KVM switch

Device that connects computer front-end hardware to multiple computers Symbolic representation of a KVM switch. The computer on the right is currently being controlled by the peripherals. Enterprise 1U rack mount KVM switch showing console and computer ports for DVI video, USB (keyboard/mouse) and analog audio A KVM switch (with KVM being an abbreviation for "keyboard, video, and mouse") is a hardware device that allows a user to control multiple computers from one or more sets of keyboards, video monitors, and mice. Name Switches to connect multiple computers to one or more peripherals have had multiple names. The earliest name was Keyboard Video Switch (KVS). With the advent of the mouse, the Keyboard, Video and Mouse (KVM) switch became popular. The name was introduced by Remigius Shatas, the founder of Cybex (now Vertiv), a peripheral switch manufacturer, in 1995. Some companies call their switches Keyboard, Video, Mouse and Peripheral (KVMP). Types USB keyboards, mice, and I/O devices are the most common devices connected to a KVM switch. The classes of KVM switches discussed below are based on different types of core technologies, which vary in how the KVM switch handles USB