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I'm working on reconstructing my Cisco lab for training/educational purposes and I found that the actual terminal server I have is dead. I have a couple of 8-port PCI serial cards which would be more than ample for my lab, but I don't want to leave my personal computer running to be able to access the console ports. Ideally I would access the terminal server remotely, either by SSH/RDP to the box (depending on what OS I go with) or by installing a software package that allows me to telnet directly to a serial port. I know I've found a program that does this under Linux in the past but its name escapes me at the moment.

I'm thinking about scavenging for some old hardware, on eBay or something, to put together a low-powered PC. Needs to be something that:

  • Has Low-power consumption
  • Has at least 2 PCI slots (though I certainly wouldn't complain about having more)
  • Has onboard Ethernet (or, if not, another PCI or ISA slot (not shared))
  • Can be headless once an OS installed (probably Linux)

I'm currently leaning towards an old fashioned Pentium (sub-133MHz era) but I am wondering if anybody else knows of another platform/mobo that would suit these needs. Alternatively, I've been considering buying a Raspberry Pi and a big USB hub along with a bunch of USB->Serial adapters but this sounds like it'd get messy quick with cables and adapters all over the place, and I may not even have the same ttyS#'s between boots.

Hennes
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Fred
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1 Answers1

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Low-cost Solution:

I own one myself and find them to be extremely versatile in functionality. At $150, they aren't dirt cheap but they run great right out of the box and have very low power consumption. There are a ton of features such as Bluetooth connectivity or tie-ins to RADIUS and TACACS.

Low-cost Alternative

  • Raspberry Pi with USB to RS-232 Adapters

Raspberry Pis clock in at $35 and also have very low power consumption. New Pis even have WiFi and BT built-in. With the costs of a case, SD card and adapters, the project should cost under $100. (Plus a few hours of fiddling around time) There are a few projects out there that can walk you through creating a Terminal Server. As a DIY solution, results may very. Even still, it should cost less than a full-blow desktop, especially taking power usage into consideration.

https://networklessons.com/cisco/raspberry-pi-as-cisco-console-server/

Overall, in additional to upfront costs, you may want to consider usability and long term power consumption costs.

TheNetworkAlchemist
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