Hardware Installation Guide for Cisco 8300 Series Secure Routers

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Hardware Installation Guide for Cisco 8300 Series Secure Routers

Connect power to the device

Updated: July 31, 2025

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Guides the user through connecting the router to AC power, establishing console or modem connections, setting up WAN and LAN interfaces with port and cable selection, and installing required Silicon Labs USB device drivers for Windows and Mac environments.

This section explains how to connect power to the device.

Warning

Statement 1028—More Than One Power Supply

This unit might have more than one power supply connection. To reduce risk of electric shock, remove all connections to de-energize the unit.

Note
The installation must comply with all required electrical codes applicable at the installation site.

If your device uses AC power, connect it to a 15 A, 120 VAC (10 A, 240 VAC) circuit with overcurrent protection.

Note
The input voltage tolerance limits for AC power are 90 and 264 VAC.
Note
This product requires surge protection to be provided as part of the building installation. To comply with the Telcordia GR-1089 NEBS standard for electromagnetic compatibility and safety, an external surge protective device (SPD) is required at the AC power service equipment.
Warning

Statement 1005—Circuit Breaker

This product relies on the building’s installation for short-circuit (overcurrent) protection. To reduce risk of electric shock or fire, ensure that the protective device is rated not greater than: 20A.

Connect to a console terminal or modem

The Cisco 8300 Series Secure Routers have asynchronous serial ports. These ports provide administrative access to the router either locally (with a console terminal or a PC).To configure the router through the Cisco IOS CLI, you must establish a connection between the router console port and either a terminal or a PC.

Use these cables and adapters to establish a local or remote connection.

Figure 1. Ports for C8375-E-G2
Table 1. Local and remote connections for C8375-E-G2

Port Type

Cable

Section

1. Serial (RJ-45)

EIA RJ-45

Connect to the Serial Port with Microsoft Windows

2. Serial (USB)

USB 5-pin mini USB Type-B-to-USB Type-A

Figure 2. Ports for C8355-G2
Table 2. Local and remote connections for C8355-G2

Port Type

Cable

Section

1. Serial (RJ-45)

EIA RJ-45

Connect to the Serial Port with Microsoft Windows

2. Serial (USB)

USB 5-pin mini USB Type-B-to-USB Type-A

Connect to the console port with Mac OS X

This procedure describes how to connect a Mac OS X system USB port to the console using the built in OS X Terminal utility.

Procedure

1.

Use the Finder to go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

2.

Connect the OS X USB port to the router.

3.

Enter the commands to find the OS X USB port number

Example:


macbook:user$ cd /dev
macbook:user$ ls -ltr /dev/*usb*
crw-rw-rw-  1 root    wheel       9,  66 Apr  1 16:46 tty.usbmodem1a21 DT-macbook:dev user$
4.

Connect to the USB port with the command followed by the router USB port speed

Example:


macbook:user$ screen /dev/tty.usbmodem1a21 9600

To disconnect the OS X USB console from the terminal window

Enter Ctrl-a followed by Ctrl-\

Connect to the console port with Linux

This procedure shows how to connect a Linux system USB port to the console using the built in Linux Terminal utility.

Procedure

1.

Open the Linux Terminal window.

2.

Connect the Linux USB port to the router.

3.

Enter the commands to find the Linux USB port number

Example:


root@usb-suse# cd /dev
root@usb-suse /dev# ls -ltr *ACM*
crw-r--r--    1 root     root     188,   0 Jan 14 18:02 ttyACM0
root@usb-suse /dev#
4.

Connect to the USB port with the command followed by the router USB port speed

Example:


root@usb-suse /dev# screen /dev/ttyACM0 9600

To disconnect the Linux USB console from the Terminal window

Enter Ctrl-a followed by : then quit

Connect WAN and LAN interfaces

This section describes how to connect WAN and LAN interface cables.

Ports and cables

The connections summarized here are also described in detail in the document on Cisco Modular Access Cable Specifications .

