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My Company is looking for a new KVM solution in our datacenter (about 40 physical servers).
We already own a lot of CIMs (RJ45-to-PS/2) from Black Box to connect the CAT cable to the servers VGA/keyboard/mouse ports. Does anyone know if these CIMs are compatible with other systems or is this a proprietary product?
I can't really imagine how this could be a proprietary product or protocol but i want to be sure before buying a new KVM system.

Information about CIMs

Manufacturer: Black Box
Product Name: Summit Direct Connect PS/2 Computer Interface Module
Part Number: KV1515A

They seem to be very old, the only official website i found some information about it is Black Box Malaysia.

Thank you for your help.

jam
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    Instead of replacing your existing KVM system, would it be an option to just buy any new and replacement servers with an integrated IP out-of-band management solution like HP's iLO, Dell's Drac and simply let your KVM die out with the exising hardware? – HBruijn Sep 03 '14 at 12:30
  • Thank you for the hint. Didn't even consider this. Might be an interesting option. – jam Sep 03 '14 at 15:06
  • @jam: IMO, that's the only sensible approach in 2014. You should want remote management capabilities anyway, and builtin KVM is a real valuable addition. – Sven Sep 03 '14 at 15:10

1 Answers1

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It most likely is a proprietary product, unfortunately. Read http://everythingsysadmin.com/2014/05/id-like-to-buy-an-ip-kvm-switc.html for more information :)

Sven
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  • Thank you for your answer. You might be right. A Black Box techie told me that our old CIMs aren't even compatible with the newer Black Box systems :( Sad but true... – jam Sep 03 '14 at 15:04
  • Yeah, Tom got that right: `Heck, some of them don't even work with our own products!` :( – Sven Sep 03 '14 at 15:06