On the release of the ESP-KVM project, which develops open firmware that transforms a debug board based on the ESP32-P4 microcontroller into a fully functional IP-KVM device, providing access to the screen, keyboard, and mouse of a remote computer through a browser. Unlike remote desktop solutions, nothing is installed on the managed machine and nothing is required from its operating system: the device connects to the video output and USB port and operates when the computer displays the BIOS interface, boots up, stands with an empty disk, or is turned off. The code is written in C and distributed under the Apache 2.0 license.
The device is assembled from two small boards: the ESP32-P4 board and a capture board based on the TC358743 chip, which converts HDMI targets to MIPI-CSI. The image is then encoded by the hardware encoders of the microcontroller itself â H.264 or MJPEG â and sent to the browser. The keyboard and mouse are supplied through USB OTG to the target machine, meaning it sees standard input devices and no drivers are needed. On the reference board, about 20-24 frames per second were achieved at 1920Ă1080 and up to 45 at 1280Ă720.
Capabilities include:
- Reading text screens as text, not images: the content of the BIOS console, bootloader, or Linux console is recognized by a character generator and transmitted as characters â the screen occupies a couple of kilobytes instead of megabytes, and the serial number or error code can be highlighted with the mouse and copied.
- Monitoring the screen based on specified phrases with alerts when no one is watching the device.
- Power management for the target via optocouplers (power and reset buttons, reading indicators), Wake-on-LAN, and waking up the sleeping machine via USB.
- Built-in WireGuard and Tailscale, including working with its own management serverilt Headscale.
- Integration with Home Assistant via MQTT: sensors, buttons, firmware update entity, and a camera with a screenshot of the target.
- HTTPS with a certificate that the device generates itself, password access and a physical password reset button on the board; it's possible to upload your own certificate.
- Firmware update over the network with two slots and automatic rollback, a recovery image in internal flash memory, and an access point with a portal if there is no network.
- A small status screen (I2C OLED or round GC9A01) displaying the address, link status, and temperature.
- Virtuaalsed salvestusseadmed: microSD-kaardi pilt antakse eesmĂ€rgile kui kĂ€ivitatav USB-mĂ€lupulk, mis vĂ”imaldab installida sĂŒsteemi masinasse, millel on tĂŒhi ketas.
PĂ€rast on kogutud kĂŒmne erineva plaadi variandi jaoks, sealhulgas Waveshare ESP32-P4-ETH, ESP32-P4-NANO ja ESP32-P4-WIFI6, Espressif ESP32-P4 Function EV, Guition ESP32-P4-M3-Dev ja M5Stack Unit PoE-P4. Ăhenduse poolt on loodud mitu korpust kĂ”ige populaarsema plaadi jaoks, Waveshare ESP32-P4-ETH. Plaadi saab villeerida otse brauserist, ilma tööriistade installimiseta.
VĂ€ljaandes 0.45.0 on lisatud toetus kahe plaadi â Waveshare ESP32-P4-Module-DEV-KIT ja DFRobot FireBeetle 2 ESP32-P4 â ning on avaldatud ĂŒlevaade sellest, millised ESP32-P4 plaadid selliseks ĂŒlesandeks ei sobi ja miks.
Allikas: opennet.ru
