Console And Auxiliary Port Considerations; Console Port Connections - Cisco 4000 Series Hardware Installation Manual

Chapter 2 Cisco 4000 Series ISRs Preinstallation

Console and Auxiliary Port Considerations

The router includes an asynchronous serial console port and an auxiliary port. You access to the router
either locally using a console terminal connected to the console port, or remotely using a modem
connected to the auxiliary port. This section discusses important cabling information you must consider
before connecting the router to a console terminal or modem.
The major difference between the console and auxiliary ports is that the auxiliary port supports hardware
flow control and the console port does not. Flow control paces the transmission of data between a
sending and a receiving device. Flow control ensures that the receiving device can absorb the data sent
to it before the sending device sends more data. When the buffers on the receiving device are full, a
message is sent to the sending device to suspend transmission until the data in the buffers is processed.
Because the auxiliary port supports flow control, it is suited for use with the high-speed transmissions
of a modem. Console terminals send data at speeds slower than the speeds modems do; therefore, the
console port is ideally suited for use with console terminals.
Cisco 4221 ISR does not have an auxiliary port.
Note

Console Port Connections

The router has both EIA/TIA-232 asynchronous (RJ-45) and USB 5-pin mini Type B, 2.0 compliant
serial console ports. Shielded USB cables with properly terminated shields are recommended.
EIA/TIA-232
Depending on the cable and the adapter used, this port appears as a DTE or DCE device at the end of the
cable. At a time, only one port can be used.
The default parameters for the console port are 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, and no parity. The
console port does not support hardware flow control. For detailed information about installing a console
terminal, see the
For cable and port pinouts, see the
USB Serial Console
The USB serial console port connects directly to the USB connector of a PC using a USB Type A to 5-pin
mini USB Type-B cable. The USB Console supports full speed (12Mb/s) operation. The console port
does not support hardware flow control.
Cisco 4461 supports Mini-USB Type B serial port and Micro-USB Type B serial port
Note
Always use shielded USB cables with a properly terminated shield.
Note
The default parameters for the console port are 9600 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit. For
detailed information about installing a console terminal, see the
Modem" section on page
OL-32185-02
"Connect to Console Terminal or Modem" section on page
Cisco Modular Access Router Cable Specifications
3-22.
Hardware Installation Guide for the Cisco 4000 Series Integrated Services Router
Network Cabling Specifications
3-22.
document.
"Connect to Console Terminal or
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