Re: Devices with only USB console port - Need a Console Server Solution

[William Herrin <bill () herrin us>]

On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 9:11 AM, Jared Mauch <jared () puck nether net> wrote:
>         Yes, but I'm always concerned about what boot messages are lost
> or things you can't quite do properly (like send break, etc) to get into
> the device as you're waiting for the USB to initalize, driver to present
> to OS, etc..  Maybe they spent more time thinking about this than I
> am aware, but it's something I've not had a proper solution explained to me
> for.

Hi Jared,

Like all USB to serial adapters, the the USB port on the router is
powered by the laptop or whatever device it's plugged in to. It
initializes and is ready before you turn the router on.

I have not had any problems sending a serial break via USB-to-serial
adapters. Have you?

You can get a server in a shallow-depth 1U case with a solid state
drive just as readily as a serial console server. Add USB ports and
hubs. This gives you a Linux box on site (handy for troubleshooting)
and might simplify your cabling (put USB hubs beside a bank of devices
and run only one cable back to the server). A little bit of scripting
with the hotplug system will let you associate the USB device using a
given serial number with whatever name you care to give it, which
might also simplify documentation for which router is plugged in
where.

As for why they made the change... EIA-232 serial ports are becoming
rare. Not much uses them any more and it has become hard to find a
laptop with one built in.

Regards,
Bill Herrin

-- 
William Herrin ................ herrin () dirtside com  bill () herrin us
Owner, Dirtside Systems ......... Web: <http://www.dirtside.com/>