Setting up my home lab for ccna

[S0ULphIRE]

If it is, let me know how they're doing it. I've never seen a switch connected via its console port to the ethernet port on a pc.

 

[Peter.Cort]

at my school we only use the adapters, I'm pretty sure there isn't a way you can do it through an rj45-rj45 connection.

 

[mikesx4911]

On my pc it dosent have the db9 connector so I would have to get a rj45 to usb, anyone have a link to one on ebay? And I will examine the cable at school today

 

[S0ULphIRE]

Don't forget if you do that then you'll need the actual DB9-USB adapter as well as a rj45-DB9. A cable going straight from rj45 to usb won't work because the serial commands won't be emulated.

 

[mikesx4911]

I cant believe you need all these adapters just to hook up to the console like **** as much as technology has evolved and we still have to use adapters, and db9 come on lol

 

[S0ULphIRE]

It's the same for a lot of other tech out there as well, not just the switches/routers. It's purposely made difficult, most manufacturers don't want every john doe out there plugging in and fiddling with the devices internal configuration

 

[mikesx4911]

Ok I took a good look at the way it was setup yesterday I will try to explain this the best way I can. My pc that I configure from is plugged directly into a switch, from that switch it is than plugged into the back of a router with a adapter that goes from rj45 to a serial connection, than that router is connected to two other routers using some sort of serial connection as well. So my assumption was def wrong its not just a cable with two rj45 ends lol. I have a serial connector on one of my pcs it has server 2003 that I just freshly loaded so I will get the cable and go from there. I have some other questions though, once I get everything plugged up is there any cool stuff I can do with server 2003? I use that computer mainly as a server to play videos streaming and host files and etc. I would like to setup a ftp server, and possibly a dns server on there, I heard it can speed up data on a network. I would like to use active directory seeing as a lot of jobs require you to know it but I feel lost. What do you guys suggest? Oh yea and the serial cards are missing on the back of my routers does anyone have a link to some that I can get?

 

[S0ULphIRE]

Hang on, the rj45 to serial connection plugs in from where to where? Which end goes into what?
The router to router serial connections you don't have to worry about for now.

As for cool stuff you can do with the 2003 server, yeah I guess you could setup an internal DNS server; easy to configure on the cisco stuff once you can console in too.

 

[mikesx4911]

Ok I got a cable rj45 to serial, a rollover cable. I installed putty on my computer running server 2003. I should be able to connect to my router now. I open putty click on serial speed is 9600 when I click on open, a window opens up with terminal but no text appears, and I am unable to type anything. Suggestions?

 

[S0ULphIRE]

Make sure you've set putty to echo typed characters locally (E.g. makes what you type shows up on the screen). Should be an option in the settings somewhere.
Try starting the putty session before you switch the router on, you should see the router startup sequence in the window. If not, you might not have configured the settings correctly.