Connecting Cisco Router/Switch through Console Port and Troubleshooting

What is Console Port of Cisco Switch /Router?
Every Cisco router/switch has a console port on its back. It is there to provide a way to hookup a terminal to the router in order to work on it. The console port (sometimes called the management port) is used by administrators to log into a router directly — that is, without a network connection. The console must be used to install routers onto networks because, of course, at that point there is no network connection to work through.

Connecting the Console Port to a PC

Console (rollover) Cable and Adapters
The console cable can be:
•    RJ-45-to-RJ-45 console cable
•    RJ-45-to-DB-9 adapter
Making the physical connection
Follow these steps to connect the Router/Switch to a terminal or PC running terminal emulation software:
Step 1 Locate the console port on the back of the Router/Switch.

Step 2 Connect the console (or rollover) cable to the console port on the Router/Switch.

Step 3 Use the correct adapter to connect the other end of the cable to your terminal or PC.

Step 4 If your terminal or PC has a console port that does not fit one of the adapters, you must provide the correct adapter for that port.

Connecting using HyperTerminal
Click on the HyperTerminal icon below to launch a pre-configured HyperTerminal connection. This connection is configured for use with all Cisco Router/Switches. (The Router/Switch should be connected to your laptop at this time.

Depending on your browser settings, you may initially see a message asking whether you want to open the file or save it to disk. To launch the connection now, select the "open" option. To save the connection to your local hard-drive for future use, select the "save" option.

If you selected the "open" option, you should now be communicating with the Router/Switch. If you are experiencing problems, make sure the

Router/Switch is powered on; you are attached to the proper Com Port and verify your cabling.

Setting up a HyperTerminal connection file
Using this procedure you will create a named connection that you can save and reuse. (This creates a connection identical to the one provided above, and is included primarily for your reference.)

To set up a HyperTerminal connection on your laptop:

Step 1 Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar, and select Programs > Accessories > Communications > HyperTerminal. HyperTerminal launches and displays the Connection Description dialog box.

Alternatively, if you previously saved a connection for Cisco equipment, you can launch it by selecting Programs > Accessories > Communications > HyperTerminal >connection_name.

Step 2 Type in a name and optionally select an Icon to represent your HyperTerminal session. Click OK. The Phone Number window appears.

Step 3 Locate the Connect Using field near the bottom of the Phone Number window. Select "Direct to COM1" from the drop-down list to indicate that this connection is a local session (and not a dial-up session). Click OK. The COM1 Properties window appears.

Step 4 On the Port Settings tab, enter the following settings:
•    Speed - 9600
•    Data Bits - 8
•    Parity - none
•    Stop bits - 1
•    Flow Control - none

Step 5 Click OK to make the connection. The COM1 Properties window disappears. You should now see a blinking cursor in the HyperTerminal terminal window.

If there are any problems at this point, then see below the Troubleshooting console port problems to isolate and fix the problem.

Troubleshooting console port problems

SYMPTOM: No connection.
•    Check your laptop's settings to see if COM1 is loaded.
•    Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel. Within the Control Panel window, open the Systems icon. Choose the Device Manager tab, and ensure that COM1 is an option on the Ports drop-down list. If COM1 is missing, reboot your laptop and repeat this check. It should now appear.
SYMPTOM: No response from Router/Switch once connected to Router/Switch via console.
•    Check to ensure you are using the correct cable (roll-over as opposed to straight through).
•    Verify that HyperTerminal is configured to use the correct communications port.
SYMPTOM: Only getting garbage from the Router/Switch.
Ensure HyperTerminal is setup using the correct speed -- 9600 Baud.

What Hardware You Need to Use in a Network

Computers connected together in a refurbished cisco equipment are the most important element it contains. PCs can run software that makes them routers, gateways, proxies or file servers. Networks, however, also use dedicated hardware devices in specialized configurations with dedicated software. Hardware elements range from very simple splitters to complicated machines that calculate routes for data sent and received across the globe.

Network Adapter

Every device connected to a network must have a network adapter. Part of the function of the network adapter makes it a Media Access Controller. It must listen for silence on the cable before sending a signal, as well as deal with collision of data. Wired network adapters must conform with the requirements of the physical cable. The most common standard for network cable is Ethernet. Local Area Networks (LANs) operate with media access control (MAC) addressing. Every network adapter has a unique serial number which is also used to provide the MAC address. Wireless cisco refurbished adapters operate in the same manner as a regular network adapter, except they have a radio transmitter/receiver instead of a cable socket.

Cable/Cisco Cable

Despite the consumer popularity of wireless networks, most networks in the world are connected by cable. The most common standard for network cable is the Ethernet standard was originally created by Xerox but is not managed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. buy network hardware The IEEE defines a variety of standards with different types of media including fiber optic and unshielded twisted pair. UTP is the most common cable type in use in networks.

Hubs and Switches

The simplest device for transferring data from one computer to another over a network is the hub. The hub is a box with an array of sockets. Each socket hosts a cable and each cable leads to a device such as a computer, printer or fax machine. Any message coming in on one of the sockets is copied and sent out on all other sockets. buy used cisco The hub does not use addresses but merely repeats what arrives on a socket. Originally hubs were popular because they were much cheaper than switches. The falling price of switches is now making hubs obsolete, since switches offer greater functionality. The switch is the same as a hub except it only copies incoming data out to the socket it has associated with the MAC address it finds in the header of the incoming data packet.

Bridges

The task of the Medium Access Controller requires it to wait for silence on a cable before sending data. This means that if there are many computers connected to the same cable, each must wait a long time to get a turn sending data packets. buy and sell cisco Segmenting the network reduces this wait time, since each computer only competes with other computers on the same segment. Network segments are connected via bridges, which are simple switches with only two sockets: one for each segment. Bridges record the MAC addresses of the computers on each segment and pass data from one side to the other if the source and destination of the data packets reside on different segments.

Routers

Switches and Bridges deal with MAC addresses, while routers deal with Internet protocol (IP) addresses. The MAC address is like the street address of a house and the IP address is like the telephone number. buy sell cisco The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) maps between the two addressing systems. The MAC address applies across one link, which is usually enough to get data across a Local Area Network. Routers send data across many links and the overall path is dictated by the IP address.