Serial redirection for a desktop computer

-1

You mean something like a db9 serial null modem female/female cable like this

enter image description here

that you connect between the serial ports of two computers so you can transfer files back and forth?

Oh... I realize your computer might not have serial ports... in which case you'd need something like a USB to DB9 serial converter or a PCI Serial Port card

But then, why not just get a USB PC to PC cable or better yet, network the two computers with a crossover ethernet cable or regular ethernet cable and a switch or router.

In fact, there are so many ways to get the computers to talk to each other, that your question requires clarification as to exactly why you want this serial connection, and exactly what you need to do.

EDIT Ok. Now, with the information from YOUR edit... it depends on the server, and the OS, and how it is all configured. For example, from the documents at Oracle, regarding the Sun Blade T6300 server module administration guide...

On your server, the system console comes preconfigured to allow input and output only by means of the ALOM CMT system controller. The ALOM CMT system controller must be accessed either through the serial port or the network management port.

... again, this is ONLY that specific server running that OS.

I'm finding tons of stuff about controlling an RS232 device with a server... not nothing about controlling a server through rs232.

Bon Gart

Posted 2012-05-06T15:41:38.230

Reputation: 12 574

Thanks for the response. I'd like to see the boot process / the OS loading procedure by using the serial cable and I don't know if this is really possible. The scenario was like this: lets suppose I have a desktop computer I'm using as a server. The server is a Windows / Linux machine. Lets also suppose the machine has no monitor attached. And, lets suppose I messed up with iptables / windows firewall rules and I'm not able to connect to the machine 'remotely'. I'd like to use the serial port for that. If I could also see the boot process over that cable, that would be even more awesome. – colemik – 2012-05-06T15:59:09.037

What you want is not possible without first taking steps to set the target machine up... and even then largely not possible. First, if you have access to plug a serial cable into a machine, you have access to connect a monitor. You are there at the machine. Second, you won't be able to watch the boot process, for anything that allowed youOS was up and running... unless the server OS was running in a VM, and you were watching from software installed on the host. – Bon Gart – 2012-05-06T16:15:17.613

Hello, this question is pretty old, but did you solve your problem? – Tarator – 2016-10-20T04:35:53.750

@Tarator at that point I've abandoned the issue. But looking back, like sawdust and Bon Gart have written, it looks like it is possible to specify a serial console connection in Windows (i.e. through boot.ini) and in Linux (by using kernel command line parameters), so that one of COM ports of the PC acts as the 'serial console' port. Usually, stuff like Cisco routers / Wifi routers (i.e. ones running OpenWRT) (vs casual PCs) have that serial connection preconfigured on one of the serial ports. More info for Windows: http://serverfault.com/questions/554298/windows-serial-console .

– colemik – 2016-10-22T17:44:19.370

The server is a Windows / Linux machine. There may be a big difference. For Linux the console device can be (or has to be?) specified in the kernel command line passed by the bootloader. A serial port is typically specified as the console when there is no display adapter. – sawdust – 2012-05-06T23:56:16.927

Serial redirection for a desktop computer

Answers