To auto search by typing in the Unit list:
1 Click the Servers tab.
2 Type the first few characters of a server name. The highlight will move to the first server beginning with those characters. If you pause for a second or more between letters, the function will reset itself and you can begin to type the first few characters of the next server.
Interacting With the Server Being Viewed
Once you have connected to a server, you will see the desktop window of the server on your screen. This opens in a separate window. You will see two cursors, the local cursor and the server’s cursor. You may need to align these if they do not move together or adjust the video if they seem to jump about. From this window, you will be able to access all the normal functions of this server as if you were sitting right in front of it. You may also perform Viewer-specific tasks such as sending special macro commands to the server.
Figure 3-10. Viewer Window
A Menu bar: Access many of the features in the Viewer.
B Accessed server desktop: Interact with your server through this window.
Viewer Menu bar
Figure 3-11. Viewer Menu Bar
A Thumbtack: Click to lock the menu bar in place. This prevents the menu bar from hiding once you have moved the mouse cursor away from the menu bar.
B Menu Options: The menus provides access to functions available through the Viewer.
C Toolbar Buttons: You may add up to 10 buttons to the tool bar. These buttons allow you to provide easy access to defined functions and keyboard macros. By default, the Align Local Cursor, Refresh Image, and Single Cursor Mode buttons are displayed.
D Connection Status Indicator: The connection status indicator indicates how the user is connected to the appliance for this server. For more information see Connection Sharing.
Connection Status Indicator |
Sharing Mode |
---|---|
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Exclusive Mode |
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Active Connection (normal, non-sharing, non-exclusive session) |
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Active Sharing (Primary User) |
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Active Sharing (Secondary User) |
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Passive Sharing |
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Stealth Mode |
You can adjust the Viewer settings to match your requirements. This includes adjustment of the video resolution, toolbar settings, and keyboard macro settings.
You may add up to 10 buttons to the toolbar. These buttons allow you to provide easy access to defined function and keyboard macros. By default, the Align Local Cursor, Refresh Image, and Single Cursor Mode buttons are displayed.
To add buttons to the toolbar:
1 From the Tools menu, choose Session Options. The Session Options toolbar is displayed.
2 Click the Toolbar tab.
3 Click to select the items you want to add to the Viewer toolbar.
4 Click OK to accept the changes and return to the Viewer main window.
Setting the Toolbar Hide Delay Time
Unless the Thumbtack button has been clicked, the toolbar will disappear when you remove the mouse cursor. You can change the interval between the removal of the mouse cursor and the disappearance of the toolbar by adjusting the Toolbar Hide Delay time.
To change the Toolbar Hide Delay time:
1 From the Tools menu, choose Session Options. The Session Options toolbar is displayed.
2 Click the Toolbar tab.
3 In the Toolbar Hide Delay field, type the number of seconds for which you want the toolbar to display, after the mouse cursor is removed.
- or -
Using the Up and Down button, click to increase or decrease the number of seconds for which you want the toolbar to display, after the mouse cursor is removed.
4 Click OK to accept the change you have made and return to the Viewer main window.
Expanding and Refreshing Your Viewer
By default, there are three buttons that display on the Viewer toolbar that allow you to adjust the Viewer display. The first button allows you to set the Viewer to Single Cursor Mode. This allows you to use the mouse in the Viewer as if it was the mouse on the server. When the Viewer is set to Single Cursor mode the local cursor is not displayed.
NOTE: Single Cursor mode operates on Windows platforms only.
The second button allows you to align the mouse cursors, the third allows you to refresh the video.
Figure 3-13. Viewer Toolbar
- Display Adjustment Buttons
To set the Viewer to Single Cursor mode:
In the Viewer toolbar, click the Single Cursor Mode button.
To align the mouse cursors:
Click the Align Local Cursor button on the Viewer toolbar. The local cursor will align with the cursor on the remote server.
To refresh the screen:
Click the Refresh Image button on the Viewer toolbar.
-or-
From the Viewer menu, select View - Refresh. The digitized video image will be completely regenerated.
To enter full screen mode:
Click the Maximize button in the top right-hand corner of the Viewer.
