[cisco-voip] new cisco usb console cable

[Doug McIntyre]

On Thu, Jan 07, 2010 at 05:12:20PM -0500, Lelio Fulgenzi wrote:
> oh my. 
> 
> so i bought a couple of 3900s and decided to get the USB console cable. 
> what a production to get it to work. 
>     ??? have to download the software from CCO 
>     ??? have to install the software 
>     ??? have to look into your hardware listing to see the com port number it assigned 
>     ??? if you plug in the cable to a different USB port you have to reinstall the software (windows will do this automatically, but it still asks you) 
> 
> right now, the only advantage to a pure USB console cable over a USB-serial adapter is that perhaps you can upload software to the router faster than a serial cable. 


Highly doubtful. The USB console *is* a serial dongle. Its just that
they moved the dongle into the router itself, so you only have to have
the USB cable instead of a USB cable attached to a dongle.

I don't have a new router to see what the actual chip is, most likely one
of the standard ones, since Linux/OSX apparently ship with the drivers already.

Your frustration points sound an aweful alot like the PL-232 chip
driver though, so I'd assume that chip is used. Its used in 50-60% of
the USB serial dongles out there already anyway.