As everybody knows Cisco's console ports are RJ45. However, the cable they come bundled with is DB9 to RJ45. We have a KVM that allows managing network devices via a serial port but the port on the KVM is also RJ45, not DB9. What is the name of the cable to allow this connection (serial RJ45 to RJ45). Note: the standard Ethernet patch cable is also RJ45 to RJ45 but does not work.
Cisco – the name of the cable (RJ45 to RJ45) that can be used to connect from a KVM to Cisco serial port
ciscokvm-virtualizationserialswitch
Best Answer
You're correct, standard ethernet cables won't work due to the wiring sequence - cisco uses what's called a "rollover cable" for their serial consoles. An example of the pin-out for rollover can be found here:
http://pinouts.ru/NetworkCables/rj45_rollover_pinout.shtml
It's as simple as pin 8 on one end is swapped to pin 1 on the other end, pin 7 to pin 2, etc. All the way down the cable.
If you have some Cat-5 cable, RJ-45 ends, a crimper, and the know-how to crimp your own cables - you can make your own rollovers fairly easily! If you don't wish to do that, I'd suggest searching for "Cisco RJ-45 Rollover" or similar in order to find vendors from which you can purchase RJ-45 to RJ-45 rollover cables.
P.S: Double-check the documentation of your KVM - some KVMs that allow serial management require their own proprietary adapters for it, even if the port on the KVM is RJ-45. If it does require a proprietary adapter, there's a chance that it will support standard RJ-45.