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USB - console connection?

mikearama

Hey there, my fellow tech-a-roonies.

Quick question for ya:

My last IBM T-30 is on its way out the door (no battery strength), which means I will no longer have a laptop with built-in serial capability. I'm sure some of you folks are using usb adapters... just curious which kind.

I have two here, and neither seem to want to work with the cisco rollover cable.

Preciate any links/pointers.

Mike

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Comments

Sanis4life

Dont forget to install the drivers for those things. Also, use COM4 to console in.

Paul Boz

I have a generic "USB to Serial" cable from newegg. They all do the same thing. Like already mentioned, make sure that you install the correct drivers for the cable and use it as a comm port when you use hyperterminal.

redwarrior

I have a belkin usb-to-serial adapter and it works great. I did have to install the drivers, as previous posters have said. I tend to have a lot of USB devices hooked up at any one time, so mine generally ends up as COM6. I can't help but wonder, though, why Cisco doesn't just build a console cable that has a built in adapter to USB with almost all new laptops lacking a serial port.

tiersten

Any USB->Serial converter should work if it gives you a reasonably standard RS232 serial port. The console port doesn't do hardware or software handshaking so its pretty simple. The major brands of chipset are FTDI and Prolific. Both of them I've had working with no problems at all.

One thing I would do is to get updated drivers from the chipset manufacturer. Either try to work out the chip used by searching for your particular converter or look on the driver disc. The drivers on the disc are usually pretty old.

Download and install the drivers, plug converter in, find out what serial port number has been assigned to it and start up your favourite terminal emulator program.

mikearama

Hey, I appreciate the help, guys...

One of the two adapters I had was a Belkin, found the drivers, installed them, and it works. I don't know why I 'assumed' that XP would handle a usb device out of the gate, but... well, there you have it.

So, the T60's in action.

Thanks again.

yukky

Something I do is use a Serial->Bluetooth adapter for my console, so my BT enabled laptop doesn't need to be tethered to the machines.

There was a small video on it here:
http://www.networkworld.com/video/051506ct-rs232.html

shednik

mikearama wrote:

Hey, I appreciate the help, guys...

One of the two adapters I had was a Belkin, found the drivers, installed them, and it works. I don't know why I 'assumed' that XP would handle a usb device out of the gate, but... well, there you have it.

So, the T60's in action.

Thanks again.

Had the same issues with my T61...why they make a thinkpad without a serial port is beyond me.

down77

Picked up a few Keyspan USB Serial port adapters and they have worked great for myself and my coworkers. The model I have is USA-19QW

jamesp1983

down77 wrote:

Picked up a few Keyspan USB Serial port adapters and they have worked great for myself and my coworkers. The model I have is USA-19QW