Connect a Cisco router to a pc

[spikopsycho]

Hi guys.

Met a bit of a problem, so I thought I'd ask and see if anyone has any ideas for this.

I'm getting a Cisco 2621 Router to practice configs via Command Line interface, but, I'm not sure how I'm gonna connect it.

The router has a RJ45 console port, but my PC has no serial ports or console ports to speak of, only the usual Ethernet connection. As I understand it (from here:http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps332/products_tech_note09186a0080094ce6.shtml , I need a serial/com1 port and then an adaptor to be able to connect.

Is this right? (any networking people here ?). If so, is it actually possible to get a PCI card with one of these ports or something?

Hope that makes sense.

Cheers

 

[pengipete]

Google "RJ45 USB" - loads of hits including Amazon - cheap too. Just one problem - the definition for RJ45 got somewhat skewed - it was originally the plug you still see between a telephone receiver and cradle but it ended up being used to describe an ethernet plug that is wired completely differently. Not only that but there are "versions" of RJ45 like RJ45(s) which are rare.

Funny thing is, I Googled "Cisco 2621" and the links and pictures I found all show it with bog-standard ethernet ports.

 

[spikopsycho]

Funny thing is, I Googled "Cisco 2621" and the links and pictures I found all show it with bog-standard ethernet ports.

Will look for that: The router does have two standard ethernet ports, but as far as I'm aware you can't use these to configure straight away - ethernet ports are down by default, and will come up when given an Ip address. The others look the same, but one is a console port, and one an aux port.

I can get a console cable fine, but the problem is I have no console ports on my Pc, nor any of the older serial or com ports.

 

[Gorman]

the router will have an rj-45 port marked 'Console', this can be used with the cisco standard rj-45 to serial cable, which will work with most usb to serial connectors like this:

RJ-45 is the standard connector for Cat-5 etc cable, your bog standard network cable, the smaller version used for telephones is called RJ-11.

plug it all in, fire up telnet and away you go. I am using a similar setup to access my aging collection of cisco switches, routers, vpn boxes and firewall guff.

CCNA i presume, i dont envy you.

 

[spikopsycho]

Yay!

Thankyou!

Yep, CCNA lol