We have one of these nice new and fancy Cisco ASR920-24SZ, just realized it doesn't have an RJ45 Console port only USB. When we deploy devices at our pop we wire the console port to a terminal\console server, well that doesn't work for a usb console device.
So what is everyone doing for out of band management via the console when it's a usb only device?
Is there something I am missing?
Is there a console server for USB?
Does cisco make an USB to RJ45 Jack adapter?
hi erik
We have one of these nice new and fancy Cisco ASR920-24SZ, just realized it doesn't have an RJ45 Console port only USB. When we deploy devices at our pop we wire the console port to a terminal\console server, well that doesn't work for a usb console device.
..
Does cisco make an USB to RJ45 Jack adapter?
cisco bought linksys long long ago whom, along with dozens of others, make USB-ethernet gigE dongle
magic pixie dust
alvin
# DDoS-Mitigator.net
Looks like what you want is the A920-CONS-KIT-S part. Description on it is "ASR 920 Serial Console Cabling Kit" This is a $0 item when ordered with the ASR920s. The other option is the A900-CONS-KIT-U which is the USB-USB console kit.
Shows the adapter which I'm assuming is what's included in the kit, they mention needing the RJ-45 to DB9 cable (normal Cisco console cable) in addition to this ASR9XX specific adapter. Should be able to plug your normal terminal server cables into the adapter cable listed above.
Hope this is helpful.
Jeremy "TheBrez" Bresley
brez@brezworks.com
This seems to have the info you need. Looks like that's a USB serial
port, so when you plug into it, your laptop grows a new serial port that
can be used to communicate with the device:
According to that there is a USB-to-RJ45 adapter available, but not
supplied with the device.
Regards, K.
USB-to-RJ45 adapter available --- Does anyone have the part number? is it A920-CONS-KIT-S - Serial Console Kit, USB-to-RJ45 cable
Can anyone confirm this is the right part number
Thanks Everyone
Ftdi USB to Serial / Rs232 Console Rollover Cable for Cisco Routers - Rj45
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M2SAKMG/ref=cm_sw_r_em_awd_HnHzwb7XCEQAV
This is an active cable. Not passive.
Any USB to serial converter will probably do it.
I am always surprised at people who unpack new toys that somebody paid a lot of money for only to find at that late date that the new toy does not fit into their defined (for some shaky value of "defined") structure.
The OP is looking to integrate a device with a console server. "Any
converter" would be a mistake. You can get these things for two dollars,
but you get what you pay for.
Maybe seek suggestions here as to converters others have used with
success, the main criteria for success being robustness, reliability and
build quality.
Personally in this situation I would get the approved, vendor supplied,
genuine part.
Regards, K.
Just some follow up on this one. I have also posed in the C-NSP list
Yes you do need to have this kit to have serial console, No a normal USB-DB9 Console adapters do not work.
Here are some pictures of the ASR920 Console kit A920-CONS-KIT-S
The Adapter Plugs in the Top Left USB Console Port and we have it wired up to a Perle IOLAN SCS48C console server using a rollover cable.
Here are some pictures of it, since I can only find a brief mention of it in all the cisco docs.
seems like a total improvement.... swapping 1 well known, simple cable for 2...
hurray progress?
Erik Sundberg <ESundberg@nitelusa.com> writes:
Just some follow up on this one. I have also posed in the C-NSP list
Yes you do need to have this kit to have serial console, No a normal
USB-DB9 Console adapters do not work.
Which could be because the driver for that particular Console adapters
is missing. Or even that the driver is there, but recognizing specific
Cisco device IDs only. As you are probably aware, there are no standard
USB-DB9 Console adapters. They are all vendor specific. But the
cloning industry has created a few semi-standards based on specific
chipsets.
Here are some pictures of the ASR920 Console kit A920-CONS-KIT-S
No inside pictures 
Assuming that this is really an USB device, and that the console port is
really an USB host port, it would be useful to know the USB decriptors
of the device. You wouldn't be willing to connect it to a Linux PC and
run "lsusb -vd", would you?
Bjørn
Christopher Morrow <morrowc.lists@gmail.com> writes:
seems like a total improvement.... swapping 1 well known, simple cable for 2...
hurray progress?
The USB port is probably cheaper than anything else. And it gives them
more flexibility. No need for both an RS232 and Ethernet console port.
