Having trouble with setting up the CCNA lab.

Hi there guys! So after much time I have gotten my console cable with a serial to usb converter. I powered the switch and tried to telnet in using Putty but I got nothing but a dark screen and nothing that looked like what I was used to in packet tracer. I tried SSH but that didn't work either. I enabled the windows 8 telnet and using the command panel but I got a "Could not open connection to the host, on port 23: connection failed."

The console cable is connected to the console port in the back of the catalyst 2950 switch. The serial to USB converter is firmly connected. Maybe I am just missing something? Thanks for your guys help.

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shortstop20

You don't telnet or ssh into a switch with a console cable, you make a serial connection to it.

Download putty and use the serial option.

Telnet and SSH are for remote access via an IP address, which needs to be configured via a console(serial) connection.

Raymond Mason

Why thank you! I am going to try it and see how well it works. I am glad I didn't walk into a job with no experience with real equipment now.

Mitechniq

Verify in Device manager which Comm Port it is assigned to. Mine usually ends up on COMM 4, you can change it but it can get quirky. In putty it is the last radio button.

TechGuru80

Raymond Mason wrote: »

Why thank you! I am going to try it and see how well it works. I am glad I didn't walk into a job with no experience with real equipment now.

Cannot imagine you would have got past the interview without knowing that part.

Raymond Mason

Mitechniq wrote: »

Verify in Device manager which Comm Port it is assigned to. Mine usually ends up on COMM 4, you can change it but it can get quirky. In putty it is the last radio button.

When I looked it was on COM4 and I put that in instead of COM1. I got an error that states "Unable to open connection to COM4. Unable to open serial port."

When I looked again under the USB to serial converter in the device settings it says there was a driver error. I double checked my package to make sure there wasn't a driver of some sort that came with it. Nope, there wasn't. This is supposed to be compatible with Windows 8. When I googled this problem I didn't find any real useful information.

The brand is Prolific is that helps. It was cheaper then the other serial to USB converters when I looked. I got it for about ten dollars while the others where around thirty dollars.

shortstop20

Raymond Mason wrote: »

When I looked it was on COM4 and I put that in instead of COM1. I got an error that states "Unable to open connection to COM4. Unable to open serial port."

When I looked again under the USB to serial converter in the device settings it says there was a driver error. I double checked my package to make sure there wasn't a driver of some sort that came with it. Nope, there wasn't. This is supposed to be compatible with Windows 8. When I googled this problem I didn't find any real useful information.

The brand is Prolific is that helps. It was cheaper then the other serial to USB converters when I looked. I got it for about ten dollars while the others where around thirty dollars.

Here's a link to drivers for a Prolific PL2303, no idea if that's what you have.

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Raymond Mason

shortstop20 wrote: »

Here's a link to drivers for a Prolific PL2303, no idea if that's what you have.

I tried installing the drivers as an administrator and restarted my laptop like normal but I am still getting a driver error. I pulled the usb and put it back in but still getting the error. I have tried two different drivers and none of them worked. It would show installing the drivers and said it was done successfully but still getting the problem. I have no idea what the problem could be.

shortstop20

Did you see this note at the link?

NOTE:

Windows 8/8.1/10 are NOT supported in PL-2303HXA and PL-2303X EOL chip versions.
Run PL2303 CheckChipVersion tool program in Windows XP/Vista/7 to check chip version.
Windows XP, 2000, 98 and Windows ME driver technical support is discontinued.
Prolific recommends to use PL-2303HXD (HX Rev D) or PL2303TA chip.

The program should work in Windows 8 too, what chip version do you have?

Raymond Mason

Well, when I used the check chip version tool I get a message that says "OPEN COM PORT FAILED" so it didn't give me a chip version.

theodoxa

Raymond Mason wrote: »

Why thank you! I am going to try it and see how well it works. I am glad I didn't walk into a job with no experience with real equipment now.

This is why I always suggest real equipment over Packet Tracer and GNS3. There are some things like this (and using ROMMON if you lost the password or IOS got corrupted) you just won't learn in PT or GNS3.

theodoxa

Raymond Mason wrote: »

I tried installing the drivers as an administrator and restarted my laptop like normal but I am still getting a driver error. I pulled the usb and put it back in but still getting the error. I have tried two different drivers and none of them worked. It would show installing the drivers and said it was done successfully but still getting the problem. I have no idea what the problem could be.

I had a converter once that used unsigned drivers. I don't know (but highly suspect) if it is the same in Windows 8, but with Windows 7 I had to interrupt the (PC) boot process and load Windows in unsigned driver mode to allow the driver to work.

Craft Edge: Install Driver for Sizzix eclips on Windows 8

Raymond Mason

It didn't work; I suspect this is a hardware issue and I might just have to buy a new converter. I haven't tried directly connecting to a serial port so it might work that way. I am just using a laptop that's why I am using this converter.

MTciscoguy

No you won't have to buy a new converter, often times, if you right click on the device in device manager and choose to update driver, windows 8 will find one that works, you should have a yellow warning icon on the port that will also allow you to update the driver, let your machine search the internet for one. You can also run it is in compatibility mode and it should work, I have several little cheapy USB to Serial converters that I run on my 8 machine with no problem at all and I only paid about $4 bucks for them on ebay. Windows 7 and 8 both have a legacy compatibility mode that will let you run older software or hardware on those machine.

Raymond Mason

MTciscoguy wrote: »

No you won't have to buy a new converter, often times, if you right click on the device in device manager and choose to update driver, windows 8 will find one that works, you should have a yellow warning icon on the port that will also allow you to update the driver, let your machine search the internet for one. You can also run it is in compatibility mode and it should work, I have several little cheapy USB to Serial converters that I run on my 8 machine with no problem at all and I only paid about $4 bucks for them on ebay. Windows 7 and 8 both have a legacy compatibility mode that will let you run older software or hardware on those machine.

I am sorry, but how do I run this in compatibility mode? I know how to do it with other programs but I am not quiet sure what to do with this. I tried uninstalling the drivers and reinstalling and still didn't work. When I tried to update the drivers Windows 8.1 said it was using the latest drivers.

Thank you all so far for your help. I really do appreciate it so much.