-or-
From the Viewer menu, select View - Full Screen. The desktop window will disappear and only the accessed server desktop will be visible. The screen will be resized up to a maximum of 1024x768. If the desktop has a higher resolution, then a black background will surround the full screen image. The floating toolbar will appear.
To exit full screen mode:
Press <Esc> to exit full screen mode and return to the desktop window.
You can adjust both the size and quality of the server’s Viewer. You can also expand your Viewer to fit the entire screen or refresh the view at any time.
Adjusting the Viewer Resolution
If Auto Scale is enabled, the Remote Console Switch Software automatically adjusts the display when the Viewer window size changes during a session. When you access a channel using sharing, the display is adjusted to match the input resolution selected by the primary user of that channel. This prevents the primary user's display from being affected. If the resolution changes any time during a session, the display is adjusted automatically.
When Full Scale is selected, the Viewer adjusts to the screen resolution of the server and sets the screen size accordingly, up to a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768.
To adjust the size of the Viewer window:
From the menu bar, select View - Scaling - Auto Scale to allow the server image to be scaled automatically.
or
From the menu bar, select View - Scaling - Full Scale
or
Select a screen resolution from the Scaling sub-menu.
Figure 3-14. Viewer Scaling
The Viewer offers both automatic and manual video adjustment capability. Generally, the Automatic Video Adjustment will optimize the video for the best possible view. However, you may wish to alter the video for your specific needs. Use the slider bar for large adjustments and the Plus (+) and Minus (-) buttons are designed for fine-tuning adjustments.
Adjusting Color Depth
The Color command may only be used by the primary user. The command is not available to non-primary users who are sharing the session.
NOTE:
NOTE: If Background Refresh is enabled from the Session Options dialog, the color depth will be set automatically to Best Color Available and cannot be changed.
The Color sub-menu allows you to set the color depths at which the digital image can be compressed. The 2161DS-2 and 4161DS Remote Console Switches support the Dambrackas Video Compression (DVC) algorithm, which enables the Remote Console Switch Software users to adjust the number of viewable colors in a remote session window. You may choose to display more colors for the best fidelity, or fewer colors to reduce the volume of data transferred on the network.
The Viewer window can be viewed using the Best Color Available (slower updates), Best Compression (fastest updates), a combination of Best Color and Best Compression or in Grayscale.
The color depths of individual ports and channels can be specified by selecting the View - Color command in a Remote Session window. These settings are saved individually per port and channel.
To set the color depth:
From the View menu, choose Color and select a color depth from the Color sub-menu.
To manually adjust the video quality of the Viewer window:
1 Select Tools - Manual Video Adjust. The Manual Video Adjust dialog box appears.
2 Click the icon for the feature you wish to adjust.
3 Move the slider bar or click the Minus (-) or Plus (+) buttons to adjust the parameter for each icon pressed. The adjustments will display immediately in the Viewer window.
4 When finished, click Close to exit the Manual Video Adjust dialog box.
Manual Video Adjust Dialog Box Options
Figure 3-15. Manual Video Adjust Dialog Box
A Image Capture Width
B Pixel Sampling Fine Adjust
C Image Capture Horizontal Position
D Image Capture Vertical Position
E Contrast
F Brightness
G Noise Threshold
H Priority Threshold
I Automatic Video Adjustment
J Refresh Image
K Adjustment bar
L Video Test Pattern
M Help button
N Performance Monitor
O Close box
Minimizing Remote Video Session Discoloration
When establishing remote video sessions, pixel discolorations may occur due to network conditions. This condition occurs most often with a solid color background. This condition is minimized by using a black background. If a color background is used, a small number of pixels on the screen will be discolored or white.
To minimize remote video pixel discoloration:
1 On the client system, launch the Remote Console Switch Software.
2 From the Management screen, go to Tools - Manual Video Adjust.
3 Choose contrast or brightness.
4 Incrementally, adjust the contrast and brightness until the image quality improves.
5 A noise threshold setting is also available under Tools - Manual Video Adjust for fine incremental adjustments.
NOTE: Reducing the noise threshold to zero causes constant video refresh, high network usage and a flickering video. Dell recommends that the noise threshold be set to the highest level that allows efficient system performance, while still being able to recover pixel colors over which the mouse cursor travels.
