UTC)