I'm struggling to get connected using the RS-232 to USB cable supplied by Dell. I open up HyperTerminal - now which COM port do I use? None of them seem to work. So I can't connect to the switch via the serial port. My laptop has no serial port on it. Scratching my head because there is no documentation relating to this cable Dell supplied, but it isn't really plug and play...

Can anyone help me here?

Are there any markings on the adapter that could help in identify it? You may need a driver for it to work.

I use the cable that came with the switch and setup as 9600, 8, N, 1, No flow control.
I used COM1 on my PowerEdge 2850.
For notebooks I use a standard USB to Serial device that you can pickup at any Frys for $15.

It has no markings. I have one in the bag it came in which has the barcode 3081307653. It came with the switch. RS232 at one end, USB at the other. No drivers on the disk. Doesn't mention it in the manual. COM1 doesn't work. All the other COM ports on my machine are related to Bluetooth. I've got a Belkin USB - Serial adaptor I can use, but would be good to get the Dell cable working - it's much neater!

After plugging in the USB end to your PC or server do you get the New Hardware found and does it install ok? If yes then open your device manager and then Ports to see what has been added. I usually see COM5 or COM8 for USB to serial devices.

Hi dunxd,
What switch model are you trying to configure? 54xx usually come with an RS-232 crossover cable (no USB).
Others (like the M6220 blade module) includes an RS-232 to USB cable, but it's suppose to be used the other way around, that means with the USB end connected to the switch.
Can you clarify this a little more?

On plugging in the USB cable, no hardware is discovered - as far as I can see it is just a cable with no circuitry hidden inside. I guess there must be some software that enables the USB connection.

I bought two 54xx switches - both of which came with the mysterious Serial > USB cables. Pretty much useless. I'm, using a USB > Serial Dongle and a Cisco supplied cable.

I bought 2 5424s recently. No USB cables. only RS-232 crossover. Using Tera Term to connect. No issues.