NOTE: When adjusting the noise threshold, use the slider bar for large adjustments and the Plus (+) and Minus (-) buttons at the ends of the slider bar for fine-tuning.
Improving Screen Background Color Display
You may experience inconsistent color display when viewing target servers where photographic images or color-intense gradient backgrounds have been selected. We recommend that you select a solid color display background via the operating system for optimal display quality and performance.
The Viewer allows you to select between five different mouse cursor options, set up mouse scaling and resynchronize your mouse should it no longer track properly. Dell recommends turning off the local cursor by setting the Local Cursor option to None. This will leave only one cursor on the screen, the remote cursor, and will simplify navigation.
Figure 3-16. Viewer Mouse Session Options dialog box
You can choose between three preset mouse scaling options or set your own custom scaling. The three preset settings are: Default (1:1), High (2:1) or Low (1:2). In a 1:1 scaling ratio, every mouse movement on the desktop window will send an equivalent mouse movement to the server. In a 2:1 scaling, the same mouse movement will send a 2X mouse movement. In a 1:2 scaling, the value will be 1/2X.
To set custom mouse scaling:
1 Select Tools - Session Options. The Session Options dialog box appears.
2 Click the Mouse tab.
3 Click the Custom radio button. The X and Y fields become enabled.
4 Type the mouse scaling values you wish in the X and Y fields. For every mouse input, the mouse movements are multiplied by the respective X and Y scaling factors. Valid input ranges are 0.25 to 3.00.
During a remote video session, as the mouse moves on the screen, some pixels will remain discolored. This condition is referred to as mouse trailing, and is due to varying levels of network and other noise in different environments. To minimize mouse trailing, you may need to reduce the Noise Threshold in the Manual Video Adjust dialog box.
To reduce the Noise Threshold:
1 Select Tools - Manual Video Adjust. The Manual Video Adjust dialog box appears.
2 Click the Noise Adjust Threshold icon for the feature you wish to adjust.
3 Using the mouse, move the slider bar to the center of the scale, and then down to zero.
4 Use the Plus (+) and Minus (-) buttons at the end of the slider bar to fine-adjust the noise threshold to just above zero.
NOTE: Leaving the noise threshold at zero triggers constant video refresh, resulting in high network usage and a flickering video. It is recommended that the noise threshold be set at the highest level that allows efficient system performance, while still being able to recover pixel colors that the mouse cursor travels over.
NOTE: When adjusting the noise threshold, the slider bar is used for large adjustments and the Plus (+) and Minus (-) buttons at either end of the slider bar for fine-tuning.
If you are experiencing slow mouse response during a remote video session, you may want to deactivate the mouse acceleration in the operating system of the target server.
Microsoft Windows 2000 Default Mouse Drivers:
1 Select Start - Settings - Control Panel.
2 Double-click the Mouse icon.
3 Click on the Motion tab.
4 Adjust mouse speed to the exact midpoint of the slider bar.
5 Click OK. Use the Align Local Cursor/Mouse button in the Viewer to resynchronize the mouse.
Microsoft Windows XP and Server 2003 Default Mouse Drivers:
1 Select Start - Settings - Control Panel.
2 Double-click the Mouse icon.
3 Click on the Pointer Options tab.
4 Adjust mouse speed to the exact midpoint of the slider bar.
5 In the Acceleration setting, select the Off radio button.
6 Click OK. Use the Align Local Cursor/Mouse button in the Viewer to resynchronize the mouse.
Intellipoint Drivers (Only for Windows based Operating Systems):
