I just added a KVM console to my server rack, and it’s easily one of the best upgrades to my homelab I’ve ever made. Gone are the days of digging an old keyboard and VGA monitor out of a forgotten box somewhere in the basement just to regain access to a machine I’ve managed to lock myself out of, or to set up new hardware or a refreshed box. Now all I have to do is go downstairs, open up the console and switch inputs to the machine I need to access. It’s an old-school concept but it really does make a difference.
I picked mine up on eBay, a Belkin 8-port (model F1DC108H), for about $80. It isn’t pretty, it’s well-used, but it works just fine and it’s already made my life easier in the few days I’ve had it running. The only complaint I have with it, is that it didn’t come with its proprietary rails, which are not easy to source as the console has been out of production for years. Apparently this is a common problem with used rack consoles, as rails for consoles are often installed on the back of the rack and tend to get left behind when a console is removed. My solution was to use a spare rack shelf I had, installed upside down to support the back half of the console. So far it works fine, but I’m keeping my eye on eBay for some rails anyway.