I would kill for this accessory...VGA cable to ipad!

[Eric-PTEK]

Not all of my customers want to make the investment for a monitor for their file servers or they are not in places where a monitor will work.

I would LOVE to have a VGA to doc cable that will allow the iPad to be used as a simple plug in monitor...even if there was a BT/WiFi dongle I could plug in and get video up on the iPad.

Small market but life would be so much easier.

 

[DeuxIt]

I believe this might do what you need. Search for AirDisplay. $9.99. Sounds a bit glitchy and probably need software installed on the host machine.

 

[PlaceofDis]

I believe this might do what you need. Search for AirDisplay. $9.99. Sounds a bit glitchy and probably need software installed on the host machine.

it does work. a little lag, but doable. Mac only server software right now I think, but working on windows. could be a feasible option. carry the saoftware around on a flash drive.

 

[Beau10]

I don't you guys are grasping the OP's situation.

He wants use the ipad as an external monitor to headless servers at client sites for quick troubleshooting. IOW, likely not macs, and likely no easy wireless connectivity options..

If such a cable existed, you would still need to have an app that would handle the communication - such functionality is not pre-cooked into the OS.

 

[uberamd]

I don't you guys are grasping the OP's situation.

He wants use the ipad as an external monitor to headless servers at client sites for quick troubleshooting. IOW, likely not macs, and likely no easy wireless connectivity options..

In that case maybe a VNC/SSH solution would work? The problem with a headless setup is that video would come through but how the heck are you going to input anything?

 

[wodeh]

Ahh, wonderful Windows needing an entire GUI for most people to be able to manage its server environment. Every time I RDP into a server, I die a little inside.

Still, for other reasons I could see the use for a VGA->iPad cable, but only if it were somehow bi-directional (a switch, perhaps) so I could kill two birds with one stone.

 

[uberamd]

Ahh, wonderful Windows needing an entire GUI for most people to be able to manage its server environment. Every time I RDP into a server, I die a little inside.

Still, for other reasons I could see the use for a VGA->iPad cable, but only if it were somehow bi-directional (a switch, perhaps) so I could kill two birds with one stone.

I hate RDP as much as the next person (I do Linux server admin work mostly, very few Windows boxes), but there are times when you can't SSH into a box and you need to actually be in front of it. In those cases a display is useless without a USB keyboard, and you might as well just have a KVM switch then, unless of course you have a conserver running.

 

[Eric-PTEK]

Ahh, wonderful Windows needing an entire GUI for most people to be able to manage its server environment. Every time I RDP into a server, I die a little inside.

Still, for other reasons I could see the use for a VGA->iPad cable, but only if it were somehow bi-directional (a switch, perhaps) so I could kill two birds with one stone.

COMPUTERS, not WINDOWS, sometimes you need to see what they are doing when their booting up, or need to get into the BIOS, etc.

But yes the post above got it right, headless servers or servers in our data center. Tired of hauling around a monitor when I need to look at things outside of the OS.

BTW if your such a big Windows Server admin you'd know there is a CLI only install....

I was even poking around for a hardware VGA wireless unit, Netgear makes one, be nice if someone wrote an app to read it. You plug one end into the PC, the other end into a projector or monitor and it transmits over wifi.

There are plenty of IP video extenders too and they are strictly HW, all happens in the dongle. Nice to see an app that could work with one of those.

 

[Eric-PTEK]

I hate RDP as much as the next person (I do Linux server admin work mostly, very few Windows boxes), but there are times when you can't SSH into a box and you need to actually be in front of it. In those cases a display is useless without a USB keyboard, and you might as well just have a KVM switch then, unless of course you have a conserver running.

Right but I'm not talking about a proper data center setup. Most of the times these are customers that have servers shoved in a corner.

Plugging keyboard is much easier than hauling a monitor over, finding power, etc.