[NTLUG:Discuss] OT: terminal server

[Fred James]

Wayne Walker wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 07, 2011 at 08:39:09AM -0500, Monty Shinn wrote:
>   
>> Greetings.
>>
>> I am contemplating the purchase of a cyclades TS2000 terminal
>> server.  I am planning on using it in my cisco lab for console
>> connectivity.
>>
>> I was looking at the cisco 2511, but they are pretty pricey...
>>
>> I have no experience with terminal servers.  Can there be concurrent
>> network logins from the same user to the terminal server for
>> connectivity to the comm ports?  My goal is to have a virtual
>> desktop (window) on my linux box for each cisco box.  (I currently
>> have 10 cisco items.)
>>     
>
> Monty,
>
> Yes, there _can_ be, BUT that requires a terminal server that supports
> that.  The ones we bought at a past job could _NOT_ handle multiple
> connections.  That was a Major problem when there was a power outage at
> the colo.
>
> Personally, I prefer a linux box with multiples serial ports.
>
> I can log in.  I can reboot the linux box.  I can run a screen session
> with a minicom running on every single port, so I always have the serial
> history of every serial console I am monitoring.  I can capture the log
> for later analysis.  I can write a perl daemon that monitors the console
> output and alerts and/or reacts on special text, while logging the whole
> session to a file.
>
> It's more work to set up a linux box with lots of serial ports, but it
> is well worth it.
>   
I cast my vote for minicom on a Linux box and multiple serial ports ... 
I added  USB cards for extra ports and USB to serial adapters as 
required ... worked really well for me ... I had 4 UNIX boxen, 3 Linux, 
and a port for my 1-wire temperature sensors ... so the terminal server 
was also monitoring server room ambient temperature.
Regards
Fred James