1 Select Start - Settings - Control Panel.
2 Double-click the Mouse icon.
3 Cycle through the tabs until the pointer speed slider is displayed.
4 Adjust the mouse speed to the exact midpoint of the slider bar.
5 Click the Advanced button.
6 Click the Acceleration check box to turn off acceleration.
7 Click OK. Use the Align Local Cursor/Mouse button in the Viewer to resynchronize the mouse.
Red Hat Linux:
1 Select the Mouse settings from the Desktop Controls.
2 Set Acceleration to 1.0.
3 Apply the changes and use the Align Local Cursor/Mouse button in the Viewer to resynchronize the mouse.
Reducing Mouse Cursor Flickering
If the video driver on the Remote Console Switch Software client machine does not support DirectDraw and the DirectDraw option in the Remote Console Switch Software has been activated, the mouse cursor will flicker on the screen. The Remote Console Switch Software factory default has DirectDraw disabled. If the video driver on the client system supports DirectDraw and the additional performance is desired, follow the instructions below to enable DirectDraw.
To enable or disable DirectDraw:
1 In the Explorer window, select Tools - Options.
2 Click to enable or disable the DirectDraw check box.
3 Click OK.
4 Restart the Remote Console Switch Software.
Viewing Multiple Servers Using the Scan Mode
The Viewer allows you to simultaneously view multiple servers through the Thumbnail Viewer of the Scan mode. This view contains a series of thumbnail frames, each containing a small, scaled, non-interactive version of a server's screen image. The server name displays below each thumbnail as well as the status indicator.
Using the Thumbnail Viewer, you can set up a scan sequence of up to 16 servers to monitor your servers. The scan mode moves from one thumbnail image to the next, logging into a server and displaying an updated server image for a user-specified length of time (View Time Per Server), before logging out of that server and moving on to the next thumbnail image. You can also specify a scan delay between thumbnails (Time Between Servers). During the delay, you will see the last thumbnail image for all servers in the scan sequence, though you won't be logged into any servers.
An indicator light at the bottom of each frame displays the status of the server. The default thumbnail size is based on the number of servers in the scan list.
Figure 3-17. Viewer - Thumbnail Viewer
Scan mode is a lower priority than an active connection. If you have an interactive session with a server, that server will be skipped in the scan sequence and the scan mode will proceed to the next server. No login error messages will appear. Once the interactive session is closed, then the thumbnail will be included in the scan sequence again. If another user has an active connection to a server, the server will be skipped and a red "X" will be displayed in the indicator light below the frame.
Figure 3-18. Viewer - Scanning Servers
1 Select the Servers, Sites or Folders tab.
2 Select two or more servers in the Unit Selector pane by pressing the <Shift> key.
-or-
Press the <Ctrl> key. The Scan Mode task button appears.
3 Click the Scan Mode task button. The Thumbnail Viewer window appears.
Thumbnail View Status Indicators
The green LED indicates that a server is currently being scanned. The red X indicates that the last scan of the server was not successful. The scan may have failed due to a credential or path failure (the server path on the Remote Console Switch was not available), or because of some other reason. When the mouse pointer is placed on the red X a tool tip appears and indicates the reason for the failure.
Setting up your Scanning Preferences
To set scan preferences:
1 From the Thumbnail Viewer, select Options - Preferences. The Preferences dialog box appears.
2 Enter the time each thumbnail will be active during the scan (10 to 60 seconds) in the View Time Per Server box.
3 Enter the length of time the scan stops between each server (5 to 60 seconds) in the Time Between Servers box.
4 Click OK.
Navigating the Thumbnail Viewer
When you highlight an individual thumbnail frame and select the Thumbnail menu, you can launch an interactive session to that server, add that server to the scan sequence or set the login credentials for that server. The Options menu allows you to access scanning preferences as well as pause the scan and set the thumbnail size for all servers.
To launch a server Video session:
1 Select a server thumbnail.
2 From the Thumbnail Viewer, select Thumbnail - [server name] - View Interactive Session.
-or-
Right-click a server thumbnail and select View Interactive Session. That server's video will be launched in an interactive Viewer window.
To enable or disable a server in the scan sequence:
1 Select a server thumbnail.
2 From the Thumbnail Viewer, select Thumbnail - [server name] - Enable.
-or-
Right-click a server thumbnail and select Enable. That server will be included/excluded in the server thumbnail scan sequence.
NOTE: The Enable menu item state can be toggled from checked (enabled) to unchecked (disabled) each time it is selected.