The USB port can be both, depending only on driver/application support
on the router. And you have other options as well. Wifi console maybe?
Or a direct USB-USB cable (with the necessary logic to appear as a
device to both ends).
It is also possible to create USB only console servers, if the market
wants that. Avoiding two RS232 conversions per console port will save
enough capacitors to run a Tesla.
Whether these alternatives become available is of course up to Cisco.
You do need the driver and application support on the router. Time will
show what they come up with.
Bjørn
Here are the pictures again.
We have one of these nice new and fancy Cisco ASR920-24SZ, just realized it doesn't have an RJ45 Console port only USB. When we deploy devices at our pop we wire the console port to a terminal\console server, well that doesn't work for a usb console device.
So what is everyone doing for out of band management via the console when it's a usb only device?
Is there something I am missing?
Likely not. I've seen most equipment makers start to ignore serial console.
The default these appears to be moving to a uBoot/PXE style network setup
where you push an image and such via TFTP/DHCP into the device.
Is there a console server for USB?
I've not seen one show up, but there are other devices like this
which the DIY industry has started to build:
I have a side business i'm tinkering with and these are open source
hardware. If there is interest, I'd be willing to build these in volume and
drive the cost down.
It would not be difficult to do a giant USB hub that was similar.
Does cisco make an USB to RJ45 Jack adapter?
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.
- Jared
This is not strictly true. There is a Communications Device Class (CDC
ACM) defined by the USB-IF that covers basic serial devices and most OSs
(even Windows! Though it does require a .inf file anyway) include a
driver for it. A rumour I heard recently was that its lack of popularity
was a result of Microsoft and Intel not wanting device developers to
ignore the advantages of USB and just use CDC to continue using their
old-school RS232 protocols for mice or whatever. There are also some
good reasons not to use it, such as flow control, strict timing, higher
data rates, and added features available with custom chipsets, but it's
just fine for a serial console.
Exar, Microchip and others make simple and cheap USB-UART chips using
CDC ACM, and it's a very common application example for USB
microcontrollers.
USB console ports are just adding complexity where it offers no
advantage. KISS.
Keenan
A possible alternative, although probably not one you'd want to leave in place permanently:
http://www.get-console.com/airconsole/
-Pete
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
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?
Yes.
I’ve had a lot of issues with various USB serial devices and proper
support. There’s a lot of cheap windows only hardware out there.
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.
If you look at a modern router, eg: ASR9922, you have at least 4 serial
ports that need to be connected. Adding a server per router gets
expensive quickly, not to include keeping the right kvm/vmware -> vm
mapping in place for the work.
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.
Like I said, that’s why we’ve seen things like that CERN open hardware solution
come into play. It’s cheaper than your above mentioned server and has more
robust support for the “industry standard” RJ45 pinout.
- Jared
No inside pictures
Assuming that this is really an USB device, and that the console port is
really an USB host port, it would be useful to know the USB decriptors
of the device. You wouldn't be willing to connect it to a Linux PC and
run "lsusb -vd", would you?
I'm inconveniently consoled into one via a combination of remote desktop into windows -- linux console on a virtual machine -- screen /dev/ttyACM0. Because of this posting lsusb -vd is taxing.
Linux has full support for the device. It sees it as cdc_acm.
The vendor id is 0x04e2 (Exar Corp). Product ID is 0x1410. I've got two connected right now. This is in our lab and the windows box is temporary. Our intention is to use a raspberry pi for the terminal server.
I'm obviously not in front of it, but I'm wondering if they can be enumerated by something other than when they were plugged in. That's my biggest hurdle for making a console server for them.. how to figure out what router is connected to which USB port after a reboot, or someone getting unpluggy with cables.
Bjørn
Robert
The airconsole's are cute ... but not really practical.
I happened to get a chip computer (getchip.com ?) and turned it into a
console server I can get to over the net ... at least at home and
equinix. it's also 'cute' but not really practical... it is only 9 USD
though, so there's that.
I'm really unclear why USB for console is 'a thing' for large gear...
9600 is plenty fast for typing, 115200 is acceptable (in a pinch) for
code upgrades... (icky, yes, but...)
I wonder if you can x-modem over the usb... and at what rate. I also
do wonder about jared's problem of: "hey so I need to hit break to fix
this gear during reboot.... oops! driver not loaded yet!"