USB console support

Opengear ACM7000, CM7100 and IM7200 products running firmware 3.16.5 or later offer comprehensive support for managing device consoles from a wide range of vendors, via USB.  Note that older firmware and other console server product lines offer basic Cisco USB console support only.

Port numbering & labeling

The USB ports are available as regular portmanager ports, with port numbering starting after any RJ45 RS-232 console ports – e.g. an CM7116-2-DAC's two USB ports appear in the UI and CLI as ports 17 and 18.

IM7216-2-24U has a high density block of 24 USB console ports in addition to its 16 RJ45 RS-232 console ports and 2 front USB ports.  The rear USB console ports are ports 17 through 40, the front USB ports are ports 41 and 42.

Default port labels match the label printed on the hardware chassis.  Where there is no physical label, the default label describes the location of the port, e.g. Front, Lower.

Connecting USB consoles

In most respects, USB consoles behave like traditional RS-232 RJ45 consoles.

All USB console ports use Type A connectors, and can be cabled using an off the shelf USB cable.

When a device is attached to a port, the console server automatically loads the appropriate USB TTY driver and associates it with that port.  The device can be moved between ports and the driver association automatically updates to follow it to the new port.

When a console device is disconnected or powered off, the corresponding Opengear port reports its status as Disconnected.  You can view the console connection status in the UI under Status -> Statistics -> Serial Ports in the Port Status column.  If a non-console device (e.g. USB thumb drive, UPS) is attached to a port, the port's console connection status shows as Disconnected.

Vendor device support

Opengear embeds a wide range of USB TTY drivers that cover all the common USB UARTs used by device vendors.  Supported chipsets include FTDI, CP210X, CP2303, CDC ACM, MCT U232, Exar and more.  If you find your device is not supported, please ensure it is connected and powered on, generate a Status -> Support Report and contact support.

USB Console Status Auto-Response

The built-in Auto-Response alerts and automation system can detect when a USB console device is connected and powered on, or disconnected or powered off.  Under Alerts & Logging -> Auto-Response -> New Auto-Response select the USB Console Status Check Condition.

GPS NMEA

Cellular-equipped models have a final, extra USB "console" port for GPS NMEA streaming (connected internally via USB).