what kvm switch do you use for Windows 7 and ubuntu, or does Synergy sort the windows 7 problem
of auto monitor detection and turning it off.
Synergy is a software based km (KVM withouth the V part). I still use a separate monitor for each computer. Synergy just transmits the mouse's location, relative to the monitor boundary. Once the mouse reaches a monitor edge and crosses over, Synergy then "switches" it to the adjacent monitor/computer. Keyboard focus follows the mouse focus.
Below is a recent setup I use at work (I've swapped some monitors out recently.
![](http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo51/dw33z/c32cce75.jpg)
Left to right, monitor-wise, I have Ubuntu, laptop and 2nd laptop monitor running Windows 7, white screen is Windows Server 2008 R2 (Running as the Synergy Server; this is the computer that the mouse and keyboard are physically attached to), and right-most monitor is Gentoo. There are 2 mice there, but I just use the second for when I boot up the laptop as I haven't automated the SSH-tunnel I use for the Synergy connection so Synergy doesn't connect right away (and my laptop dock has been deactivating the touchpad).
I use an SSH tunnel because the Synergy communications is plain text. For a setup where all the computers are behind a personal or home router, it isn't that big a deal but for my setup above, the 2 right computer are behind a router and the Ubuntu and Gentoo are on my works open network.
I've been using Synergy for 3-4 years now and even help out in the #synergy channel on the Freenode IRC network. I honestly don't know how I ever functioned without it.
A few points of interest if you decide to try it out. There is some bugginess. For my linux installs, I try to use the 1.3.x level of the Synergy client while using the 1.4.x on my Windows install. I tried using 1.4.x on the linux distros but experienced a well-known bug where the key-modifier keys (Caps Lock, Shift, Ctrl, Winkey/Super/AltGr, and Alt) sometimes get "sticky". 1.3.x on the linux ones resolved this issue for me greatly. Different versions of the Synergy client can be used between the systems but, whereas 1.3.x clients connect fine to 1.4.x servers, 1.4.x clients won't connect properly to 1.3.x servers.
Ok, spiel over.
![Wink ;)](https://www.diasfora.co.uk/Smileys/default/wink.gif)