Synergy keyboard/mouse sharing package works on Parallella

[JanKok]

If you have your Parallella connected to a monitor and your PC connected to another monitor, and you have 2 keyboards and mice or a KVM switch, Synergy will let you control the Parallella and the PC with a single keyboard and mouse. It even lets you copy text from one machine and paste it into a window on another machine. If you have never used Synergy (or similar software) before, you'll probably giggle the first time you try it - it's that neat!

I installed Synergy version 1.4.12 on the Parallella using "sudo apt-get install synergy". I installed Synergy v1.5 on my PC running Linux and also on a laptop running Windows 7 by downloading from synergy-project.org. It's also available for Macs.

http://synergy-project.org/wiki/Manual has instructions for installing and running the software. It's very easy. One small detail not mentioned in the instructions: if you use version 1.4.12 on the Parallella and version 1.5 on your PC, you need to choose CFB (Cipher Feedback) as the encryption mode when setting up the Synergy client on Parallella.

http://synergy-project.org/wiki/Startup has instructions for configuring your systems so that Synergy is started at boot-up time. Unfortunately the instructions for Linux are for a different distro than what Parallella uses, so it's not clear (to me) how to do that on the Parallella. If someone figures that out, please let me know!

As it is, I just need to type the "synergy &" command in a Parallella window after booting up to enable the sharing. Not a big deal, and worth the effort.

[aolofsson]

Synergy, where have you been all my life?!! So much Jan, thanks for the tip and the great instructions!

[shodruk]

That's magical!