[GLLUG] Configuring a secondhand managed switch

[John Hearns]

Chris, you are not going to like my reply. I would use MobaXterm on a
Windows laptop.
Plus as John says a USB to serial dongle.  Dont get all hung up on null
modem cables - just use a USB dongle and any serial cable. Give it a try.

As an aside if your switch has an RJ45 style serial port the RJ45 to serial
cables on Amazon work great.
I used to carry one in my bag of cables and adapters in the days when I
visited sites.

(Might not be RJ45 - but you know the standard port, looks like
ethernet but it is not)

On Thu, 30 Jan 2025 at 17:46, John Edwards via GLLUG <
gllug at mailman.lug.org.uk> wrote:

> Hi Chris
>
> On Thu, Jan 30, 2025 at 05:26:35PM +0000, Chris Bell via GLLUG wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I have a secondhand HP ProCurve 2824 J4903 network switch and some
> computers
> > running Debian 12 (Bookworm) with KDE desktop and DB9 serial ports. I
> have
> > followed the switch "return to factory default reset" procedure, so I
> think
> > need to connect the Switch Console DB9 to a computer DB9 via a
> null-modem
> > cable to do an initial configuration with terminal configured as
> >
> > Baud rate 9600
> > 8Bits + 1 stop bit
> > No parity
> > No flow control
> >
> > Xmodem is mentioned
> > I could then use a standard VT-100/ANSI or web interface to continue
> > configuration.
> >
> > I have two DB9 to open end adapters plus choc block so that I can easily
> > change the connections.
> > I don't care whether I work as computer user with dialup permission or
> root.
> > I have read through various man pages, but nothing I have done so far
> has
> > shown any sign of working, and am not sure whether I am trying the wrong
> > software. Could SystemD need to be configured first?
> > Any suggestions welcome.
> > I would be happy to install a different version of Debian if needed.
> > Thanks for any help.
> > --
> > Chris Bell
> > www.chrisbell.org.uk
>
> What program are you using on the Linux machine to connect?
>
> I tend to use 'minicom'. Control-A followed by 'o' opens up the menu
> (to change serial device, speed, etc), Control-A 'z' opens up help,
> and Control-A 'q' quits without sending a reset to the serial device
> (usually safest).
>
> The motherboard serial devices are numbered from /dev/ttyS0, and USB
> serial adapters from /dev/ttyUSB0.
>
> The devices are usually group-writable by the "dialout" group, so run
> 'groups | grep dialout' to make sure you a member of that group.
>
> I think SystemD only needs to be involved if you want to set a
> terminal control on a serial device for other devices to connect to
> you machine.
>
> Another useful tool is 'statserial', which shows you the status of the
> various serial pins, so you can use that to see if anything is on that
> serial line and it ready to receive (eg have you got the wrong device,
> crossover cable, etc).
>
>
> --
> #---------------------------------------------------------#
> |    John Edwards   Email: john at cornerstonelinux.co.uk    |
> #---------------------------------------------------------#
> --
> GLLUG mailing list
> GLLUG at mailman.lug.org.uk
> https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/gllug
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.lug.org.uk/pipermail/gllug/attachments/20250131/376643d7/attachment.htm>