NOTE: If a server is being accessed by a user, the Enable menu will be disabled for that server thumbnail.
To pause or restart a scan sequence:
1 From the Thumbnail Viewer, select Options - Pause Scan. The scan sequence will pause at the current thumbnail if the Thumbnail Viewer has a scan in progress or will restart the scan if currently paused.
To change the thumbnail size:
1 From the Thumbnail Viewer, select Options - Thumbnail Size.
2 Select the desired thumbnail size from the menu.
Using Macros to Send Keystrokes to the Server
The Macros menu in the Viewer allows you an easy way to send multiple keystrokes to the server. The Viewer provides a list of default keystroke selections. However, you may set up your own macros by using the Configure option at the bottom of the Macros drop-down list as well as change the set that displays by default.
To send keystrokes to the server:
Click the Macro menu in the Viewer and choose the name of the macro containing the keystrokes you wish to send to the server. Viewer Macro Menu Expanded shows the default macros that ship with the Remote Console Switch Software. If you do not see the name of the macro you wish, select Configure > Macros to access the Macros dialog box. Here you can create, modify, delete and copy macros.
Figure 3-19. Viewer Macro Menu Expanded
To change the default Macro group:
1 Select Macros - Configure - Macro Groups in the Viewer. The Macro Groups dialog box appears.
2 Select Windows or Sun from the Defined Groups list.
3 Click to select the Display on Menu check box.
4 Click Close.
You can create custom macro keystrokes as well as modify and delete existing macros through the Macros dialog box.
To create a new macro:
1 Select Macros - Configure - Create from the Viewer. The Macro dialog box appears.
Figure 3-20. Viewer Macros dialog box
2 Click Create. The Create Macro dialog box appears.
Figure 3-21. Create Macro dialog box
3 Type the name of the macro in the Macro Name field.
4 Select the keyboard layout from the Keyboard Type list.
5 Select the icon that will appear to denote the macro from the Macro Icon list.
6 Using the on-screen keyboard, type the keystrokes you wish to send in the Keystrokes field.
7 Click OK to accept the macro and return to the Macros dialog box.
-or-
Click Reset to erase all the keystrokes entered in the Keystrokes box.
The Macro Groups dialog box allows you to arrange macros into logical groups. Macro groups for Windows and Sun are already predefined. However, you can alter these groups or create an entirely new group. You can also rename and delete groups that have been previously created.
To create a macro group:
1 Select Macros - Configure - Macro Groups from the Viewer. The Macro Groups dialog box appears.
2 Click Create. The Create Macro Group dialog box is displayed.
Figure 3-22. Viewer Create Macro Group Dialog Box
3 Type a name. Click OK to save the name and return to the Macro Groups dialog box. A tab with the new name appears.
To add macros to an existing group:
1 Select Macros - Configure - Macro Groups. The Macro Groups dialog box is displayed.
2 Click to select a pre-defined macro group and click Edit. The Edit Macro Group dialog box is displayed.
3 Click on the macro you wish to add from the Macros Available pane on the left side of the dialog box. Click the Add button. The macro appears in the Macros in Group box. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to move the macro up or down.
4 Repeat step 3 until all the macros you grouped appear in the Macros In Group box.
5 Click OK to accept the macro group and return to the Macros dialog box.
-or-
Click Cancel to leave this dialog box without saving changes.
The General tab in the Session Options dialog box allows you to control the Keyboard Passthrough option in non-full screen mode, the Menu Activation Keystroke and the Background Refresh selection.
The Keyboard Pass-through check box allows you to specify whether Keyboard Pass-through mode is enabled, or not. The Keyboard Pass-through option is not selected by default.
Figure 3-23. Session Options - General Tab
The Menu Activation Keystroke list allows you to select a keystroke that activates the toolbar.
The Background Refresh check box allows you to specify whether background refreshing occurs. When this option is selected the Viewer is sent a constant stream of data from the device whether or not a change has occurred on the device.
The Viewer allows you to capture the contents of the screen and to save it to a file or to copy it to the clipboard.
