Re: [pfSense] Mini-USB console on new pfSense certified hardware

[Karl Fife]

On 8/1/2016 4:20 PM, Moshe Katz wrote:

You could also use a set of USB over twisted pair adapters, but those
aren't necessarily the most dependable pieces of hardware over long
distances.


Indeed.  When something goes wrong, cognitive loads are high, and you 
don't want to be dickign around with uncertainty about your diagnostic 
tools and methods.  It's especially problematic at the precise moment 
when your wings are clipped because you don't have access to various 
online resources.  It's one of those "correlated risks" that makes this 
a bad place to introduce new variables, even if their absolute risk is 
low.   Just my 64¢.


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Re: [pfSense] Mini-USB console on new pfSense certified hardware

[WebDawg]

On Mon, Aug 1, 2016 at 7:03 PM, Jeremy Porter  wrote:

> There is an on-board UART to USB converter on the
> RCC-VE/DFFv2/4860/8880/2440/2220.   This is wired directly to the
> chipset uart on the Rangely, at system voltage levels, not at RS232
> levels.  (The USB convert chip is cost comparable to a RS-232 voltage
> driver chip in cost, and has a smaller board footprint.)  Additionally
> the connect takes up less back-panel space.
>
> There are no test points brought out, if there were you would need a
> level shifter, and an isolator to protect the SOC.
>
> Most modern systems have USB Host ports, which is all that is required
> for the USB serial interface to work.  Any small system, can manage
> quite a few hosts with a powered usb hub.  (We actually use Beaglebone
> black as terminal servers).  We actually switched all our remaining
> terminal server systems over to these types, by getting a rack-mount 32
> port USB to RS-232 converter.
>
>
Can you explain to me the last statement?  You now use a Beaglebone as the
server, and manage the rest of your RS-232 terminal types with the
Beaglebone too.  With the 32 port USB to RS-232 converter?
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Re: [pfSense] Mini-USB console on new pfSense certified hardware

[Jeremy Porter]

There is an on-board UART to USB converter on the
RCC-VE/DFFv2/4860/8880/2440/2220.   This is wired directly to the
chipset uart on the Rangely, at system voltage levels, not at RS232
levels.  (The USB convert chip is cost comparable to a RS-232 voltage
driver chip in cost, and has a smaller board footprint.)  Additionally
the connect takes up less back-panel space.

There are no test points brought out, if there were you would need a
level shifter, and an isolator to protect the SOC.

Most modern systems have USB Host ports, which is all that is required
for the USB serial interface to work.  Any small system, can manage
quite a few hosts with a powered usb hub.  (We actually use Beaglebone
black as terminal servers).  We actually switched all our remaining
terminal server systems over to these types, by getting a rack-mount 32
port USB to RS-232 converter.

On 8/1/2016 3:10 PM, Karl Fife wrote:
> USB HOST to RS232 adapter
>
> It appears that the new rangely-based pfSense certified hardware
> (2440, 4860) has a mini-USB (client) port for console access.
>
> This "convenience" is ironic for us because I actually prefer RS232,
> (because that's the interface everything else uses).  As far as I
> know, I can't buy a USB-to-RS232 adapter because the dongles you buy
> are all USB *clients* (as is the router) therefore I couldn't connect
> a dongle adapter to pfSense and connect with hardware RS232.
>
> The other irony is that the pfSense board doubtless has the UART right
> there on the board ahead of the USB adapter.   I wish there were a USB
> Header I could grab.  Can anyone say whether there's a way to grab
> serial from the board directly?
>
> While this baked-in adapter may be in improvement for many, I'm
> guessing it's as inconvenient others because RS232 is a standard
> handoff.  Everything else uses it, so we build solutions around it. 
> With hardware RS232, I can attach a Serial-to-IP adapter connected to
> our management network, or I can run serial over twisted pair to a
> remote hardware serial port.
>
> Any elegant solutions to this change?
>
>
>
>
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Re: [pfSense] Mini-USB console on new pfSense certified hardware

[Moshe Katz]

I don't have one of these myself yet, but they look to be based on the ADI
RCC-VE 
platform.
The documentation there suggests no way to get around needing the USB
drivers.

It is implied in the manual for the board that the reason for this is to
allow an FPGA serial console and a CPU serial console to share the same
cable - it would just show up on the computer as two COM ports.

The easiest solution I can think of offhand would be to get a small
computer like a Raspberry Pi and use that as your Console-to-IP adapter.
You could also use a set of USB over twisted pair adapters, but those
aren't necessarily the most dependable pieces of hardware over long
distances.

Moshe

--
Moshe Katz
-- mo...@ymkatz.net
-- +1(301)867-3732

On Mon, Aug 1, 2016 at 4:10 PM, Karl Fife  wrote:

> USB HOST to RS232 adapter
>
> It appears that the new rangely-based pfSense certified hardware (2440,
> 4860) has a mini-USB (client) port for console access.
>
> This "convenience" is ironic for us because I actually prefer RS232,
> (because that's the interface everything else uses).  As far as I know, I
> can't buy a USB-to-RS232 adapter because the dongles you buy are all USB
> *clients* (as is the router) therefore I couldn't connect a dongle adapter
> to pfSense and connect with hardware RS232.
>
> The other irony is that the pfSense board doubtless has the UART right
> there on the board ahead of the USB adapter.   I wish there were a USB
> Header I could grab.  Can anyone say whether there's a way to grab serial
> from the board directly?
>
> While this baked-in adapter may be in improvement for many, I'm guessing
> it's as inconvenient others because RS232 is a standard handoff.
> Everything else uses it, so we build solutions around it.  With hardware
> RS232, I can attach a Serial-to-IP adapter connected to our management
> network, or I can run serial over twisted pair to a remote hardware serial
> port.
>
> Any elegant solutions to this change?
>
>
>
>
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> https://lists.pfsense.org/mailman/listinfo/list
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>
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[pfSense] Mini-USB console on new pfSense certified hardware

[Karl Fife]

USB HOST to RS232 adapter

It appears that the new rangely-based pfSense certified hardware (2440, 
4860) has a mini-USB (client) port for console access.


This "convenience" is ironic for us because I actually prefer RS232, 
(because that's the interface everything else uses).  As far as I know, 
I can't buy a USB-to-RS232 adapter because the dongles you buy are all 
USB *clients* (as is the router) therefore I couldn't connect a dongle 
adapter to pfSense and connect with hardware RS232.


The other irony is that the pfSense board doubtless has the UART right 
there on the board ahead of the USB adapter.   I wish there were a USB 
Header I could grab.  Can anyone say whether there's a way to grab 
serial from the board directly?


While this baked-in adapter may be in improvement for many, I'm guessing 
it's as inconvenient others because RS232 is a standard handoff.  
Everything else uses it, so we build solutions around it.  With hardware 
RS232, I can attach a Serial-to-IP adapter connected to our management 
network, or I can run serial over twisted pair to a remote hardware 
serial port.


Any elegant solutions to this change?




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