CISCO / BushNET Serial Console Setup Guide¶

Complete guide for connecting to the CISCO / BushNET console port.

Console Port Specifications¶

The CISCO / BushNET has two console connection options:

Serial Communication Settings¶

Connection Methods¶

Method 1: RJ-45 Console Cable¶

Required Equipment¶

• Cisco console cable (RJ-45 to DB9) - Cisco P/N: 72-3383-01
• USB-to-Serial adapter (if no DB9 port on PC)

Cable Pinout (RJ-45 to DB9)¶

Connection Steps¶

1. Connect RJ-45 end to switch console port
2. Connect DB9 end to PC serial port (or USB adapter)
3. Open terminal emulator
4. Configure settings: 9600 8N1

Method 2: Mini-USB Console Cable¶

Required Equipment¶

• Standard USB Mini-B cable
• Cisco USB console driver (if not auto-installed)

Driver Installation¶

Windows:

1. Connect USB cable
2. Windows should auto-install driver
3. If not, download from: Cisco USB Console Driver

Linux:

• Driver is built into kernel (cdc_acm)
• Device appears as /dev/ttyACM0

macOS:

• Driver is built-in
• Device appears as /dev/tty.usbmodem*

Connection Steps¶

1. Connect USB Mini-B cable to switch
2. Connect USB-A end to PC
3. Device appears as virtual COM port
4. Open terminal emulator
5. Configure settings: 9600 8N1

Terminal Emulator Setup¶

Linux¶

Using Screen¶

# Find device
ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM* 2>/dev/null

# Connect
screen /dev/ttyUSB0 9600

# Exit: Ctrl+A, then K, then Y

Using Minicom¶

# Install
sudo apt install minicom

# Configure
sudo minicom -s
# Select "Serial port setup"
# Set: A - Serial Device: /dev/ttyUSB0
# Set: E - Bps/Par/Bits: 9600 8N1
# Set: F - Hardware Flow Control: No
# Set: G - Software Flow Control: No
# Save as default

# Connect
minicom

Using PuTTY (Linux)¶

sudo apt install putty
putty

• Select "Serial"
• Serial line: /dev/ttyUSB0
• Speed: 9600
• Click "Open"

Windows¶

Using PuTTY¶

1. Download from: https://www.putty.org/
2. Open PuTTY
3. Select "Serial" connection type
4. Serial line: COM3 (check Device Manager for port)
5. Speed: 9600
6. Click "Open"

Using Tera Term¶

1. Download from: https://ttssh2.osdn.jp/
2. File → New Connection
3. Select "Serial"
4. Port: COM3 (your port)
5. Setup → Serial Port
6. Baud rate: 9600
7. Data: 8 bit
8. Parity: none
9. Stop: 1 bit
10. Flow control: none

Using Windows Terminal (PowerShell)¶

# Install Windows Terminal from Microsoft Store
# Use serial terminal extension or third-party tool

macOS¶

Using Screen¶

# Find device
ls /dev/tty.usb*

# Connect
screen /dev/tty.usbserial-XXX 9600

# Exit: Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+\

Using Serial (GUI)¶

1. Download from App Store
2. Select device
3. Set baud rate to 9600
4. Connect

Using CISCO / BushNET Serial Manager¶

This project includes a Qt6 GUI tool for serial console access.

Installation¶

# Build the application
./build.sh

# Run
./build/bin/IE3300SerialManager

Features¶

• Auto-detect serial ports
• Pre-configured CISCO / BushNET defaults (9600 8N1)
• Terminal with ANSI color support
• Quick command buttons
• Command history
• Session logging
• Connection profiles

Usage¶

1. Launch IE3300SerialManager
2. Select port from dropdown
3. Click "Connect"
4. Interact with switch via terminal
5. Use quick commands for common tasks

Troubleshooting¶

No Output on Terminal¶

1. Check cable connection
2. Ensure cable is fully inserted

3. Try different console port (RJ-45 vs USB)

4. Verify port settings

Speed: 9600
Data bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop bits: 1
Flow control: None

1. Check correct COM port
2. Linux: ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM*
3. Windows: Device Manager → Ports

4. macOS: ls /dev/tty.usb*

5. Press Enter several times

6. Switch may need input to display prompt

7. Check switch power

8. Verify LEDs indicate switch is powered

Permission Denied (Linux)¶

Add user to dialout group:

sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
# Log out and back in

Or use sudo:

sudo screen /dev/ttyUSB0 9600

Garbled Output¶

1. Wrong baud rate
2. Ensure 9600 bps is selected

3. Try other common rates: 115200, 38400, 19200

4. Flow control mismatch

5. Disable hardware flow control

6. Disable software flow control (XON/XOFF)

7. Wrong cable type

8. Use Cisco console cable, not Ethernet cable
9. Verify pinout if using custom cable

USB Console Not Detected¶

1. Install driver
2. Windows: Install Cisco USB console driver
3. Linux: Should work automatically (cdc_acm module)

4. macOS: Should work automatically

5. Try different USB port

6. Avoid USB hubs

7. Use USB 2.0 port if USB 3.0 causes issues

8. Check cable

9. Ensure cable supports data (not charge-only)
10. Try different cable

Switch Not Responding¶

1. Check if switch is booting
2. Watch LEDs during power-on

3. Boot process takes 1-2 minutes

4. Switch may be in ROMMON

5. Look for rommon 1 > prompt

6. Type boot to continue booting

7. Password recovery may be needed

8. If locked out, follow password recovery procedure

Console Output Examples¶

Successful Boot¶

Cisco IOS Software, IE3300 Software (IE3300-UNIVERSALK9-M), Version 17.9.4
...
Press RETURN to get started!

Switch>

ROMMON Mode¶

rommon 1 > 

Type boot to start normal boot.

Initial Configuration Dialog¶

--- System Configuration Dialog ---

Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog? [yes/no]:

Normal Prompt¶

Switch>                    ! User EXEC mode
Switch#                    ! Privileged EXEC mode
Switch(config)#            ! Global configuration mode
Switch(config-if)#         ! Interface configuration mode

Console Cable Sources¶

Official Cisco Cables¶

• Cisco Console Cable (RJ-45 to DB9): 72-3383-01
• Cisco USB Console Cable: CAB-CONSOLE-USB

Third-Party Alternatives¶

• FTDI-based USB-to-serial adapters
• Prolific PL2303 adapters (may have driver issues on Windows 10/11)
• CP2102/CP2104 based adapters

DIY Cable¶

If making your own cable, use rollover/console pinout:

RJ-45 Pin 1 <-> RJ-45 Pin 8
RJ-45 Pin 2 <-> RJ-45 Pin 7
RJ-45 Pin 3 <-> RJ-45 Pin 6
RJ-45 Pin 4 <-> RJ-45 Pin 5

References¶

• Cisco Console Cable Pinout
• Cisco USB Console Driver
• IE3300 Hardware Installation Guide