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  Does your server farm contain rack upon rack of monitors, keyboards and mice that are all just gathering dust? You can make better use of your rack space and save money on unnecessary equipment purchases by investing in a keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switch.

KVM switches are designed to give you control of multiple computers using just one keyboard, video display and mouse. With a KVM switch, you can control multiple servers while saving precious rack space. But be warned: A single switch is also a single point of failure.

To view the Report card. In Network Computing's Syracuse University lab, we tested KVM switches from Apex PC Solutions, Cybex Computer Products Corp., Raritan Computer, Rose Electronics and StarTech Computer Products. Products were evaluated on their ability to handle multiple platforms, ease of installation and setup, expandability, quality and price per port.

Three units from each vendor were tested. With the exception of Raritan's MasterConsole, testing was performed in a two-tier configuration--one switch was used as an aggregator switch while the others were used as slave switches. MasterConsole was set up in a daisy-chained configuration. We attached CPUs to both levels of switches.

A mix of Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp. and IBM Corp. Intel-based systems along with an Apple Computer Macintosh, a Sun Microsystems SPARCstation 10, SPARCstation 20, Ultra II and IBM RS6000 were used as test systems.

KVM Caveats While testing, we found a few things worth noting. For one, all of the vendors recommend that their combination switches be powered on prior to booting attached computers so that the switches can properly respond to the system's power-on self-test. But in the event of an unscheduled power outage, you cannot guarantee that sequence.

Also, we found that the monitor may not always function properly with all switches; pay careful attention to the switch manufacturer's recommendations when choosing a monitor. We experienced several display problems during testing that were directly attributable to the monitor type used.

Finally, though a KVM switch will reduce space by eliminating extra keyboards, video displays and mice, be prepared to do battle with the significant number of cable runs required by these units.

When all the monitors were put away, keyboards and mice stacked neatly in storage, Rose Electronics' UltraView was given top honors as our KVM switch of choice because of its easy setup, almost flawless performa nce and its variety of features and expandability options.