Will a switch of the kvm disconnect the monitor from the pc

Level1 Store KVM Helpdesk
1

KVM Model:

1.4 Display Port KVM Switch - Single Monitor - Two Computer

USB Interface (5-gigabit or 10-gigbit):

either

Question:

I have 2 pcs, one work pc and a game pc.
I have 2 monitors.
On the game pc I only want to use 1 monitor
On the work pc I want to use 2 monitors. The secondary screen should stay on the work pc at all time.
So I want only want to switch the main monitor between work and game pc.
When I switch from the work pc to game pc, will the monitor disconnect from the work pc? and thus move all windows on the secondary screen?
I really really do NOT want this.
The product page states:
Intelligent EDID Engine for HDCP Rekeying (computers know when the port is inactive. Check out the Level1Techs repeater if you need monitor emulation).

I do not know, if inactive is the same as disconnected, similar like physical disconnected

Edit: Just to be 100% clear, I do not yet have the KVM, I was on the point of buying it, And i wanted to check this off…

2

This sounds like you’re wanting monitor emulation. What operating systems do you have your work and game PC? In Windows 11 this fix is as simple as toggling on the setting in “Display”

3

This refers to being able to use hotkey commands and helps with sleep settings, not windows locations.

4

Game pc is windows 11 ( this will not be a problem, as there is only 1 monitor)
Work pc Is Linux Fedora Silverblue (gnome)
So as far as I know, in gnome, if it really disconnects it will move the windows/application to the other secondary monitor.

so does this mean I need also the dp repeater, so it appears the monitor is still there? (DP Repeater + HDMI Splitter — Level1Techs Store)

5

@wendell

Do you know of a gnome workaround to monitor emulation? I thought you had mentioned a way to solve monitor emulation in software with Linux

6

Fedora GNOME, when you disconnect a monitor (which from what I can tell is effectively what your work pc will see when the kvm switches) will move all the windows to the secondary monitor until the primary monitor is reconnected, at which point it will move the windows back to where they belong.

Not sure if this is quite what you want (do you want the windows on monitor one to just stop being visible when you switch to the windows pc?) but it is what the default behavior is.

7

in the past you could define your screen layout /xrander config and it wouldn’t matter when you switch

not sure if that’s broken in the current Wayland era

8

@sammypants Is was aware of this behaviour, but I was really looking at the behaviour that the windows on current monitor stay hidden.

@wendell I did not immediately find a solution in wayland gnome. I will find a workaround if not a real solution eventually

9

for a “real solution” we do have those edid feeders on the store that will learn your monitor’s edid