Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

I work a lot with Cisco devices which you can console into via a console cable when remote access is not set up or possible due to "network issues".

Do you think this is possible:

Connect a mini-usb to usb adapter to my N800, then a usb to serial dongle to the adapter, then connect a standard cisco serial to rj45 blue cable.

Connect the Rj45 as normal to the console port on a cisco switch and use perhaps xterm to logon to the cisco switch and issue commands?

just wondering, would like to not have to schlep the laptop with me when troubleshooting a switch.

tia

dchang

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

Based on recently discovered information (posted in various locations in this forum) it seems *possible*... just currently unavailable it seems.

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

Right now, usb host mode on N800's isn't possible.

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

Okay, let me qualify my earlier statement: potentially possible. ;)

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

Not disagreeing with you, I just got called away from my desk for five mins and replied w/o seeing if anyone else had already replied. I'm watching the other threads hoping someone will come up w/ host mode, too!

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

You'd still need some kind of terminal emulator to get a router connection right? The 9600,n,8,1 thing has to get wedged in there somewhere. ;)

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

yep, once layer 1 is figured out then am thinking something like minicom or picocom might fill that function. probably all wishful thinking on my part.

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

Someone ported cu awhile back, and I imagine picocom isn't much worse.

That, combined with a Bluetooth->Serial dongle (yes, quite a bit more expensive than the USB version) would easily handle the communications you're looking for.

A quick rebuild of picocom is now on my list (or perhaps minicom.)

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

That would be cool. You'd finally be untethered from the router console.

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

Cisco and their damnable proprietary cables. And their IOS.
Ditch the Cisco switches and go with Foundry ;)
We've replaced Cisco at my workplace with nothing but Foundry. The only things left that are Cisco are the ATM switches and the routers.
OSPF FTW!

Anyhoo, try this one.
It's only $99. Should work. I'd do it as well but all wireless protocols not approved by the NSA for us to use are banned at my workplace. The only BT device we can even think of using is a special encrypted version that RIM made for their Blackberry BT smartcard sleds.

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

yeah, not that big a fan of cisco but it's a cisco shop that I am in.

the never stuff uses rj45 connectors for console management so still stuck with using a usb-to-serial converter that then hooks to a cisco cable.

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

As someone who works on a *lot* of Cisco gear, I've found this to be a very valuable tool:
http://www.blueconsole.com/
It pulls power off of the handshake lines on the routers; switches don't have them, so you just snap a 9v battery on the end and you're good to go. It's small, light and simple. Works great on my PC (thinkpad running OpenSuse 10.2). I haven't had time to get it going on the N800 yet, but it should work. Anybody got a copy of minicom floating around?

-- Loudog

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

Ask and ye shall receive:

Naive build from Ubuntu Feisty sources.

My N800 is still quite dead. Let me know if it works :)

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

Loudog, did you ever get a chance to try this out on your N800? Was it minicom you ended up using for cli or something else?

co_g30

Re: Cisco Console Cable and N800?
 

minicom is an incompatible package with the n800. i have the newest firmware on it, and i cant install the .deb