This page is a guide on how to configure Free-Flow for the CCS-PRO range. It will cover the basics of the software application and how the technology works.
We'll be basing the QuickStart guide on a common application for the CCS-PRO4 that requires Free-Flow. The application is outlined in the diagram below.
Here we have two computers; one with two screens and the other with one. The keyboard and mouse are connected to the console port of the CCS-PRO4 and we want to have Free-Flow setup so that we can move the mouse between all three screens seamlessly. To do this we have to adjust the Free-Flow layout from the default that comes with the switch as shown below.
Important
Step 1
The first step is ensuring you have the Free-Flow configuration app installed on your computer. This is included within the CCS-PRO firmware package but can also be downloaded from our website here under the downloads tab.
You'll be required to fill in the form to be able to download the firmware. After you've filled in the form you'll be presented with the below. Just click the hyper link to start the download.
The file downloaded will be a .zip file that needs extracting. Once extracted you'll need to run the below file and follow the installation wizard, this requires admin privileges on your computer to do.
With that run, you should now have the application on your computer that allows you to alter the Free-Flow configuration from the default that comes pre-loaded on the switch.
Step 2
The next step is to ensure we have connectivity to the CCSPRO. To do this, we need to have a network connection to the management port on the back of the unit. The management port is the one on the far right when looking at the back of the unit as shown in the picture below.
You'll need a standard Ethernet cable to connect this to the computer you installed the Free-Flow software on. Once this is connected we'll need to configure our network adaptor to reach the default IP address for the CCSPRO4 which is 192.168.1.22.
Once this has been done we can check that we can reach the CCSPRO4 by either typing it's IP address into a browser or by pinging it.
There is a guide for configuring your network adapter available here.
Step 3
Once we can connect to the units IP address we can configure the layout of our screens. To do this we have to launch the Free-Flow app which will take us to the default screen.
We need to make the screens in the layout represent the physical layout of our workstation. So two screens for the first computer and one screen for the second computer. We can do this by first deleting the screens for computer 3 and 4.
Then moving the screen for computer two over to create space for the second screen from computer one.
Finally adding in a second screen for computer one by pressing the red computer icon at the top of the app.
The important thing to get right is that the ration in the Free-Flow layout is correct. It needs to match the physical layout of the screens at the workstation as closely as possible. You do not need to input the actual screen resolution but only make it look accurate.
Step 4
Now we have the layout looking correct for our workstation, we need to send it to the switch. To do this we first need to ensure that the IP address is set correctly for our unit. (If you are using the default IP address you can skip this next part).
With the network connection configured correctly we just need to send the layout to the switch. To do this we just click the "send to switch" icon on the far right of the tool bar. The app with refresh but there is no confirmation tooltip. You will be notified if the app was unable to send the config to the switch.
With that we're done. You should now be able to switch between computer one and two using Free-Flow.
Verify your Free-Flow layout
You can verify what Free-Flow layout your switch has by navigation to "configure" then "receive layout from switch". This is a useful way to check that the right layout is configured. The layout will be displayed in the smallest ratio possible which may make it look slightly different to how it was input.
Further Information
- When creating the FreeFlow layout, do not have gaps between screens.
- The optional screen resolution that you can enter on each of the screens is just for reference only and is not used by the CCS-PRO. The CCS-PRO has no actual knowledge of the screen resolution and uses scaled mouse positions when communicating with the host. The host itself determines where the mouse pointer resides on the screen.