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OOB Remote Serial Console Access

Updated: Feb 9


The Case for Serial Console Access

Nowadays, most IT infrastructure devices, including routers, firewalls, and servers, are managed remotely or through the cloud. IT staff can access them via in-band SD-WAN connections or secure tunnels from the cloud.


But sometimes a remote-site IT infrastructure device loses IP connectivity because of a software bug or configuration mistake. In those cases, power cycling the device cannot help, the only way to restore normal operation without sending a technician to the site is to have remote serial console access.


This article explains how Bumblebee platform provides the OOB (out-of-band) remote serial console access to these remote devices.


OOB Remote Serial Console Access Solution

The diagram below describes how Bumblebee CPE can be used to connect to IT infrastructure devices at the site.


Bumblebee OOB Remote Serial Console Access
Bumblebee OOB Remote Serial Console Access

A Bumblebee CPE comes with 2 USB-A interfaces. All you need to do is to connect one of the USB interface to the device's serial interface via a USB to RJ45 serial console cable.


Once the cable is connected, you should see the status of the USB interface and the RJ45 interface by following these steps.


  1. Login to the Bumblebee portal

  2. On the left main navigation menu, click USB Serial Console Access.

  3. Select the CPE device that manages remote serial access

  4. The USB ports are automatically discovered and displayed

  5. Make sure both USB interface and RJ45 interface for the specific port are in good state as indicated by the Green dots.

  6. To connect, select the port, click Actions -> Connect

  7. When the connection is made, click Open Console

  8. A new browser tab should open for serial access


Labeling a USB Port

It is important to label a USB port to make sure the port is connected to the correct target device. To label a USB port, follow the steps below.


  1. Select the USB port

  2. Click Actions -> Edit

  3. Enter a desirable name, for example, Palo Firewall, that clearly identifies the target device

  4. Click Save


Serial Console Speed

The USB console default baud speed is 9600. For most networking devices from Cisco, Palo Alto and Juniper, 9600 is the default setting. The console should work without any configuration changes.


To change the serial console configuration, follow the steps below.


  1. Select the USB port

  2. Click Actions -> Edit

  3. Change Baud Rate, Parity, Bits and Stop Bits.


Expanding to manage up to 8 devices

To provide serial access to more than 2 devices, connect the USB interfaces with USB Hubs. The USB Hub that has been tested and validated are




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