How to console into a switch with a RS232 console port

I have encountered a console port with a RS232 interface.
Note: It is RS232 not the RJ11 console port.
How do you console into such a switch in the first place?

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Comments

UnixGuy

using a convertor?

JDMurray

That serial port (DB-9 or DB-15) is a DCE connection. You can use a standard serial cable to connect it to a DTE device (such as a dumb terminal) or a serial cross-over cable to connect it to another DCE device (such as a serial modem). And yes, you can buy DCE-to-USB adapters.

Welcome to my world in the 1980's and '90's.

TechGromit

foreverlearning said:

I have encountered a console port with a RS232 interface.
Note: It is RS232 not the RJ11 console port.
How do you console into such a switch in the first place?

Putty (or secureCRT) and a console cable. I used to use 9 pin serial to RJ-45 console cables for network switches but no laptops support this anymore. Now it's USB to RJ-45 console cables. You have to look at your device manager, it picks your com port, so you need to know when port the USB driver picked, it's usually different on different computers if you use more than one. The process should be the same weather it;s USB to RJ-11, RJ-45, 9 pin serial, 25 pin serial, etc.

Recently I had a Cisco 3560CX switch were the RJ-45 console port didn't work. They also have a mini-B USB console on the switch. Connecting to this port, the console worked fine so they are different paths into the switch.