In our office building, we have a Cisco SRW2048 switch. On the back, it has a serial port for console connections. I would like to connect this console port to my computer in my room.
The switch is located in the network room next to the ethernet patch panel which leads to all of the other rooms. I was wondering if it was possible to use that patch panel to connect to the switch's console port.
Would it work if I used 2 rollover cables? Like, if I connected one from the switch to the patch panel and another from the ethernet port in my room to the serial port on my computer?
If not, is there another way to connect to the switch without running a super-long serial cable along the floor from the network room to my room?
UPDATE: Yes, I know I should be using the web interface (or telnet) to access the switch. I just want to connect to the console port as a learning exercise or, you know, just for fun.
I'm just not sure what cable/adapters to use, since in the lab in school, the router/switches had RJ45 connectors as their console ports and we used rollover cables to connect to them. This switch has a RS232 (serial) connector as its console port and I wasn't sure how to interface with it through the ethernet patch panel.
UPDATE 2: Could I use a rollover cable on one end and a "null modem" adapter on the other?
Best Answer
Use a straight through cable from the console port of the Cisco to the patch panel, and then a rollover from the port in the wall to your computer?