To capture a screen as a file:
1 In the Viewer, choose File - Capture to File. The Save dialog is displayed.
2 Browse to the location where you want to save the file.
3 In the File Name field, type a file name and click Save.
To copy a screen to the clipboard:
In the Viewer, choose File - Capture to Clipboard. The image is saved to the clipboard and can be pasted into a document or image editing application.
NOTE: The Capture to Clipboard function is not available in Linux.
Preemption provides a means for users with sufficient privilege to take control of a server from another user with lesser or equal privilege.
NOTE: No time period will be displayed in cases where the server being viewed is attached to an Avocent A1000R or Avocent A2000R.
NOTE: All users sharing the connection that is being preempted will be warned, but only the primary user will be able to reject the preemption (if allowed).
Table 3-1 outlines the preemption scenarios and detailed scenarios in which preemption requests can be rejected.3-1 outlines the preemption scenarios and detailed scenarios in which preemption requests can be rejected.
Current User |
Preempted by |
Preemption can be rejected |
---|---|---|
Remote User |
Local User |
No |
Remote User |
Remote Administrator |
No |
Remote User |
Remote Console Switch Administrator |
No |
Remote Console Switch Administrator |
Local User |
Yes |
Remote Console Switch Administrator |
Remote Console Switch Administrator |
Yes |
Remote Administrator |
Local User |
No |
Remote Administrator |
Remote Administrator |
Yes |
Remote Administrator |
Remote Console Switch Administrator |
No |
Local User |
Remote Administrator |
Yes |
Local User |
Remote Console Switch Administrator |
Yes |
Preemption of Remote User by a Remote Administrator
If a remote administrator attempts to access a server that is being accessed by a remote user, a message appears asking that the administrator waits while the user is informed that they will be preempted. The remote user cannot reject the preemption request and will be disconnected. The time period given before disconnection is defined by the Video session preemption timeout setting in the Session dialog box. For information, see Changing Global Network and Session Parameters.
NOTE: No time period will be displayed in cases where the server being viewed is attached to an Avocent A1000R or Avocent A2000R.
Preemption of a Local User/Remote Administrator by a Remote Administrator
If an administrator attempts to access a server that is being accessed by the local user or by another remote administrator with equal privileges, the currently connected user can accept or reject the preemption request. A message appears asking the connected local user or remote administrator whether they want to accept the preemption request. If the preemption request is rejected a message appears informing the remote administrator that their request has been rejected and that they cannot access the server.
NOTE: If the server being viewed is attached to an Avocent A1000R or A2000R the user is not given the option to accept or reject preemption.
NOTE: In scenarios where a preemption request can be rejected, the Session Preemption Request dialog box will appear. This dialog allows you to accept the preemption request by clicking the Accept button or to reject the preemption request by clicking the Reject button or by closing the dialog box.
Connection sharing allows multiple users to interact with a target device at the same time. When you are a primary user, you may be notified by a dialog box that another user would like to share your connection. You may select Yes to accept sharing, No to reject sharing, or click the Passive Share box to allow the new user to share without having any control over the connection.
When you attempt to open a video session with a device that is already being viewed by another user, you are notified that the device is already being viewed. Depending on the configuration of sharing settings, you may be offered the option to share or preempt the video session. You may also be offered the option to open a stealth video session.
NOTE: Stealth video sessions are passive Video sessions, where the primary user is not aware of the presence of the secondary user. The ability to open a stealth video session is governed by the privilege of the user. If a user can preempt another user, they can also open a Stealth video session.
Access to the device is governed by the nature of the current user’s connection to the device. There are two types of Video Session users: a Primary user and up to 11 simultaneous Secondary users (a single 2161DS-2 or 4161DS appliance supports up to 12 simultaneous sessions across all attached servers). Only the Primary user can accept or reject preemption requests for all users sharing a connection. The Primary user also maintains control of video parameters and the display resolution of the Video session.
Secondary users may be either Active users who have the ability to input mouse and keyboard data, or Passive users who may not input mouse and keyboard data.
If Automatic Sharing is enabled on the Remote Console Switch, Secondary Users do not need the permission of the Primary User to join the session.
