Re: Null-Modem serial-to-USB cable

["Bill Horne-9" <user=27@nabble.blu.org>]

 David Kramer wrote: 
> Don Levey wrote: 
>> Bill Horne wrote: 
>>> Ben Eisenbraun wrote: 
>>> I'm going to hijack this thread into a general discussion of why 
>>> USB-to-Serial adapters have so many problems. I've never had one 
>>> that worked out of the box, and the USB-to-Parallel ones are twice 
>>> as bad. Is there info around on how/why these things are so 
>>> problematic? 
>>> 
>> 
>> I hope you don't mind if I bring it back a little.  I wasn't aware 
>> that these adapters had so many problems; would you anticipate that 
>> I'd see these difficulties in my application?  Do you have an 
>> alternate suggestion for connecting my laptop as a console?  Sadly, 
>> the old VTs are long gone from my house. 
>> 
>>  -Don 
> 
> Most of these adapters use the Prolific chipset, which is pretty well 
> supported under Linux, but I've certainly had times when it doesn't 
> work, then I reboot and it works. 
> 
> One major problem with these devices, though, is that they can only 
> simulate the data pins, but not the hardware handshaking pins.  If you 
> need those, you're generally SOL.  For instance, because my new server 
> doesn't have real serial ports, I can no longer use my X10 Firecracker 
> to control X10 modules throughout my house, because it depends on DTR 
> "bit twiddling" (rapidly bringing that pin high then low to use this 
> gate line as another data line).  I'm actually pretty upset about it.   
> I bought a serial card, but the system wouldn't boot when I put it in. 
>