MultiPoint Server System Components

Typically, the physical components of your MultiPoint Server system include a computer that is running MultiPoint Server and stations, which consist of the following components:

• Station hub

• Monitor

• Keyboard

• Mouse

Optional peripheral devices, such as speakers, headphones, or USB flash drives can also be connected to a station hub.

A station hub is a USB hub that connects a station’s peripheral devices to a computer in a MultiPoint Server system. Both USB hubs and multifunction hubs can be used as station hubs, as described below. A station hub acts as the base hub for all USB and other peripheral devices that are associated with a specific user station. The peripheral devices that are plugged into the station hub, including additional USB hubs, are automatically associated with the same user station. This includes any devices plugged into the hub at a later time. We recommend that station hubs be externally powered.

USB devices, including USB hubs, can be bus-powered, drawing power directly from the bus; or self-powered, drawing power from an external source. Some devices draw more power than can be supplied from the USB bus and therefore must have an external power source. External USB hubs should be self-powered because the number and variety of devices that could be used at each user station might require more power than can be delivered through the USB connection. The use of self-powered hubs can help prevent performance issues, port failures, and other intermittent issues.

A root hub is a USB hub that is built into the host controller on the motherboard. Station hubs are generally plugged into the root hub on the computer that is running MultiPoint Server. Root hubs should not be used as station hubs.

Types of station hubs

A USB hub is a generic multiport hub that complies with the universal serial bus (USB) specifications. Such hubs typically have two, four, or more USB ports that enable multiple USB devices to be connected through a single USB cable connection. USB hubs may be externally powered or bus-powered. Some other devices, such as some keyboards and video monitors, may also incorporate a USB hub into their design.

A multifunction hub is a USB hub that connects to the computer through a USB port and enables the connection of a variety of both USB and non-USB devices to the hub. Multifunction USB hubs must be USB 2.0-compliant. A multifunction hub typically includes a video port to which you can connect the station’s monitor.

Types of video connections

There are two ways that you can connect a video monitor to a MultiPoint Server station:

• Directly connect the monitor to a video port on the computer that is running MultiPoint Server.

• Connect the monitor to a video port on a multifunction station hub.

If you are using USB station hubs to create MultiPoint Server stations, the monitor for each station must be connected directly to one of the video ports on the computer that is running MultiPoint Server, because a USB station hub does not contain a video display port. The computer can contain multiple video cards, each of which can have one or more video ports. This allows multiple monitors for the different user stations to be plugged into the computer that is running MultiPoint Server.

If you are using multifunction station hubs to create MultiPoint Server stations, the monitor for each station should be connected directly to the video port on the multifunction hub.

In this section

There are many different possible configurations for MultiPoint Server station setup, some of which produce better performance than others. The next sections in this document provide information about optimal station hub configurations, and detailed procedures for setting up MultiPoint Server stations using different types of station hubs.

For more information about station hub configurations, see Supported MultiPoint Server Station Hub Configurations

For more information about primary and standard stations, see MultiPoint Server Station Types.

For more information about how to set up stations with USB station hubs, see Set Up MultiPoint Server Stations with USB Station Hubs.

For more information about how to set up stations with multifunction station hubs, see Set Up MultiPoint Server Stations with Multifunction Station Hubs.