Linux Mint as a KVM console for a home lab - advice on hardware?
Napsal: 20 pro 2025, 15:26
Hi everyone,
I've been using Linux Mint on my main laptop for about two years now (currently on version 21.3 "Virginia") and I'm extremely happy with it. The stability and Cinnamon environment suit me perfectly. Recently, however, I started building a small home "server room" (read: a rack in the utility room) to learn networking and virtualization.
I currently have three older servers and two switches in there. The problem is that whenever something freezes or I need to change BIOS settings, I have to drag a monitor and keyboard into the cold utility room, which is getting really annoying.
I was thinking of repurposing an old laptop with Linux Mint to act as a dedicated management console. I want to be able to connect to the serial consoles of the servers and switches from it.
I've been looking at various solutions and stumbled upon some older USB-to-Serial hubs, but they seem unreliable with Linux drivers. A friend from work mentioned I should look for a management adapter 8 port card https://serverorbit.com/network-devices ... /8-port-en or box that supports Linux natively. Basically, I want to connect all my devices via RS232 to this one box and then access them comfortably via terminal (minicom or putty) from the Mint laptop.
Does anyone have experience getting these multi-port serial adapters working on Linux Mint? Are there any specific chipsets (like FTDI vs Prolific) that are "plug and play" in the current kernel, or will I have to compile drivers manually? I'm trying to avoid proprietary drivers that break with every kernel update if possible.
Also, if anyone has a tip for a good GUI terminal emulator for Mint that can handle multiple serial tabs well (and maybe save session logs automatically), I'd be grateful for a recommendation.
Thanks for any tips!
I've been using Linux Mint on my main laptop for about two years now (currently on version 21.3 "Virginia") and I'm extremely happy with it. The stability and Cinnamon environment suit me perfectly. Recently, however, I started building a small home "server room" (read: a rack in the utility room) to learn networking and virtualization.
I currently have three older servers and two switches in there. The problem is that whenever something freezes or I need to change BIOS settings, I have to drag a monitor and keyboard into the cold utility room, which is getting really annoying.
I was thinking of repurposing an old laptop with Linux Mint to act as a dedicated management console. I want to be able to connect to the serial consoles of the servers and switches from it.
I've been looking at various solutions and stumbled upon some older USB-to-Serial hubs, but they seem unreliable with Linux drivers. A friend from work mentioned I should look for a management adapter 8 port card https://serverorbit.com/network-devices ... /8-port-en or box that supports Linux natively. Basically, I want to connect all my devices via RS232 to this one box and then access them comfortably via terminal (minicom or putty) from the Mint laptop.
Does anyone have experience getting these multi-port serial adapters working on Linux Mint? Are there any specific chipsets (like FTDI vs Prolific) that are "plug and play" in the current kernel, or will I have to compile drivers manually? I'm trying to avoid proprietary drivers that break with every kernel update if possible.
Also, if anyone has a tip for a good GUI terminal emulator for Mint that can handle multiple serial tabs well (and maybe save session logs automatically), I'd be grateful for a recommendation.
Thanks for any tips!