I want to use a KVM (Keyboard Video Mouse) to share my mouse, kbd, and vid with a Linux host and Windows guest VM.
I'd attach the 2nd pair of kbd and mouse to the guest but when the guest is not running would the host get double input because the 2 pairs of kbd and mouse are plugged into it?
Can I set up rules in the host to ignore one pair and still have them accessible to the guest?
It isn't necessary to pass a keyboard and mouse through to a VM with KVM (Kernel Virtual Machine), the VM (guest) will get virtual drivers for the keyboard and mouse that enables the guest to use them side by side with the host, if you have a dedicated game pad then yes you will have to pass/load that device into the guest. There's no need for two mice or two keyboards.
What distro are you running? and which virtualization software are you trying to use, ie KVM/QEMU, Virtualbox, VMware, etc.
I did a bit of research and I realized I wouldn't have any problems with the KVM. I have another question though. If I attach a GPU to the VM I will have to connect my monitor to it right? I don't think the Spice client in Virt-manager would view the hardware output.
Now your talking a whole other ball game that requires hardware passthrough, tell me what hardware you have and I might be able to point you in the right direction, you will need two GPU's to make it work, along with a CPU and MB that supports IOMMU or some variant, hardware passthrough is not an easy task as several of us on the forum are working towards it with our own rigs.
You might want to check out this video....
https://forum.teksyndicate.com/t/gpu-passthrough-with-kvm-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too/82250
I'm in the planning stage for an upgrade. I'll have an Asus z97-a, 4690k, and 2 gtx 660s. IGPU for Fedora 660s for the Windows guest
I figured since the VM is essentially headless I could use a KVM to send kbd and mouse to it
you can directly pass through USB devices to the VM. I passed through my mic for the video for lower latency. Keyboard an mouse can also be passed through. I would leave the mouse though because it is easier to up the polling rate in Linux and it will carry over the Windows VM.The only reason to pass them through would be because you want the gaming drivers.
Yes, you will need to connect the passed through GPU to the Monitor. Multi Input/Multi Monitor is kinda a must. Unless you have a HDMI switch or something like that.
Would I have to bind and unbind to use the same keyboard and mouse?
Only if you choose to pass the USB devices
Alright. I figured it would be easier to use the same kbd and mouse by using a KVM. It also makes switching inputs easier