Console connection to Baystack 5510 and 5520

What you need:

1. Operating System:
Windows 7

Note: Actually any version of Windows is OK. Prior to 7, Windows always came with Hyperterminal, but I use putty. You can also do this with a Mac or Linux, but you'll have to make some adjustments.

2. Hardware:
a. Keyspan USB Serial Adapter (19HS)
Note: Other Serial to USB adapters might work just as well.
b. Straight-Thru Serial Cable (Nortel part number AL2011013-E6)
c. Baystack 5510 and/or 5520
d. One free USB port on your Windows 7 system

3. Software:
a. Keyspan Serial Assistant
b. Putty

The Gory Details:

A. Getting the right stuff

1. Keyspan USB Serial Adapter 19HS costs anywhere from $20 to $50. Search online using the keyword "keyspan" and the part number "usa-19hs" and purchase from the vendor of your choice.
2. I got my straight-through serial cable on ebay for 12 bucks. Search on the part number "AL2011013-E6".
3. For extra credit, use the continuity setting on your multimeter to verify that your cable really is "straight-thru".

B. Software Installation

1. Install Keyspan Serial Assistant
   a. Go to this page: http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtModelID=3914
   b. Click on the "Support" tab
   c. Click on the link that says: Driver for USA-19HS (Windows 7 and 8) [ 4 MB / ZIP ]
   d. Download and install the driver
   
2. Install Putty
   a. Go to http://www.putty.org
   b. Download and install Putty
   

C. Make the physical connection

1. Power up the switch 
2. Connect the straight-through serial cable to the console port on the switch 
3. Connect the serial end of the Keyspan USB Serial Adapter to the other end of the serial cable 
4. Connect the other end of the Keyspan Adapter to a USB port on your Windows 7 box 

D. Establishing a terminal session on the Windows box

1. Fire up the Keyspan Serial Assistant on the Windows box
2. Note the "com" number of the serial connection (screen shot #1):

   

   screen shot #1

   
   
3. Start up Putty
4. Configure Putty: set the "Serial line" to COM3 (or whatever); set the speed to 9600; set the "Connection type" to Serial (screen shot #2):
   

   

   Screen Shot #2

   
   
5. Check to make sure serial settings are good (screen shot #3):

   

   Screen Shot #3

   
   
   
   
6. Click "Open"
7. In the terminal window that opens up, enter "ctrl-y"
8. Screen shot #4 shows the menu for a 5520 - this (or something like it) is a good sign. The rest is up to you!

   

   
   

   Screen Shot #4

triple booting windows 7, centos, and ubuntu

This blog will be a place for me to keep track of things that I have found to be useful. For example, in this first post I am linking to an excellent resource for anyone interested in acheiving peaceful coexistence among Windows 7, CentOS 6, and Ubuntu 12, all on one hard drive:

http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2011/05/31/how-to-triple-boot-fedora-15-ubuntu-11-04-and-windows-7/

teh intenets are littered with worse-than-useless "how-tos" and "solutions" that accomplish nothing but wasting our time and encouraging misanthropic despair. But this article was one of the most amazingly helpful and well written I've ever seen.

I used CentOS 6.3 instead of fedora 15, and I used ubuntu 12 instead of ubuntu 11. Also, I had to first restore my original windows mbr using my repair disk, due to the fact that I had previously blown it away from doing multiple installs of both CentOS and Ubuntu without really caring what was happening with regard to "who" was being given charge of boot management (thus allowing grub to seize control, which is workable, but not, at least in my opinion, ideal).
Coming soon: An (almost) absolute beginner's guide to getting started with Android programming (assuming that you already know a little xml and java, which, unless you do, well, you gotta learn that first, but I'll try to give some pointers there, too).