Cyclades TS Series Frequent Asked Questions
FAQ

1. The TS series are Terminal Servers.
   Why are they also called Console Access Servers?

   The TS series have all the functions you would expect from a full-featured router/terminal server. It can be used to support a modem bank for remote access, it allows the connection of local or remote terminals to multi-user systems, and can be used to connect serial devices in automation projects. We also call them Console Access Servers because they have been used by many of the largest Internet companies for console port management (see paper on Console Management in the TechTalk session of the WEB site). The product has many features that were specifically designed for this application (high port density, break-safe power circuit, SSH support, etc).

2. Does the TS series send break? What is the "break problem?"

   No, the TS series do not send unintentional breaks. They have a special power circuitry that virtually eliminates spurious breaks observed with other products during power-on/off. Some Unix servers (notably Sun/Solaris) switch to monitor mode or reboot upon the reception of a "break" signal on the console port. That is a useful feature to recover the server remotely in the event of a software lockup. Some terminal servers generate or are susceptible to spurious breaks during power-on/off. When such TS are powered down, the entire server farm reboots or switches to monitor mode. The TS series are safe and can send intentional breaks using the standard telnet/socket commands.

3. Are the TS series expandable? How many ports can I have?

   No, the TS series stackable and not expandable. In order to make them extremely compact, reliable and cost effective, all external cabling and moving parts were eliminated. The TS1000 has 16 serial ports and the TS2000 has 32 serial ports. A TS1000 cannot be upgraded to 32 ports in the field. You can stack multiple boxes to reach a higher number of ports. For most applications, it is possible to make them appear to the user as a large virtual box through proper configuration. But you still need to configure each box individually.

4. What types of devices can be connected to serial ports?

   Any device using RS-232 interfaces. That includes serial terminals, PC COM/TTY ports, analog modems, server and router console ports, ISDN modems, scanners, point-of-sale terminals, serial printers, barcode readers, sensors, alarms, industrial and commercial automation devices, robots, etc.

5. Do the TS series support other serial interfaces?

   No, the TS series provide DTE RS-232 asynchronous interfaces and provide them on RJ-45 connectors. RS-422, RS-485 and synchronous communications are not supported.

6. What about cabling?

   There is a specific Techtalk paper and a page in the TS area of the WEB site.
   The TS series use RJ-45 connectors (which are inexpensive, compact and compatible with patch panels in most data centers). Unfortunately, there is no standard pin-out assignment for RS-232 on RJ45.
   The product comes with at least one sample of straight-through cable (for connection to modems and DCE equipment) and one sample of cross-cable (for connection to consoles, PCs and DTE equipment). Additional cabling can be purchased from Cyclades or third party cable companies or build in-house with the information in the user documentation.

7. How long can RS-232 serial cables be?

   If your serial cables are shorter than 50m (150ft) long and the serial speed is lower than 38.4kbps, you are safe with any type of cabling. If your serial cables are shorter than 2m (6ft), you are safe with any serial speed.
   If you need longer cables and higher speeds, you may need to use high-quality cabling (low capacitance/inductance) and take special precautions in installation and noise isolation.

8. How big are the TS series? Is DC power supported?

   Both units are extremely compact and measure 17 inches of width (fits in standard racks), 1.75 inches of height (1U of rack space) and 8 inches of depth. The power supply is built-in and auto-ranges between 100 and 240VAC. DC Power is not supported as a standard product. Consult us if you have large volume projects that require DC power.

9. What are the signaling standards supported by the PR4000?

   The TS series support SSH, RADIUS authentication, IP filtering, PAP/CHAP authentication, NAT/PAT, Token Authentication.
   Security is important both as a terminal server (user authentication before allowing network access) and as a console access server (access to the server consoles allows total control of the network).
   Secure Shell (SSH) encrypts data before it is sent through a terminal connection. RADIUS is a server-based authentication protocol. IP filtering allows the system manager to set access policies based on source and destination addresses, protocol types and other parameters. PAP/CHAP allows user authentication in PPP connections. Network/Port Address Translation (NAT/PAT) is not a security feature per se, but it can hide the internal network from the external world. The TS series work with token authentication products from companies such as RSA.

10. How does the TS series handle user authentication and accounting?

    The TS series support local authentication, but most users use an authentication server. The TS series support RADIUS protocols and inter-operates with all the popular authentication servers running in Windows, Linux and Unix platforms. They are also RSA-certified and can support token authentication.

11. The TS series use Linux as embedded OS. Do I need to be a Linux expert to use it? Does it work with Windows?

    Linux is used as a replacement for a proprietary OS (such as the Cyclades CyROS or Cisco IOS), but the user doesnÕt need to be a Linux expert to configure and use the product.
    The fact that it runs an open source, standard OS allows us to be flexible and responsive to new functionality requirements. It is very easy to add any functionality that is available in the Open Source community.
    The same way a terminal server using CyROS or IOS inter-operates with other operating systems, the TS series connects and inter-operates with Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, MacOS, IOS, CyROS and any other standards-based networking operating system.

12. How is the configuration interface?

    The TS series can be configured through a serial console or a telnet connection over the network.
    The basic configuration is done through the edition of a text file. The original configuration is provided as a commented text file. All you need to do is to edit this file removing the comments for the lines that apply to your configuration.
    As of today (02/01), there is no WEB-based configuration interface, but this is already been developed and will be available soon.

13. Do I need to buy a support contract to get software updates and configuration help?

    No. Cyclades thinks you should not pay to get bug fixes. We also donÕt charge you to provide improvements and additional functionality we incorporate to the standard product.
    The TS series come with free and unlimited technical support and software updates for the life of the product.

14. Can I download my own software and run it in the TS series? Do I need to install software to use the product?

    The TS series come out-of-the-box with all the software necessary to perform the functions of a terminal and console access server.
    In addition to that, because we use a standard operating system, there is the possibility of downloading user software to the box to implement custom functionality. User software would have to be compiled for the PowerPC processor and there are strict limitations on the amount of RAM and storage available.
    If you intend to do run your own software in the TS series, please contact Technical Support to get additional information.

15. How is the TS series different from other products?

    The TS series is the only product in the market to combine the strengths of generic terminal servers (Cyclades-PR3000/TS, PortMaster2, 2511, Annex, Lantronix, Intelliserver) and traditional console access server (Lightwave, WTI).
    No other product in the market offers the same hardware and software feature sets and can cover both the terminal server and console access server applications.
    It is also the first Linux-based terminal server. That opens the possibility of running user-downloaded applications and supporting applications available in the Open Source Community.

16. Are the TS series an evolution of the older Cyclades-PR3000/TS?

The TS series use similar hardware architecture as the PR3000/TS. They use the same PowerPC CPU and important components. The TS series can be used in all applications where the PR3000/TS was used. But the similarities end there. We designed the TS series to be extremely compact (32 ports per 1U of rack space) , reliable (single box, single board), and cost-effective. It also has support to 100BT networks, a better mechanical design (it is blue!) and Tx/Rx/Status LEDs on the front panel. In software, the TS series is revolutionary because it replaces the proprietary CyROS with the standard Linux OS.

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