Table 3. WAN, LAN, and Voice connections

Port or Connection

Port Type, Color1

Connection:

Cable

Ethernet

RJ-45, yellow

Ethernet hub or Ethernet switch

Category 5 or higher Ethernet

T1/E1 WANxCE1T1-PRI

RJ-48C/CA81ARJ-48S, tan

T1 or E1 networkExternal T1 CSU or other T1 equipment

RJ-48 T1/E1RJ-48S to RJ-48S TERJ-48S to RJ-48S NTRJ-48S to RJ-48S T1RJ-48S to bareRJ-48S to BNCRJ-48S to twinaxial cableRJ-48S to DB-15RJ-48S to DB-15 null

T3/DS3/E3 WAN

BNC connector

T3 network, CSU/DSU, or other T3/DS3 equipment

75-ohm coaxial cable

Cisco serial

60-pin D-sub, blue

CSU/DSU and serial network or equipment

Cisco serial transition cable that matches the signaling protocol (EIA/TIA-232, EIA/TIA-449, V.35, X.21, or EIA-530) and the serial port operating mode (DTE or DCE).2

Cisco Smart serial

Cisco Smart compact connector, blue

CSU/DSU and serial network or equipment

Gigabit Ethernet SFP, optical

LC, color according to optical wavelength

1000BASE-SX, -LX, -LH, -ZX, -CWDM

Optical fiber as specified on applicable data sheet

Gigabit Ethernet SFP, copper

RJ-45

1000BASE-T

Category 5, 5e, 6 UTP

Gigabit Ethernet SFP+, optical

LC, color according to optical wavelength

10G-SR, -LR, -ER, -DWDM,-AOC,-CU

Optical fiber as specified on applicable data sheet

Gigabit Ethernet SFP+, copper

RJ-45

10GBASE-T

Category 6, Category 7
1 Cable color codes are specific to Cisco cables.
2 See the Cisco Modular Access Router Cable Specifications document for information about choosing these cables.

Connection procedures and precautions

  • Connect each WAN and LAN to the appropriate connector on the chassis or on a network module or interface card.

  • Position the cables carefully, so that they do not put strain on the connectors.

  • Organize cables in bundles so that cables do not intertwine.

  • Inspect the cables to make sure that the routing and bend radius is satisfactory. Reposition cables, if necessary.

  • Install cable ties in accordance with site requirements.

For cable pinouts, see Cisco Modular Access Cable Specifications.

Note

After installing the device and connecting the cables, you can configure the device with basic configurations. For more information on how to configure the device, see the Cisco 8300 Series Secure Routers Software Configuration Guide.

Install the Silicon Labs USB device driver

This section contains these topics:

Install the Silicon Labs Windows USB device driver

Procedure

1.

Go to the Silicon Labs website ( www.silabs.com/developers/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers?tab=downloads), and click CP210x Universal Windows Driver.

2.

Unzip the downloaded folder, and select the installer for your system configuration. The Device Driver Installation Wizard begins.
3.

Click Next on the Installation Wizard, then click Finish to complete installation.
4.

Open the Device Manager on your system and click the Ports (COM & LPT) drop-down.
5.

Insert the USB console cable and power into your system. The Device manager refreshes and indicates the newly-detected COM port.
6.

Open a terminal emulator and click the Serial connection type. Input the values for Serial Line and Speed (or Baud Rate).
7.

Click Open.
8.

The terminal emulator opens. Click Enter to view the console output response.

The USB console is ready for use.

Install the Silicon Labs Mac USB device driver

Procedure

1.

Go to the Silicon Labs website (www.silabs.com/developers/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers?tab=downloads), and click CP210x VCP Mac OSX Driver.

2.

Click the Downloads folder, then click the macOS_VCP_Driver folder, and double-click the SiLabsUSBDriverDisk.dmg program.

3.

Click Install CP210X VCP Driver, and then click Open. The Driver Installer begins.
4.

Follow installer instructions. Click Continue, scroll all the way down, then click Continue, and click Agree.
5.

Click Continue, and enter your password. Then click Install Helper, and click Close.
6.

Insert the USB console cable and power into your system..

7.

Open a terminal and type cd/dev, and then type ls-ltr. Serial port tty.SLAB_USBtoUART appears.
8.

Type screen/dev/tty.SLAB_USBtoUART <baudrate> to see console output. Console will show response upon first Enter key if there is no output.

The USB console is ready for use.