How to test a Cisco Catalyst 1900?

njbrain · 04-26-2004, 07:07 PM

I picked up a Cisco Catalyst 1900 at a garage sale for $1, only to find out I can sell it on the internet for $100. The only problem is this, I don't know how to test it. It powers up fine, and the light come on and the fans spin, but I'm not sure how to test if the ports work.
Noah

slacky · 04-28-2004, 04:25 PM

Been awhile since I had a 1900, but there should be a serial port on the back that you can hook to the PC's serial port - it might be an RJ45 connector where you'll need to buy/make a special cable, though. Then you can use minicom (under Linux, or HyperTerminal under Windows) to get at the switch's operating system. You might need to do password recovery or whatnot.

Else you could hook up two PCs, address them on the same subnet, see if they can communicate through each port.

njbrain · 04-28-2004, 08:29 PM

Thanks, but what do I need to type to get at the switches OS?
Noah

slacky · 04-29-2004, 03:45 PM

Once you establish the serial connection, usually just hit enter and you should get a command prompt (or asked for a password). The 1900s I had didn't run Cisco IOS, but there own operating system (CatOS?), which might be menu based, can't remember. Also, if you power up the switch with the serial terminal running, you should see it boot/POST.