[circularfoyers]

I was very excited until I saw this. I think I'd rather pay more for a device with this level of access to be running software that isn't completely unknown. I hope it's possible to have PiKVM support this at a future date.

[rcarmo]

I'd be willing to bet its just a barebones Linux image with pretty similar code.

[ffsm8]

Kinda confused here, most KVM appliances don't provide you with their firmware code either?

There are a few around, but your phrasing makes it sound as if closed source/binary isn't the default for these kinds of devices

[m463]

pikvm is open source

https://pikvm.org/

https://github.com/pikvm/pikvm

tinypilot is open source (but they kind of restrict "pro" binary availability)

https://tinypilotkvm.com/

https://github.com/tiny-pilot/tinypilot

[Brian_K_White]

Their phrasing makes it sound like they would pay more for open source.

So would I. I've used several of the standard ones for 20 years, and the closed nature universally makes it suck.

They always require some ancient java install or a license of one form or another, I have one that needs IE 6 with ActiveX! (AMI MegaRAK, standalone unit not built into a motherboard) And of course that thing only has ancient ssl and ssh and neither can be updated. Sure it's old, but there's nothing about it's job that changed or got harder requiring new hardware. I don't use it any more only because of things that are the result of it's closed nature. I actually really like the hardware. If I could replace the firmware I would still use it. Nothing about the job it does has changed, and so it doesn't matter how old the hardware is.

When I discovered PiKVM a few years ago before he was selling a product yet, I built one and it replaced a $600 Lantronix immediately.

This was a personal one not one work paid for, I already owned a spiderlinx, actually 2, one for vga & ps2, and one for dvi & usb, I already own these and I had paid the 500-600 retail for them, and a PiKVM built myself from a pi and a capture board from aliexpress and hacked into a generic aluminum box style pi case that I cut and drilled, is better. It's worth more in that it provides more functionality and flexibility.

Then I donated $500 to him, because that was still less than the cost of an equivalent, and now I get to have as many as I want for just the cost of the hardware, which I am free to scrounge up out of anything if I have to, and I'd wanted something like that for years and here it finally was. It was a real pain point for years and I was grateful and want to reward the things I want to exist.

And now that he sells a product with custom pcb, the entire kit including the pi is still about 1/2 of a spiderlinx.

You're right that it's normal that none of them disclose their firmware, or let you replace it, and it absolutely sucks all day every day every minute you have to use any of those normal ones.

For work before cloud times when we had all colo, what actually worked the best was serial consoles. You set up a little serial port server which you can ssh in to (and keep updated with current ssh) and it provides a serial connection to each machine in the rack. No java, no atvivex, no special browser, no licence manager, no software or platform requirements at all. Anything that can ssh can do a bare metal reinstall. And it works fine over a crappy cell connection.

But if you're forced to deal with a Windows box, or something else with only a screen & keyboard like a security camera console or a mac or something, or just any random non-server pc without serial console support in it's bios, if you do need a kvm, pikvm or equivalent is the only way to go.