Usb Type A Port - Cisco Catalyst WS-C3850-24T-L Product Overview

Product Overview

USB Type A Port

• USB mini-Type B console port (5-pin connector).
The 10/100/1000 Ethernet management port connection uses a standard RJ-45 crossover or straight-through
cable. The RJ-45 console port connection uses the supplied RJ-45-to-DB-9 female cable. The USB console
port connection uses a USB Type A to 5-pin mini-Type B cable. The USB console interface speeds are the
same as the RJ-45 console interface speeds.
If you use the USB mini-Type B console port, the Cisco Windows USB device driver must be installed on
any PC connected to the console port (for operation with Microsoft Windows). Mac OS X or Linux do not
require special drivers.
The 4-pin mini-Type B connector resembles the 5-pin mini-Type B connectors. They are not compatible. Use
only the 5-pin mini-Type B.
This illustration shows a 5-pin mini-Type B USB port.
Figure 4: USB Mini-Type B Port
With the Cisco Windows USB device driver, you can connect and disconnect the USB cable from the console
port without affecting Windows HyperTerminal operations.
The console output always goes to both the RJ-45 and the USB console connectors, but the console input is
active on only one of the console connectors at any one time. The USB console takes precedence over the
RJ-45 console. When a cable is connected into the USB console port, the RJ-45 console port becomes inactive.
Conversely, when the USB cable is disconnected from the USB console port, the RJ-45 port becomes active.
You can use the command-line interface (CLI) to configure an inactivity timeout which reactivates the RJ-45
console if the USB console has been activated and no input activity has occurred on the USB console for a
specified time.
After the USB console deactivates due to inactivity, you cannot use the CLI to reactivate it. Disconnect and
reconnect the USB cable to reactivate the USB console. For information on using the CLI to configure the
USB console interface, see the software guide.
USB Type A Port
The USB Type A port provides access to external USB flash devices (also known as thumb drives or USB
keys) and to specific Cisco USB Bluetooth devices.
The port supports Cisco USB flash drives with capacities from 128 MB to 8 GB (USB devices with port
densities of 128 MB, 256 MB, 1 GB, 4 GB, and 8 GB are supported). When combined with stacking, you can
upgrade other switches in the stack from an USB key inserted in any switch within the stack. Cisco IOS
software provides standard file system access to the flash device: read, write, erase, and copy, as well as the
ability to format the flash device with a FAT file system.
It provides you with the ability to automatically upgrade the internal flash with the USB drive's configuration
and image for emergency switch recovery using USB auto-upgrade. This feature checks the internal flash for
a bootable image and configuration and if either image or the configuration is not available, then the USB
drive is checked for boot images and configuration. If the boot image and configuration are available, these
are copied to flash for the reboot.
Catalyst 3850 Switch Hardware Installation Guide
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