3005 VPN does not respond on console port

I'm not the VPN guru here and don't have a copy of the Cisco docs, but have you considered the possibility that the Cisco box is presenting DTE at the async interface rather than DCE? Try a null modem cable and see what happens.

Joe Morris

Thanks for the suggestion Joe. Not real clear what you mean by null modem. I was using a DB-9 to DB-9 cable that came with an HP switch. I also tried a cable set we bought that comes as RJ-45 to RJ-45 with adapters to DB-9 and DB-25 (although the DB-25 doesnt apply here). Its a flat cable similar to the DB-9 to RJ-45 that comes standard with Cisco routers. According to the CISCO docs, it is a "standard" RS-232C cable that plugs from the console port to a PC. This is the purpose of the HP cable, so I dont think it is a DTE/DCE issue, but I cant say that with 100% confidence.

A null modem cable swaps the input and output pins between ends. Typically this involves (from "A" end to "B" end):

DCD (1) --> DTR (4) and also to "A" end DSR (6) Receive (2) --> Transmit (3) Transmit (3) --> Recieve (2) DTR (4) --> DCD (1) and DSR (6) Ground (5) --> Ground (5) DSR (6) --> DTR (4) and also to "A" end DCD (1) RTS (7) --> CTS (8) CTS (8) --> RTS (7) RI (9) not connected

This allows two DTE devices to talk directly to each other.

Documentation has been known to occasionally have errors. OTOH, it might be right, and there isn't a DCE/DTE problem. OTOH, whenever I see an async interface in network server-side equipment I always suspect DCE/DTE problems if the first attempts through a standard cable (with various speed settings checked) fail.

Good luck.

Joe Morris