Serial port connection from newer laptop

[sloan]

I have an old laptop that has a serial port connection.  That is what I user for serial connections now.
My newer laptops didn't come with one.  Does anyone know of a way to make a serial port connection to my WRAP board from a PC without a serial port?  Is there some sort of adapter?

[GruensFroeschli]

USB to Serial Adaptor:

https://www.distrelec.ch/ishopWebFront/catalog/product.do/para/node/is/DD-1780/and/highlightNode/is//and/id/is/02/and/series/is/1.html

this one is from switzerland but i'm sure there are other distributors in your region that sell such adaptors.

[sloan]

do you use Hyperteminal with windows or another terminal emulator?
If you use minicom on linux/FreeBSD/Unix what setting to you use for the USB port?

[GruensFroeschli]

i use this one http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002416/teraterm.html
on windows.

[sloan]

I could not find a setting on Tera Term Pro for a USB.  So I installed minicom on my pfSense box.  I am using a serial port from the PC pfSense is installed on and now I am having trouble figuring out which device is for this onboard serial port,  in the past on linux I have used /dev/ttyS0.  I did some checking on google and various posts said it could be /dev/cuaa0 or /dev/ppi0.  Those are not working.  Anybody have any tips for me?

[onhel]

Diagnostics/Command

Type dmesg in the command box.  You should see the device name listed there.

Easier to read way is using the phpSysInfo package.

sio0?

[sloan]

sio0: <16550A-compatible COM port> port 0x3f8-0x3ff irq 4 flags 0x10 on acpi0
sio0: type 16550A, console

I did check that via ssh before but for some reason acpi0 does not exist under /dev.  /dev/acpi exists but when I tried both of those neither works.  I don't understand why acpi0 shows in dmesg but does not exist in the  /dev/ directory.

[vangual]

Tried using /dev/ttyUSB ? It's what mine appears as.

[sloan]

Sometimes it is the simplest things.  It was permissions.  When I downloaded the packages it came in as User ( I can't remember) and group 'packages'.  Once I changed them to root, wheel minicom kicked in.  Now it works but it appears that my WRAP board is doing some strangeness.  All 3 lights are flashing on the front panel and it won't come up.  I reflashed the CF but no changes.

minicom settings were /dev/ttyd0

I am still going to go back and try /dev/USB later to try to get that working.

[Perry]

I could not find a setting on Tera Term Pro for a USB

You shall select a com port instead.
http://pfsense.best-view.net//tutorials/wrap_install/wrap_install.htm