Avocents DSR800, released last month, is a cost-effective eight-port KVM switch that turned in good performance when I used it in the lab. In fact, I found the DSR800 a worthy companion to its big brother, the DSR2161, a 16-port KVM-over-IP product that shipped last year. KVM over IP replaces the heavy, awkward cable systems with a small dongle and standard Ethernet cable. This makes the systems much easier to install and maintain.
The DSR800, which retails for $1,750, packs in all the features of the 16-port unit. This is the first time Avocent has made an eight-port unit.
The 1U (1.75-inch) DSR800 easily mounts in a standard rack and provides analog access at the wiring closet and digital IP access from the desktop, so IT operators can be almost anywhere and still get virtual server-side access to machines on the network.