Hey guys, from some old parts stash (I can't even remember where now) I have what looks like an ancient Nortel Networks switch, model AL2014A14. Since I'm an aspiring net tech (yeah, shoot me now...) I was naturally curious if it was running any kind of operating system and what capabilities it had (VLAN, etc.)

It has a 9 pin Comm Port on the front. I attempted to connect to it with Minicom using settings like I would for connecting to a Cisco smart switch, but this doesn't seem to work. Before I go trying every possible comm setting, does anybody happen to know anything about these devices and how to communicate with them?

Figured this out. Model number doesn't bring up anything, but it is easy to find the manual if you search for "BayStack 450-24T Switch".

Default comm settings are 9600 8N1 with software flow control (Xon/Xoff) ENABLED. This brings you to a menu-based interface where you can navigate with the arrow keys.

I think this is a turn of the millenium switch, and seems to be feature-rich for its time. VLAN capable, 801Q, SNMP, Radius, STP, Telnet, BootP support (!), and such like. Unfortunately, it is as loud as a jetliner... not so great if you live in a one-room apartment.

Those old things were built like tanks - it may outlast you