Serial Console and Terminal
Document revision: | 2.1 (Mon Feb 28 14:42:54 GMT 2005) |
Applies to: | V2.8 |
General Information
Summary
The Serial Console and Terminal are tools, used to communicate with devices and other systems that are interconnected via serial port. The serial terminal may be used to monitor and configure many devices - including modems, network devices (including MikroTik routers), and any device that can be connected to a serial (asynchronous) port.
Specifications
Packages required: systemLicense required: Level1
Submenu level: /system
Standards and Technologies: RS-232
Hardware usage: Not significant
Related Documents
Additional Resources
Description
The Serial Console (managed side) feature allows configuring one serial port of the MikroTik router for access to the router's Terminal Console over the serial port. A special null-modem cable is required to connect the router's serial port with the workstation's or laptop's serial (COM) port. A terminal emulation program, e.g., HyperTerminal, should be run on the workstation. You can also use MikroTik RouterOS to connect to an another Serial Console (for example, on a Cisco router).
Several customers have described situations where the Serial Terminal (managing side) feature would be useful:
- in a mountaintop where a MikroTik wireless installation sits next to equipment (including switches and Cisco routers) that can not be managed in-band (by telnet through an IP network)
- monitoring weather-reporting equipment through a serial-console
- connection to a high-speed microwave modem that needed to be monitored and managed by a serial-console connection
With the serial-terminal feature of the MikroTik, up to 132 (and, maybe, even more) devices can be monitored and controlled
Serial Console Configuration
Description
A special null-modem cable should be used for connecting to the serial console. The Serial Console cabling diagram for DB9 connectors is as follows:
Router Side (DB9f) | Signal | Direction | Side (DB9f) |
1, 6 | CD, DSR | IN | 4 |
2 | RxD | IN | 3 |
3 | TxD | OUT | 2 |
4 | DTR | OUT | 1, 6 |
5 | GND | - | 5 |
7 | RTS | OUT | 8 |
8 | CTS | IN | 7 |
Setting Serial Console
Submenu level: /system serial-consoleProperty Description
enabled (yes | no; default: yes) - whether serial console is enabled or not. By default, e.g. after the installation, the console is enabled and you can connect to the router using null-modem serial cableport (name; default: serial0) - which port should the serial terminal listen toExample
To enable Serial Console:
[admin@MikroTik] system serial-console> set enabled=yes [admin@MikroTik] system serial-console> print enabled: yes port: serial0 [admin@MikroTik] system serial-console>
To check if the port is available or used:
[admin@MikroTik] system serial-console> /port print detail 0 name=serial0 used-by=Serial Console baud-rate=9600 data-bits=8 parity=none stop-bits=1 flow-control=none 1 name=serial1 used-by="" baud-rate=9600 data-bits=8 parity=none stop-bits=1 flow-control=none [admin@MikroTik] system serial-console>
Using Serial Terminal
Command name: /system serial-terminalDescription
The command is used to communicate with devices and other systems that are connected to router via serial port.
All keyboard input is forwarded to the serial port and all data from the port is output to the connected device. After exiting with [Ctrl]+[Q], the control signals of the port are lowered. The speed and other parameters of serial port may be configured in the /port directory of router console. No terminal translation on printed data is performed. It is possible to get the terminal in an unusable state by outputting sequences of inappropriate control characters or random data. Do not connect to devices at an incorrect speed and avoid dumping binary data.
Property Description
port (name) - port name to useNotes
[Ctrl]+[Q] and [Ctrl]+[X] have special meaning and are used to provide a possibility of exitting from nested serial-terminal sessions:
To send [Ctrl]+[X] to to serial port, press [Ctrl]+[X] [Ctrl]+[X]
To send [Ctrl]+[Q] to to serial port, press [Ctrl]+[X] [Ctrl]+[Q]
Example
To connect to a device connected to the serial1 port:
[admin@MikroTik] system> serial-terminal serial1 [Type Ctrl-Q to return to console] [Ctrl-X is the prefix key]