If a Primary user leaves the session then the oldest Secondary user with Active user privileges will become the Primary user. If there are no Secondary users with Active user privileges sharing the session when the Primary user leaves the session, then the session will be closed.
For more information about configuring connection sharing, see Changing Global Network and Session Parameters.
Exclusive Mode
Exclusive Mode allows you to have exclusive control of a Video session. When in Exclusive Mode, no other user can share the session (except in Stealth mode). If other users are sharing the session when you select Exclusive Mode, you are warned that selecting Exclusive Mode will cause the other users to become disconnected from the session.
NOTE: Only the Primary user can request an Exclusive session. If other users are sharing at the time Exclusive Mode is requested, they are disconnected, regardless of the Primary users access level.
To open a Video session in Exclusive mode:
In the Viewer, choose Tools - Exclusive Mode.
You can alter individual server properties from the Properties dialog box including General, Network, Information, and Connections. The General tab allows you to change the server name, server type and the icon that will be used to display the server in the Remote Console Switch Software. You may also assign the server to a site, location or folder. The Network tab lets you set a browser URL for that server if you want to launch a browser to the server’s web server instead of launching a Viewer session. The Information tab allows you to enter information about the server including a server description, contact information and any comments you might wish to add. Lastly, the Connections tab displays the physical connection path that is used to access this server and the connection type, such as video.
NOTE: You can also change the properties of your Remote Console Switch. For more information, see Changing Remote Console Switch Properties.
To change server properties:
1 Click the Server tab and then select an individual server in the Unit Selector list.
2 Select View - Properties from the Explorer menu.
-or-
Click the Properties task button.
-or-
Right-click the server and select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
Figure 3-24. Server General Properties tab
3 Type the name of the server. Duplicate names are not allowed.
4 (Optional) Select the server type. If the selection is not in the drop-down list, type the name of the new server type in the text field. Once entered, the option becomes available in the drop-down list for future assignment.
5 Select the icon to display for the unit.
6 (Optional) Assign a server to a site, department or location. If an option is not in the drop-down list, type the name of the new assignment in the text field. Once entered, the option becomes available in the drop-down list for a future assignment.
7 (Optional) Click the Network tab and type the URL you want to use when establishing a browser connection to the server. If the field contains a value, then the Browser button appears in the task bar allowing you to launch the browser to that specified URL.
Figure 3-25. Server Network Properties Tab
8 (Optional) Click the Information tab and type a description of the unit. You can enter any information in the following fields.
a In the Description field, enter 0 to 128 characters.
b In the Contact field, enter 0 to 128 characters.
c In the Contact Phone Number field, enter 0 to 64 characters.
d In the Comments field, enter 0 to 256 characters.
e Server Information Properties Tab.
9 Click on the Connections tab to view the connections of the server. Connections properties are available only for servers and are read-only. The display indicates the physical connection path that is used to access this device and the connection type, such as video.
10 When finished, click OK to save the new settings.
-or-
Click Cancel to exit without saving the new settings.
Accessing a Server via a Browser Window
You can configure your system to open a server connection in a browser window. You must first select a server and define a URL in the Properties dialog box. Then, when you select the server, the Browse task button appears. You can select the browser to use in the Explorer’s Options dialog box.
To launch the server URL in a browser window:
1 Select a server in the Unit Selector pane.
2 If you have defined a URL for this server in the Properties dialog box, the Browse task button appears. Click the Browse task button. The URL you identified will launch in a browser window.
The Sites and Folders view tabs allow you to organize and manage your Remote Console Switches and servers by custom groups. Site organization is based on where your servers are located and refers to the column headings Site and Department, which can be customized to suit your needs. See Modifying Custom Field Names. Folders are a way to create a customized organizational system for individual servers. For example, you might want to create a folder for critical servers or for remote servers.
You may change the order and sorting of the Unit Selector list by clicking in the column header. An upward-pointing arrow in a column header indicates that the list is sorted by that field name in ascending order. A downward-pointing arrow indicates the list is sorted by that field name in descending order.
