How to Console when the Switch only has serial port. AHHHHHHHH

[logannordly@hotmail.com]

I have always worked with switches that have the RJ45 console port. The business i started at has all Cisco SBS switches that only have the serial console port. I tried to use a serial to rj-45 adapter and then plug my console cable into that, but get no communication. I reached out to cisco support and they said to try a female to female adapter and then use a male serial to usb. Every adapter i can find has reviews that say they don't work with cisco switches. 

I know this shouldn't be that difficult, but what combination of cables and adapters do I need to consoel into a cisco sbs switch with a serial console port?

Thanks!

[Jaderson Pessoa]

you can use, cisco serial cable with db-2 usb adpter or just db-2 usb adpter in your case.

[Aijaz Rehman]

The problem you are facing is very common, and the solution is below

RJ45-USB via serialSerial-Serial-USB

This illustration illustrates a typical USB-to-Serial configuration. Users often insert an RJ-45 into the switch side and a USB into their laptop, then connect using a putty Com port to connect the switch.

The second is when you just have a serial port; typically, an Extreme switch or a Cisco Small Business 8-port have a serial port only. The purple cable I've shown you above is a female-to-female 9-pin cable that comes with an Extreme switch. One end of the cable connects to the switch, and the other to your USB-Serial cable. You can then connect the USB port on your laptop to connect through the console.

Any number of options exist for connecting a console port; all you need are connectors on hand. I recently connected using

[Aijaz Rehman]

Hope it helps you