System and method for providing access to a keyboard video and mouse drawer using biometric authentication

A system for permitting a user to access one or more host computers, the system comprising:

• a KVM drawer including a video monitor, a user input device, and a pointing device, wherein the KVM drawer is supported by an associated rack;
• an input-output buffer communicatively coupled to the KVM drawer;
• an emulation controller communicatively coupled to the input-output buffer and one or more host computers;
• an identification input device for receiving biometric data associated with the user seeking access to the KVM drawer;
• and
• an authentication device communicatively coupled to the input-output buffer and to the identification input device, wherein the authentication device is capable of providing an associated user access to the one or more host computers based at least in part upon the received biometric data from the identification input device;
• and
• a storage device communicatively coupled to the authentication device, wherein the storage device includes a set of reference data for associating the associated user with a set of unique biometric data, wherein the set of reference data is stored in an encrypted format.

A KVM drawer comprising:

• a video monitor housing for supporting a video monitor;
• a user input housing pivotally connected to the video monitor housing, wherein the user input housing includes at least one user input device and the user input housing is capable of being secured on an associated rack;
• the user input housing including a rear panel including one or more ports for communicatively coupling the video monitor and the at least one user input device to one or more host computers through an emulation controller;
• wherein access to the one or more host computers through the at least one of the user input device and the video monitor is controlled by an associated authentication device that provides an associated user access to the one or more host computers based at least in part upon information biometric data received from the associated user, and
• wherein a set of reference data for the associated user is stored in an encrypted form in a storage device communicatively coupled to the authentication device, for providing access to the one or more host computers based at least in part on a comparison with the received biometric data and the set of reference data.

A method for permitting a user to access one or more host computers based upon biometric data associated with an authorized user, the method comprising:

• inputting biometric data associated with a user to an identification input device;
• enabling a storage device containing at least a portion of the biometric data associated with authorized users based on the inputting of biometric data at the identification input device, wherein the biometric data is stored in the storage device in an encrypted form;
• comparing at least a portion of the received biometric data with a stored set of biometric data associated with authorized users stored in the storage device;
• providing access to at least one host computer from a KVM drawer through an emulation controller based upon the step of comparing the received biometric data with the stored set of biometric data associated with authorized users.

A method for permitting a user to access one or more host computers based upon biometric data associated with an authorized user, the method comprising:

• inputting biometric data associated with a user to an identification input device;
• enabling a storage device containing at least a portion of the biometric data associated with authorized users based on the inputting of biometric data at the identification input device;
• comparing at least a portion of the received biometric data with a stored set of biometric data associated with authorized users stored in a storage device;
• providing access to at least one host computer from a KVM drawer through an emulation controller based upon the step of comparing the received biometric data with the stored set of biometric data associated with authorized users;
• and
• disabling the storage device upon providing an associated user access to one or more host computers.