You can customize the column headings. Sites View Tab Selected and Folders View Tab Selected show examples of how you might use the default field name values. You may change them to fit your own organization. Example of Modified Custom Fields shows an example of customized field names.
Figure 3-26. Sites View Tab Selected
Figure 3-27. Folders View Tab Selected
Custom field names allow you to change the Site, Department, and Location column heading names that appear in the Group and Unit Selector panes. This allows you to group Remote Console Switches and servers in ways that are meaningful to you. The Department field is a subset of Site. If you customize these field names, you should keep this hierarchy in mind.
Figure 3-28. Example of Modified Custom Fields
To modify a custom field label:
1 Select Tools - Options from the Explorer menu. The Options dialog box appears.
Figure 3-29. Options Dialog Box - Custom Field Labels
2 Select the field label you wish to modify and click the Modify button. The Modify Custom Field Label dialog box appears.
3 Type the singular and plural versions of the field label. The length can be from 1 to 32 characters. A blank value is not allowed. Spaces are permitted in the middle but leading and trailing spaces are not allowed.
4 Click OK to save the new field label.
-or-
Click Cancel to exit without saving changes.
To create a new site, department or location:
1 Select View - Properties from the Explorer menu.
-or-
Click the Properties task button. The Properties dialog box appears.
2 Click the General tab and select the drop-down list for Site, Department or Location. If a name is not in the drop-down list, type the name you want in the text field. The name can be from 1 to 32 characters long. Names are not case sensitive and can consist of any combination of characters entered from the keyboard. Spaces are permitted in the middle but leading and trailing spaces are not allowed. Duplicate names are not allowed.
3 Click OK. The new site, department or location appears in the Group Selector pane.
To create a new folder:
1 Select the Folders View Selector tab.
2 Click the Folders node and select File - New - Folder.
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Right-click the Folders node and select New Folder. The New Folder dialog box appears.
3 Type a name for the folder from 1 to 32 characters long. Folder names are not case sensitive and can consist of any combination of characters entered from the keyboard. Spaces are permitted in the middle but leading and trailing spaces are not allowed. Duplicate folder names are not allowed at the same level but are allowed across different levels.
4 Click OK. The new folder appears in the Group Selector pane.
Assigning a Unit to a Site, Location, or Folder
You can assign a Remote Console Switch or server to a Site, Department, Location or Folder. This menu item is only enabled when a single Remote Console Switch or server is selected in the Unit Selector pane. These custom targets are defined in the General Properties dialog box.
To assign a unit to a site, location or folder:
1 Select a unit in the Unit Selector pane.
2 Select Edit - Assign from the Explorer menu.
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Click the Assign To task button.
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Right-click a unit and select Assign To. The Assign To dialog box appears.
Figure 3-30. Assign To Dialog Box
3 Select the site, location, or folder category from the drop-down list.
4 Select the target from the list of available targets to which the unit can be assigned within the chosen category. This could be empty if no site, location or folder has been defined in the local database.
5 Click OK to save the assignment.
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Click Cancel to exit without saving changes.
To drag and drop a unit into a site, department, location or folder:
1 Click and hold on a unit in the Unit list. Drag the item to the node in the tree view of the Group Selector pane. Release the mouse button. The item now appears in the Unit list when you click that node.
NOTE: A unit cannot be moved to All Departments, All Units or the root Sites node. Units can only be moved one at a time.
The delete function is context-sensitive based on what is currently selected in the Group and Unit Selector panes. When you select and delete a unit in the Unit list, the unit is removed from the local database. When you select and delete an item in the tree view of the Group Selector pane, you will delete Server Types, Sites, Departments, and Folders. However, none of the actions result in units being deleted from the local database.
The rename function is also context-sensitive. You can select and rename a Remote Console Switch or a server from the Unit list. You can select and rename server types, sites, departments, and folder names in the tree view of the Group Selector pane.
NOTE: If you delete or rename a server through the Remote Console Switch Software, the OSCAR® server list at the Console Switch becomes out of date. Re-synchronizing will not work in this instance. Servers should be deleted or renamed from OSCAR® and then re-synchronized in the Remote Console Switch Software.