JetKVM is much like nanoKVM but a slightly polised version.
What is JetKVM?
JetKVM is a high-performance, open-source KVM over IP (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) solution designed for efficient remote management of computers, servers, and workstations. Whether you’re dealing with boot failures, installing a new operating system, adjusting BIOS settings, or simply taking control of a machine from afar, JetKVM provides the tools to get it done effectively.
As far as I know, these Jets are not available for retail yet, but can be bought via their kickstarter.
Link to the source code: https://github.com/jetkvm/kvm
Link to their website: https://jetkvm.com/
Link to their kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jetkvm/
Picture of a JetKVM mounted in a homelab, credits to Jeff Gerling.
Well I know why it opened up today: H264 patents expired
It is not just public but Foss as well. It is under the GPLv2 which is even a copyleft license.
Is there a link to the code? I know I could probably search for it, but if you’re going post about the code being public you could at least include a link to it.
you could at least
Note: here “it would be nice if” is more polite, since the least one could have done is always
Ah my bad! Had originally added it but it got overwritte by the image url - whops! Added it now.
Source code: https://github.com/jetkvm/kvm
That Kickstarter link didn’t work for me, this one does.
Looks like $69 for:
JetKVM is a fast, open-source KVM over IP solution for managing any computer, server, and workstations remotely. Handle boot failures, install new OSes, adjust BIOS settings or simply control the computer without needing to be physically present.
And tech specs:
- Operating System: Linux 5.10 with Buildroo
- CPU: RockChip RV1106G3, Cortex A7 1.0GHz, H264 & H265 hardware encoder
- RAM: 256 MB DDR3L
- Storage: 16 GB EMMC
- Screen: 1.69 Inch IPS, 240 × 280, capacitive touch screen
- Ports: Ethernet RJ45 (100Mbps), USB-C (USB 2.0 480Mbps), HDMI Mini, JetKVM RJ11 extension port
wow, really neat design for this price range
Yeah, a bit suspicious.
Honestly I’ve always found the cost of KVM equipment to be super suspicious.
You need to be able to capture HDMI/VGA at very low resolution and refresh, become a USB HID host and provide this data via VNC. It’s not like we need an Elgato 8k stream coming off the hardware.
Last time I went IP KVM shopping for a small server room the prices started at around 10 grand.
There’s not much competition, so yeah prices are a bit artificially high. But how big of a server room are we talking? Because brand-name servers already have IPMI (idrac, ilo), and if you can get vPro on Intel boards then you have that built in too (but I’ve only met one or two people online who said they’ve deployed it, none IRL).
re a bit artificially high. But how big of a server room are we talking? Because brand-name servers already have IPMI (idrac, ilo), and if you can get vPro o
Not very big, otherwise 10k wouldn’t have been an issue :)
A few nodes were ordered without DRAC options, as well as a couple of pis and some desktop/laptop test/build machines. (I also would have liked to snag the output off a media server) I basically just wanted to get everything in one management console without paying 10k, I already had guac tying all the RDP/VNC together, but I really wanted pre-boot on everything and thought that sounded like a reasonable request. Was expecting 1k for a controller and a $100-$150 per box. Licensing was INSANE.
You can get HDMI cap now for $20 on adafruit. you’d think USB HID host would be either software or super cheap.
They sent out a lot of review samples to different serious tech youtubers like wendal at level1 and jeff geerling. They were all big fans.
What do you mean by “suspicious”? What are your worries?
Price, too good, to be true.
Similar device the PiKVM, starting at 139.09 USD e.g. PiKVM v3.3 HAT.
Plus cost of Raspberry PI 4.That’s not too surprising since it’s Pi based, and that stuff is really expensive. The PCBs in those 2 links also look to use a lot of through hole parts, and are not optimized for low cost mass production.
The JetKVM looks to use a cheaper SBC probably with a custom PCB actually designed to be cheap to produce, so it doesn’t have the Pi premium slapped on it.
I’ve got two JetKVM units on the way.
