Why iKVM shows blank screen?

Purpose:

For Advantech users relying on iKVM displays, a blank screen can be a major headache. In this article, we'll walk you through a scenario where the iKVM display shows a blank screen due to design limitations, and offer strategies for resolving this issue quickly and efficiently.

Target Audience:

All users with Advantech platforms supporting BMC feature.

Explanation:

Both VGA and iKVM are rooted from the BMC AST2500/AST2600, and therefore they exhibit the same display behavior. The reference diagram from SKY-8201 is provided below for your reference:

By default, the video output setting is set to onboard device under the BIOS settings.

Hence, if user inserts an external video card such as GPU, the following will occur:

A- Onboard device as Active Video: iKVM will display normally, but VGA output from the external card will fail to display.

B- PCIE device as Active Video: iKVM will show blank screen and VGA from external card will display correctly.

So, user can only select one display source from BIOS: either onboard device or PCIE device. This is a known design limitation.

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