{"id":2241,"date":"2026-01-31T09:49:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T09:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/?p=2241"},"modified":"2026-01-31T09:49:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T09:49:01","slug":"visual-composer-2241","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/31\/visual-composer-2241\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Dedicated Console Access Server for Cisco Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<div class=\"vce-row-container\" data-vce-boxed-width=\"true\">\r\n<div id=\"el-e6f02335\" class=\"vce-row vce-row--col-gap-30 vce-row-equal-height vce-row-content--top\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-e6f02335\">\r\n<div class=\"vce-row-content\" data-vce-element-content=\"true\">\r\n\r\n\r\n<div id=\"el-ffde0d65\" class=\"vce-col vce-col--md-auto vce-col--xs-1 vce-col--xs-last vce-col--xs-first vce-col--sm-last vce-col--sm-first vce-col--md-last vce-col--lg-last vce-col--xl-last vce-col--md-first vce-col--lg-first vce-col--xl-first\">\r\n<div class=\"vce-col-inner\" data-vce-do-apply=\"border margin background el-ffde0d65\">\r\n<div class=\"vce-col-content\" data-vce-element-content=\"true\" data-vce-do-apply=\"padding el-ffde0d65\">\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-text-block\">\r\n<div id=\"el-59b7cd4e\" class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-59b7cd4e\">\r\n\r\nManaging a Cisco lab with multiple routers and switches is much easier with a centralized console access server. In this setup, I use a mini PC with 6 built-in console (serial) ports to provide direct, always-available console access to all lab devices from a single system.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\">\r\n<div id=\"el-ede556c8\" class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-ede556c8\">\r\n<figure>\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 816px;\">\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 125.49%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\" title=\"mini pc\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mini-pc-816x1024.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mini-pc-320x401.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mini-pc-480x602.jpeg 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mini-pc-800x1003.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mini-pc-816x1024.jpeg 816w\" alt=\"\" width=\"816\" height=\"1024\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mini-pc.jpeg\" data-attachment-id=\"2242\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-text-block\">\r\n<div id=\"el-4ffb540a\" class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-4ffb540a\">\r\n\r\nKey Advantages:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>No need for USB dongles or cable swapping<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Fixed, reliable serial port mapping<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Centralized console management<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-text-block\">\r\n<div id=\"el-dff045d7\" class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-dff045d7\">\r\n\r\nStep 1: Install Ubuntu\r\n\r\nCreate a bootable Ubuntu installer\r\n\r\nInstall Ubuntu on the mini PC\r\n\r\nUpdate the system:\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">sudo apt update &amp;&amp; sudo apt upgrade -y<\/span>\r\n\r\n(Optional) Enable SSH:\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">sudo apt install openssh-server -y<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-text-block\">\r\n<div id=\"el-850b8692\" class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-850b8692\">\r\n\r\nStep 2: Verify the 6 Console Ports\r\n\r\nSince the mini PC has native serial ports, Linux exposes them as ttyS devices.\r\n\r\nCheck available ports:\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\">\r\n<div id=\"el-9bea4785\" class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-9bea4785\">\r\n<figure>\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 1024px;\">\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute vce-single-image-zoom-container\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 56.4453%; position: relative; overflow: hidden;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\" title=\"console\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/console-1024x579.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/console-1024x579.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/console-320x181.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/console-480x271.jpeg 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/console-800x452.jpeg 800w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"578\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/console.jpeg\" data-attachment-id=\"2245\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"zoomImg\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; opacity: 0; width: 1600px; height: 904px; border: none; max-width: none; max-height: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/console.jpeg\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-text-block\">\r\n<div id=\"el-637eafe1\" class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-637eafe1\">\r\n\r\nStep 3: Set Serial Permissions\r\n\r\nAdd your user to the dialout group to access serial devices:\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER<\/span>\r\n\r\nLog out and log back in for changes to take effect.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-text-block\">\r\n<div id=\"el-48e3a890\" class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-48e3a890\">\r\n\r\nStep 4: Install Tabby\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Download the latest Tabby .deb package<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Install &amp; launch Tabby<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\">\r\n<div id=\"el-737e81d2\" class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-737e81d2\">\r\n<figure>\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 1024px;\">\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute vce-single-image-zoom-container\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 56.4453%; position: relative; overflow: hidden;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\" title=\"tabby\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby-1024x579.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby-1024x579.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby-320x181.