The first public release of the Pi-KVM project has taken place: a set of software and instructions that allows you to turn a Raspberry Pi into a fully functional IP-KVM. This device connects to the HDMI/VGA and USB port of the server, enabling remote management regardless of the operating system. You can power on, power off, or reboot the server, configure the BIOS, and even completely reinstall the OS from a boot image: Pi-KVM can emulate a virtual CD-ROM and flash drive.
The number of necessary components, apart from the Raspberry Pi itself, is minimal, allowing you to assemble it in just half an hour, with the total cost around $100 even in the most expensive configuration (while many proprietary IP-KVMs with less functionality cost $500 and above).
Main Features:
- Access to the server via a web interface using a regular browser or VNC client (no Java applets or Flash plugins);
- Low video latency (around 100 milliseconds) and high FPS;
- Full emulation of keyboard and mouse (including LEDs and scrolling with the wheel/touchpad);
- Emulation of CD-ROM and USB flash drive (you can load multiple images and connect them as needed);
- Power management of the server via ATX pins on the motherboard or through Wake-on-LAN; IPMI BMC is supported for integration into existing network infrastructure;
- Extensible authorization mechanisms: ranging from standard password protection to the possibility of using a single authorization server and PAM.
- Wide hardware support: Raspberry Pi 2, 3, 4, or ZeroW; various video capture devices;
- A simple and friendly toolchain that allows you to build and install the OS on the Raspberry Pi memory card with just a couple of commands.
- … And much more.
A special expansion board for Raspberry Pi 4 is also being prepared for release, which implements all the described functions, plus many other capabilities (details on GitHub). Pre-orders are expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2020. The price is anticipated to be around $100 or less. You can subscribe to news about the pre-order here.
Source: linux.org.ru
