Recover from HW reset
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i just bought this USB to Serial, i sent an email to netgate for the recommended USB to serial, they said their engineers advise to use USB FTDI cable, i guess they meant with ftdi chipset, im not sure if im using one. I just bought this on our local store here.
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Ah OK. Well before doing anything you need to verify you serial connection setup is good somehow. Do you have anything else with a serial console? It's easy to use a null modem cable that's not wired correctly. I'm not sure if this applies to the Alix or not but see this: https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/PfSense_on_Watchguard_Firebox#Not_All_Null_Modem_Cables_are_Created_Equal.21
Steve
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Hi Stephen,
See below snapshot of my serial console
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Your snapshot seems to have disappeared but I did look at it briefly yesterday.
I'm not sure what you were showing me, it looked at though that was from the host machine? :-\Steve
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Yeah, the screenshot is from a Linux machine, so presumably it's the client that you're trying to connect to your device from?
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im connecting from a backtrack linux VM, and run minicom -b 9600. I guess might need another USB to serial with ftdi chipset
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Support for your USB-Serial converter is obviously dependant on the client OS but even if it is supported you still need the correct null modem cable. Seeing nothing at all on the serial port is often a sign that the cable is wrong.
First thing you should try is connect at 38,400 because that is the default setting on the Alix for the BIOS. You won't see anything at 9600 unless pfSense is at least partially booting.
Steve
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Stephen i have a serial null modem , one end is serial and the other end is a parallel male printer. Can i use a female to USB parallel cable, so i can plug it on my pc?
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Hmm. You say it has a 'parallel male printer' connector, I assume you mean a db25 connector?
Most null modem cables do not use 25pin connectors, are you sure it's a null modem?Steve
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Hi Stephen,
I have just bought from ebay a female to female serial null modem cable, but when i tried to fire up serial console i cant see nothing, please see screenshot below
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ttyS0 appears to be a standard serial port, though here it's virtualised.
I'm confused as to your setup. You are running Backtrack as a vm in vmware? The host OS is Windows 7? You have a usb-serial converter connected to the host machine? The Alix is connected to that via a null modem cable?
Please confirm each of those.To make that work you will have to somehow route the host machines com port to the vm com port. It seems way too complex. :-\
Steve
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yes, because when i try putty, it wont work. Thats why i setup a VM, im not sure how can i route the com port, this is the null modem i purchased in ebay and my usb converter is using prolific chipset.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390248186240?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
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Hi Stephen i also tried downloading hyperterminal, set baud to 9600 and 38400 still same, nothing happens.
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Hmm, ok. Well I would definitely try to get it working in windows, using a vm inside vmware introduces way too many new possible problems. Plenty of others have made this work.
What com port are you choosing in putty or hyperterminal? If your usb-serial adapter is correctly installed I expect it to appear as, say, com5.Steve
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well its random, sometimes com 6, 7, 8 or 9. It really puzzle me why its still not working, even if i already the stuffs needed to run this, specially the null modem cable
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Do you have anything else you can use to test the serial connection?
In newer versions of windows you need to run putty as admin.
Rather than running backtrack as a vm you could try running it as a live cd.You should also be able to just re-write a new image to the cf card. There are default settings for the Alix so it will come up with a web interface.
Steve
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I have re-write the new image using dd in backtrack, when i power Alix i think its working because the three leads is blinking simultaneously just like before, i tested the serial cable on my windows 7 ultimate and it was detected and hyperterminal also detects it.
Do i i need to change something on the cf card image? -
Hi Stephen,
I did what you advise, I bootup BT 5 on a thumdrive, my USB to serial got detected, i use /dev/TTYUSB0 for the port, please see below. But still cant see anything on the screen, like bootup from Alix
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The Alix bootup messages will be at 38400bps unless you've changed the BIOS setting.
Do you have a link to exact null modem cable you bought?Steve
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I did set it already to 38400 but same issue , no bootup on the screee. Below is the link where i bought my null modem cable
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390248186240?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