TinyPilot and PiKVM are just way too expensive in Australia. Buying two would cost me about $1000 AUD, but two JetKVMs are only $260 AUD.
Ouch I’ll just stick with the Nanos for now. Not in Australia but country probably has similar costs.
Sipeed nanokvm is around 50$
Edit: you can use this https://github.com/jacobbar/fruity-pikvm to use orange banana pi instead
Around same price as nonokvm. Don’t know if I should replace mine with these.
Prices vary but there’s also BliKVM where the V3 version is essentially a clone of the PiKVM (and goes for around 90 USD) and they have their own Allwinner chipset version that I have seen even cheaper than that (although not currently). So not too out of the ordinary.
Price to performance and (software) support.
According to the Kickstarter schedule, they’re shipping units right now.
The last time this was posted I brought up pricing and schedule as being suspicious.
Sorry if this question is easily answerable by reading and I’m just missing it. But I genuinely don’t really understand what this product does or what its use case is. Is it a usb stick that gives you kvm access to a computer from a remote location? Like call up someone in another building ‘hey plug the jet into tower X so I can remote in?’ In which case how is this better/worse/just different from a software solution like Barrier? Sorry if I’m being borderline deliberately obtuse but the website gives no info on the home page at all.
Edit: I think I understand better, digging into it more. But if anyone has an ELI5 I would greatly appreciate it.
KVM also allows access if the machine isn’t booted up, so like mounting remote recovery images, re-installing an OS, and changing BIOS settings and that kind of thing.
I love this. I have a box I’ve been wanting to move to a family members place because they have fiber and I don’t. They’re heavy users of the plex server I have on there, so they’re happy to host it, but if I ever had issues around anything boot related I’d be down until I could physically get there.
This would also be awesome for troubleshooting some RasPi stuff where I kind of want the DE every now and then but mostly let it run headless.
Yeah it’s great for that kind of thing!
Enterprise servers often have it built in, but for everything else this is priced really well.
@Lemjukes @Sunny It’s a KVM that you access over IP. It’s physically plugged into a machine’s HDMI and USB ports so, unlike software solutions, it can be used to access the BIOS/UEFI and system functions prior to hitting the desktop (like login managers and recovery consoles), and allows you to boot other operating systems and the like. It can also act as a PXE host for loading disk images, issue Wake On LAN to its connected machine, and likely a bunch of other convenience functions.
Ooooooh! Ok that’s really cool. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain that!
As for food functionality it is very comparable to software remote control of a computer. There are 3 key features that stand out:
- It does not rely on the target machine being booted into the OS. This means you can access it even if it crashes or locks up.
- It can “push” the power button on the machine. This requires an accessory that plugs into the motherboard. So you can force a machine off or cold boot a system.
- You can mount a boot ISO. This is like having a bootable flash drive in the target machine so you can install an OS remotely.
Edit: Because this is essentially full access to the machine as if you where physically at it, it should be considered a security risk. Not saying that you need to be scared of it, but you should be aware of the risk and protect it from unauthorized access.
ELI5:
It lets you remotely control a computer.
It’s different (arguably better) than remote connection software because it is a separate device that basically just forwards your keyboard & mouse inputs. This means that you can control the remote device even if it’s powered off or not able to boot properly, and you can configure the BIOS remotely too.
You could call someone on-site to connect the KVM to a server, but KVMs, while expensive by regular person standards, are pretty cheap as enterprise hardware goes. So some organizations just keep separate KVMs plugged into all critical hardware all the time.
Worth noting here that KVMs are potentially a quite high security risk.
Their website is probably light on details because “KVM” is fairly common industry parlance. If you normally work with this stuff then just hearing those 3 letters tells you most of what you need to know.
Edit: high, not Hugh
Worth noting here that KVMs are potentially a quite Hugh security risk.
You can put them behind a VPN and they should be relatively secure. I definitely wouldn’t expose it on the web directly, however.
