Out-of-Band Router Access

Hello,
I am about to install a WIC-1AM in a 2620XM running 12.2(8)T5 IOS.
I am installing the WIC so that we can dial-in to the router and
remotely access the router for configuration, troubleshooting, etc.
However, I am not sure how I go about configuring this in the router,
or what needs to be done to get it working. I don't have the WIC yet
but I want to work out the config the best I can before I get it. I
looked on the Cisco site and found exmaples of how to configure the
WIC for async DDR and Dial-Backup but nothing definitve as setting it
up for what I want to do.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Robert

 

an internal wic is not for out of band manangment and is infact a bad idea
for what you are planning on using it for. You should be using an external
modem connected to the console port. If that router crashes you will not be
able to access it with an internal...if it were an external you would be
able to get to it even in romon.

 

I can't comment on the design rationale, but I can confirm in our network we
use 2600/3600 management routers with a simple usr modem for out of band
access.
I can't see any particular advantage to using a WIC however, and agree with
the disadvantages mentioned. The obvious benefit of using a modem that comes
to mind is it's a lot cheaper

 

Everybody. Don't worry about it, someone with Cisco helped me set it
up. Our implementation and necessity for the equipment I guess is a
somewhat unique circumstance, although neither Cisco TAC and our Cisco
Account Manager seemed to think our implementation was all that
unusual. Some of the disdvantages to implementing the WIC are
non-factors for us and some of the advantages of external modems do
not apply. Regardless, it is now implemented and working.

I will not bother posting the config here since apparently everyone
but me is in agreeance that this was "marketing BS" and not a good
solution, so I guess no one really needs to know how to see it up.

Thanks for your time.

-Robert

 

I'd have to argue that posting the config (or at least a config sample) is
still worthwhile. I for one, have often used google's archive of these
groups rather than asking a new question. There is little more frustrating
than finding someone who needed the exact solution (or even a near match)
that I was looking for, but did not post the results. The minimal amount
of storage and bandwidth taken up with a final answering post is greatly
outweighed by the future potential of that post.

I guess I'm saying, even though I don't need the config now, it's worth it
to post it on the chance that I or someone else may need it in the future.
Anyone who feels that it is useless knowledge is more than welcome to skip
the final post.

Jeff

 

Very well Jeff...
When I installed the card and did a show run and it added...

!
interface Async1
no ip address
!
and
!
line 1
stopbits 1
speed 115200
!

I added

'password xxxxxx'
'login'
'modem dialin'
'transport in all'

to line 1 and bam all is well, not hard at all. Didn't mess with the
Async interface since I am not doing any routing or network
authentication.

-Robert

 

Thank-you

Jeff