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby-480x271.jpeg 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby-800x452.jpeg 800w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"578\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby.jpeg\" data-attachment-id=\"2246\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"zoomImg\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; opacity: 0; width: 1600px; height: 904px; border: none; max-width: none; max-height: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby.jpeg\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-text-block\">\r\n<div id=\"el-8722827b\" class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-8722827b\">\r\n\r\nStep 5: Configure Console Sessions in Tabby\r\n\r\nFor each Cisco device:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Connection Type: Serial<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Port: \/dev\/ttyS0 \u2192 \/dev\/ttyS5<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Baud Rate: 9600<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Data Bits: 8<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Parity: None<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Stop Bits: 1<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Flow Control: None<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nName each profile clearly:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>R1-Console<\/li>\r\n \t<li>SW1-Console<\/li>\r\n \t<li>FW1-Console<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\">\r\n<div id=\"el-e3f0b11d\" class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-e3f0b11d\">\r\n<figure>\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 1024px;\">\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute vce-single-image-zoom-container\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 56.4453%; position: relative; overflow: hidden;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\" title=\"Profile1\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Profile1-1024x579.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Profile1-1024x579.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Profile1-320x181.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Profile1-480x271.jpeg 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Profile1-800x452.jpeg 800w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"578\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Profile1.jpeg\" data-attachment-id=\"2253\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"zoomImg\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -404.389px; left: -41.1573px; opacity: 0; width: 1600px; height: 904px; border: none; max-width: none; max-height: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Profile1.jpeg\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\">\r\n<div id=\"el-255dc989\" class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-255dc989\">\r\n<figure>\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 1024px;\">\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute vce-single-image-zoom-container\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 56.4453%; position: relative; overflow: hidden;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\" title=\"profile2\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/profile2-1024x579.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/profile2-1024x579.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/profile2-320x181.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/profile2-480x271.jpeg 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/profile2-800x452.jpeg 800w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"578\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/profile2.jpeg\" data-attachment-id=\"2254\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"zoomImg\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -5.79886px; left: -420.066px; opacity: 0; width: 1600px; height: 904px; border: none; max-width: none; max-height: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/profile2.jpeg\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-container vce-single-image--align-left\">\r\n<div id=\"el-0bbeb01a\" class=\"vce vce-single-image-wrapper\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-0bbeb01a\">\r\n<figure>\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-figure-inner\" style=\"width: 1024px;\">\r\n<div class=\"vce-single-image-inner vce-single-image--absolute\" style=\"width: 100%; padding-bottom: 56.4453%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vce-single-image\" title=\"tabby3\" src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby3-1024x579.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby3-1024x579.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby3-320x181.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby3-480x271.jpeg 480w, https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby3-800x452.jpeg 800w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"578\" data-img-src=\"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tabby3.jpeg\" data-attachment-id=\"2257\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption hidden=\"\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"vce-text-block\">\r\n<div id=\"el-5b684b24\" class=\"vce-text-block-wrapper vce\" data-vce-do-apply=\"all el-5b684b24\">\r\n\r\nConclusion\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019re working on a budget, using a mini PC with 6 native console ports is a practical and professional way to build a dedicated console access server for a Cisco lab. Low-cost or repurposed hardware can provide enterprise-style out-of-band console access without the expense of specialized console servers.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Managing a Cisco lab with multiple routers and switches is much easier with a centralized console access server. In this setup, I use a mini PC with 6 built-in console (serial) ports to provide direct, always-available console access to all lab devices from a single system. Key Advantages: No need for USB dongles or cable [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-transparent-header":"default","prose-style":"enable","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-labs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2241"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2293,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2241\/revisions\/2293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackmybox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}