Sure, as long as the VPN itself is secure. Strong passwords/keys, etc. A VPN itself can be a potential security risk, as if it’s compromised an attacker can tunnel traffic directly into a network straight past a firewall.
The risks can definitely be mitigated, but if someone’s asking for an ELI5 on KVMs, then it may be best to stay away until they have a better understanding of IT infrastructure altogether.
I have a similar project called PiKVM. I can remotely turn on my computer from a full shutdown, navigate the BIOS to select an OS, and log in, after which I typically switch to a software-based Remote Desktop which is more performant. But you can’t power on a computer and navigate a BIOS with a software solution.
ELI5
Remote KVM lets you access the machine as if you’re in front of it, including pre-boot / BIOS / BSoD’s / Etc (when software isn’t / can’t run) because the device (usually) connects to the computer’s USB/VGA port.
Like call up someone in another building ‘hey plug the jet into tower X so I can remote in?’
The whole idea is you don’t need anyone local. You leave it plugged in 24/7 so that’s it’s accessible remotely, as needed.
For me, they’re also useful because a lot of my jobs don’t allow remote software to be installed on laptops, so I use something like this to be able to remote in still.
Their FAQ says that they haven’t tested this with KVM switches but that it should work. PiKVM doesn’t always work well with switches, hoping this will be better. Because off-the-shelf IPKVM switches all seem rubbish, overpriced or both.
What sort of open source
Gpl Fuck yeah. Thats awsome
Backed this on Kickstarter. Seems honestly too good to be true, so I am antsy to get my hands on it.
Me and a coworker got a couple. Going to try to use these on a couple of Dell machines without idracs at work.
I backed it as well. Got my shipping notice a week ago and am looking forward to playing with it.
What’s your backer number? I filled in the survey right as they sent out the link to it and still nothing despite being one of the first 500 people to back this project
- I happened to be in my email when the survey link came through so I had it filled out within 2-3 minutes. BTW I goofed, I got the “reward shipped” email two days ago and not last week. So it’s with China shipping but hasn’t hit a domestic carrier yet.
Poor souls
Why? At worst I’m out a few bucks but I really do expect them to show up. Jeff Gerling has already been playing with them.
Yeah this is what sold me as well.
Would you need one of these per physical server, or can they connect to multiple ?
It’s for one , but you can use a normal kvm that supports switching with the keyboard
I don’t know if the JetKVM supports it, but PiKVM and BliKVM support adding a multi-port KVM switch to it (see: https://docs.pikvm.org/multiport/).
It’s a bit finicky depending on the device you use (some will require custom cables).
Aw neat! Thanks for sharing 😊
Veeeery nice! I want one! (Well…maybe 2, or 3, or… 😁)
Edit: Do you know about other KVM maybe under those 69$ without screen? Personally I wouldn’t need it.
There’s the nanokvm, similar idea but cheaper. I have one and it’s okay but a bit sore, I’m hoping the jet is faster
I wish it was possible to connect it to VGA servers to 🙁
They’re making a KVM targeted at data centers that doesn’t support VGA?
Yeah it kind of surprised me too. HDMI and USBC is good for modern servers, but we have plenty of 15-year-old servers in production and even a lot of new servers still use VGA.
Yeah VGA is still pretty much gold standard for supportability in my experience. It’s like a console port with baud rate settings, worst case scenario those two should always work.
Cant you just use a dongle?
Yes, I’ll have to buy a 10/15€ cheap Chinese adapter.
Yes they could also redesign the whole product for a few ppl who will plug it into an old PC that still uses vga or an old server that has no IPMI.
You realise how big the VGA connector is relative to the product?
Dude, relax!
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You lost me at a touchscreen
Primary use case is through terminal/web interface.
Wouldn’t be surprised if the touchscreen was a similar cost to a non-touchscreen at that size and they figured “might as well”.
It’s a touchscreen for a smart watch that they reused to save money. Would have been more expensive to design a custom screen when something like this already exists
Perfect use case
Oh no, what a dealbreaker
