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Question for the IT heads (Cisco router-related)

verb606verb606 2,518 Posts
edited February 2009 in Strut Central
Feel free to hit me on the PM's, as this is fairly real headz-related. So I've gotten stuck at working having to configure a Cisco 2801, and all we have around here to do it are MacBooks.If I make my own rollover cable (RJ45 jacks on both ends with reverse pinouts) is that safe to use between the router console port and my Mac's ethernet port? Your help/advice is much appreciated.

  Comments

  • froz1froz1 154 Posts
    I don't see any problem trying your method. Certainly shouldn't hurt anything.
  • observobserv 55 Posts
    i'm pretty certain you need to use the serial port(com 1 com 2) with the rs232 to ethernet adapter on the mac book, which i'm not even certain a mac book has. The reason being, i think, is because the console port on the router only accepts the data stream (bits per second) that it's supposed to which i think is 9600bps.



    when i was taking my routing course we always used the console port + hyperterminal (or minicom on linux) to configure the routers. we never used the ethernet port for the initial configuration, only to telnet after ip configuration was in place.
  • froz1froz1 154 Posts
    i'm pretty certain you need to use the serial port(com 1 com 2) with the rs232 to ethernet adapter on the mac book, which i'm not even certain a mac book has. The reason being, i think, is because the console port on the router only accepts the data stream (bits per second) that it's supposed to which i think is 9600bps.



    when i was taking my routing course we always used the console port + hyperterminal (or minicom on linux) to configure the routers. we never used the ethernet port for the initial configuration, only to telnet after ip configuration was in place.

    Might be worth it to get a USB to Serial cable...

    http://serialio.com/products/adaptors/usb_serial.php
  • mumbosaucemumbosauce 480 Posts
    Feel free to hit me on the PM's, as this is fairly real headz-related.



    So I've gotten stuck at working having to configure a Cisco 2801, and all we have around here to do it are MacBooks.

    If I make my own rollover cable (RJ45 jacks on both ends with reverse pinouts) is that safe to use between the router console port and my Mac's ethernet port?


    Your help/advice is much appreciated.


    this will not work.

    you definately need to get a RJ45 to DB25 adapter. its using serial to communicate. Its not like you can use your network adapter which is talking tcp/ip or whatver protocol your network adapter is using.

    If you got the 2801 new it came with the cable just get a usb to serial adapter. that should work. or if you have a windows based server more than likely it might have a serial port on it. get hyperterminal on the server and use that to connect to the cisco device.


    and its 9600 N81 to connect console into cisco devices.
  • mattBmattB (FTB) Anywhere 673 Posts
    It's "safe", but as mentioned, it just wont work.
    If you don't have a serial interface on your machine,
    you can buy a USB to DB9 cable that should work with
    the macbook (may need to install drivers for it).
    that's how I do it with my macbook air.

    also, if you're already building your own cables, there
    are plenty of guides online on how to build a proper cisco
    console cable.

    edit: oops, was already mentioned.
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