ROCKETPORT USB SERIAL HUB II (4-Port) ROCKETPORT USB SERIAL HUB III (8-Port) LINUX DRIVER INSTALLATION (32 and 64-Bit) This document describes how to: * System requirements * Check if the USB driver is available on your system * If necessary, recompile the kernel with the USB driver * Attach the ROcketPort USB Serial Hub * Connecting serial devices * Special notes * Test results * Technical support For detailed specification or connector information, see rpusbsh2+3_hw_guide.pdf on the CD or http://www.comtrol.com/ support/download.asp?partnumber=2000476 ------------------- System Requirements ------------------- The PC connected to the RocketPort USB Serial Hub must meet the following requirements: * A Pentium-class CPU system with an available USB port (type A, flat connector, downstream). The RocketPort USB Serial Hub II supports USB 2.0 and is USB 1.0 and 1.1 compatible. The RocketPort USB Serial Hub III supports USB 1.0 and is USB 2.0 compatible. * Linux distribution including the Prolific driver (pl2303) in the kernel, compiled in or loaded as a module. ------------------------------- HOW TO CHECK FOR THE USB DRIVER ------------------------------- The first installation step is to see if the USB driver is available on your system. 1. Attach the USB cable from the RocketPort USB Serial Hub to a USB port on your computer. 2. Login to the root account. 3. At the command prompt, type “dmesg | grep ttyUSB” The following shows example results: usb 2-1.1: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0 usb 2-1.2: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB1 usb 2-1.3.1: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB2 usb 2-1.3.2: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB3 usb 2-1.3.3.1: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB4 usb 2-1.3.3.2: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB5 usb 2-1.3.3.3: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB6 usb 2-1.3.3.4: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB7 4. If you do see ttyUSB0, ttyUSB1, etc., the kernel already has the driver built in or the module is loaded, and you are ready to use your RocketPort USB Serial Hub. If you do not see anything in the output from the above command about ttyUSB devices, go to the next procedure, as your kernel does not have the correct drivers compiled in or loaded in via module. ----------------------------------------------- HOW TO RECOMPILE THE KERNEL WITH THE USB DRIVER ----------------------------------------------- To recompile your kernel to include the correct drivers, follow the instructions below. Optionally, refer to the following HOWTO at: http://www.digitalhermit.com/linux/Kernel-Build-HOWTO.html for detailed information about recompiling your kernel. 1. At the command prompt, type “uname –a”. Note the result, which is the running kernel. 2. At the command prompt, type “cd /usr/src” 3. At the command prompt, type “ls –l”. Note the result, there should be a symbolic link from the running kernel to a directory called linux. Make sure that this symbolic link is there, which is provided in the output noted above and if the linux directory has lrwxrwxrwx as it’s permissions, it is a symbolic link. The output will also show to which directory it is linked. This should point to the running kernel. If it is, continue on to Step 5. If not, go to Step 4. 4. To change the symbolic link perform the appropriate steps: a. At the command line type “rm –rf linux” b. At the command line type: 32-bit systems: “ln –s 2.6.18-gentoo/ linux” 64-bit systems: “ln –s 2.6.17-gentoo-r8/ linux” This step depends upon what kernel you are running. Review results from Step 1 in the command after ln –s, which is the running kernel as seen from the “uname –a”. 5. At the command prompt, type “cd linux”. 6. At the command prompt, type “make menuconfig”, which opens the menu for configuring your kernel. 7. In the menu system for configuring the kernel, enable the following within your kernel, are as follows: Device Drivers USB Support <*> Support for host side USB USB Serial Converter support <*> USB Serial Converter Support <*> Prolific 2303 Single Port Serial Driver Now that you have enabled the options you need in your kernel to support the RocketPort USB Serial Hub II and III, you are ready to compile the kernel. To do so, make sure that you are exiting the menu system. It is important to save your settings when prompted. 