14 DAY TRIAL // There are some computer users out there (unfortunately I am not one of them) that have at their disposal multiple computer systems for a variety of reasons. Most of them find it really hard to jump from one workstation to the next, especially since the more machines you have, the more of a problem becomes the space taken up by mice, monitors (I really hope they are using LCD panels and not some bulky CRT screens) and keyboards. One cheap and not quite comfortable solution would be to use a single set of mouse, keyboard and monitor and hot plug them into different machines as needed. But that is a rather poor solution as a user might lose a lot of time simply moving from one machine to the next.
That is the way some smart guys invented the KVM Switch, a very easy and affordable solution. As the said solution comes in many forms and with different price tags, there may be just the thing you are looking for. Now, KVM is the shorthand for "Keyboard, Video, Mouse" and a standard one is about the size of a typical home router. While there are a number of companies that make these products, the best ones usually come from IOGear, with a price tag ranging from about $60 up to several hundred dollars. There is of course the "mini" solution too with a more compact design and connection cables attached, but it can support fewer systems, usually between 2 and 6. As the mini KVM switches come with the needed cables attached, users have only to arrange their computers in close proximity to each other and simply connect the cables.
Here is a short guide about how to use such a micro KVM switch. First of all, considering you already have such a device and a matching number of computers for its capacity, turn off all systems before proceeding any further and place the computers one nest to the other. Then connect the mouse, keyboard and monitor to the KVM switch and after you are done, start connecting each set of cables for the switch to the proper place on a computer, then another and so on. To start using your new setup simply turn back on the computers you need. As most of the KVM switches have some hotkeys or an "auto scan" option, it's really easy to jump from one computer to the next. The best thing is that no software is required to use a KVM switch, so you shouldn't worry if you are using different operating systems across your computer range, as for example, Microsoft Windows on some systems and a Linux distribution on others.
One other advantage of the complete hardware KVM switch is that it works with most common mice, keyboards and monitors. If you happen to have some sort of a more exotic hardware lying around, like a wireless mouse or keyboard, it would be a good idea to make some research and find out if your peripheral is supported.