I am considering building my next PC into a server rack case, the reason is I am getting a server cabinet and will be putting in a few servers in it. It will be in my room where I use my main PC as well and in my case it just makes sense to build my next PC into this cabinet/rack.
So my main concern, will I be able to extend my mouse, keyboard, and 2-3 monitors 10-15 feet across a room from my server rack to my desk?
Yes you will. In case you can't find video cables, usb cables and wireless devices that serves your needs, then you'll need a dumb terminal to relay all this data for you.
This page gives figures as:
1600x1200@60Hz to one meter and 1024x768@60Hz to 9 meters with appropriate signal strength from the graphics adapter.
Bearing in mind that this is a site selling products, I'd take these figures with a pinch of salt.
When I was working on 3D graphics applications we had cabling that long and it worked without any problems.
You could, in the case of the peripherals, go wireless, [s]but 15 feet is longer than most cable specs allow for (USB, for example, is 5m)[/s], however a DVI cable must reach 16 feet, so you'll just need a long cable. I fear it may be more trouble than it's worth, though.
I would put a cheap wired keyboard, mouse and monitor at the server rack for occasional use.
Use an OS that can host Remote Desktop Services and control everything in your LAN from one PC.