8. At the command line, type “make && make modules_install”. This compiles the new kernel and modules. 9. At this point, the new kernel is compiled and ready to use, however it will need to be copied to /boot or wherever your distribution stores it’s kernel. To copy the kernel to /boot: 32-bit systems: “cp ./arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/kernel-2.6.18-gentoo” 64-bit systems: “cp ./arch/x86_64/boot/bzImage /boot/kernel-2.6.17-gentoo-r8” 10. Update your boot loader to make it aware of the new kernel. You can use lilo or Grub. “nano –w /etc/lilo.conf” brings up your current lilo configuration. Add another entry in the lilo.conf file for your new kernel. The easiest way to add another entry, is to cut and paste a copy of the entry for the previous kernel and put that below the previous kernel entry itself, and then edit the copied text to fit your kernel. An example lilo.conf with the second entry (32-bit or 64-bit) added is below: boot=/dev/hda prompt timeout=50 default=gentoo image=/boot/kernel-2.6.17-gentoo-r4 label=gentoo read-only root=/dev/hda6 32-bit system example: -------------- image=/boot/kernel-2.6.18-gentoo label=gentoo2.6.18 read-only root=/dev/hda6 64-bit system example: ---------------------- image=/boot/kernel-2.6.17-gentoo-r8 label=gentoo-r8 read-only root=/dev/hda6 11. At the command prompt, type “/sbin/lilo”. This updates the copy of lilo that is in the master boot record so that it is aware of the new kernel. 12. Reboot your machine, at the command prompt, type “halt” or “reboot”. Go to the next section, "Attaching the RocketPort USB Serial Hub." --------------------------------------- Attaching the RocketPort USB Serial Hub --------------------------------------- 1. If you have not done so, bring the machine back up. 2. Attach the USB cable from the RocketPort USB Serial Hub to a USB port on your computer. The system detects the device and creates ttyUSB0 through ttyUSB3 (RocketPort USB Serial Hub II) or ttyUSB0 through ttyUSB7 (RocketPort USB Serial Hub III). The RocketPort Serial Hub is now ready to use with the additional tty ports that it provides. ------------------------- Connecting Serial Devices ------------------------- Use the following procedure to connect serial devices to the RocketPort USB Serial Hub. If you need to build a cable, see the Hardware Guide on the CD or refer to http://www.comtrol.com/support/download.asp?partnumber=2000476. 1. Connect the serial device(s) to the serial port(s) on the RocketPort USB Serial Hub. 2. Disconnect the USB cable from the RocketPort USB Serial Hub upstream port. The USB port is located next to the serial ports. 3. Reconnect the USB cable to the RocketPort USB Serial Hub upstream port. The PC automatically locates and configures each serial port on the RocketPort USB Serial Hub. ------------- Special Notes ------------- If you switch the serial devices that are connected to the RocketPort USB Serial Hub II, make sure that you disconnect and reconnect the upstream cable (USB type B, square shape) from the device. ------- Testing ------- This driver was tested on the following versions: * 32- bit system: Gentoo Linux, release 2006.1, kernel 2.6.18-gentoo, on a computer with an AMD Athlon 1 Ghz CPU, and 384MB of ram. * 64 bit system: Gentoo Linux, release 2006.1, kernel 2.6.17-gentoo-r8, on a computer with an AMD64 Turion64 X2 TL-50 dual core CPU, and 2GB RAM. ----------------- Technical Support ----------------- You can contact Comtrol Technical Support using the following methods: FAQ/Online: http://www.comtrol.com/support/ Downloads: http://www.comtrol.com/support/download.asp Web site: http://www.comtrol.com Phone 763.494.4100 ----------------- Trademark Notices ----------------- Comtrol and RocketPort are registered trademarks of Comtrol Corporation. Pentium is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Prolific is a trademark of Prolific Technology Inc. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. First Edition, March 28, 2008 Copyright © 2008. Comtrol Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Comtrol Corporation makes no representations or warranties with regard to the contents of this document or to the suitability of the Comtrol product for any particular purpose. Specifications subject to change without notice. Some software or features may not be available at the time of publication. Contact your reseller for current product information. ------------------------------------ Document Number: 2000475 V1.03 Rev A.