Server Management Device Emulating USB for Driverless Remote Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing server management systems require custom hardware drivers and suffer from delays in user input cursor synchronization when redirecting video output from headless servers, making remote administration difficult and costly.
Innovation Solution
A management device that emulates standard communication links, such as USB, eliminating the need for custom hardware drivers and improving user input cursor speed by periodically updating the mouse cursor position through out-of-band communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If custom communication hardware is utilized by the management device, then the device can communicate with the server computer, but a hardware driver must be provided for each operating system and installed each time the management device is attached, making installation and configuration very difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The management device is designed to emulate a standard mass storage device (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or USB storage device) rather than using custom communication hardware. This allows the device to be universally recognized by operating systems through existing standard drivers, eliminating the need for custom driver installation while maintaining reliable communication capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The management device creates a virtual copy of a standard mass storage device interface. By emulating the behavior and protocol of a familiar storage device, the system leverages existing driver infrastructure to establish communication without requiring new custom drivers for each operating system.
2Ease of operation
If the management device redirects video output from the server computer to a remote computer, then remote administration is enabled, but there is a long delay before mouse cursor movement is reflected in the redirected video output, making it frustrating and confusing for users
Solution Approach 1:
The management device implements a feedback mechanism where it periodically queries the remote computer for the current mouse cursor position and uses this information to update the displayed video output. This closed-loop feedback system synchronizes the visual display with actual cursor movements, eliminating the perceptible delay that causes user frustration.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of attempting real-time continuous synchronization which would be resource-intensive, the system uses periodic polling at optimized intervals to update cursor position. This periodic action maintains adequate synchronization while balancing system resource usage, preventing the lag that occurs with less frequent updates.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus are provided for enabling communication with a computer management device. According to a method one or more vendor specific commands for communicating with a management device are defined according to a first communication standard. The one or more vendor specific commands are then transmitted to the management device over a communication link conforming to a second communication standard. A device conforming to the second communication standard may be emulated on the communication link. If vendor specific commands are received by the management device that are not intended for the emulated device, the commands may be used for communicating with the management device.