ORCA serial console access via Mac "Terminal" app

[Jeremy Begg]

Hi,

I have a number of AlphaServer DS20E and DS25 servers which have SmartArray 5300 RAID controllers.  Basic setup of the RAIDsets can be done using the ORCA utility at the system console in graphics mode.  However I prefer to run my Alpha consoles in serial mode, and my laptop is a Mac (using a Kensington USB-serial adapter).

The problem is that when the Alpha console is in serial mode the ORCA utility is not usable, mainly because the screen formatting characters are lost.  I've seen it work when the serial console is connected to a Windows laptop so I've been trying to work out how to get it to work on my Mac, without much success.

On the Mac the escape sequences which format the screen are visible but the leading <Esc> character (or whatever character introduces the screen-formatting sequence) appears to be stripped from the bytestream.  Or it's using a set of escape sequences which the Mac Terminal app doesn't understand.

By the way to run the serial comms I'm using Kermit, which works very well for every other situation I've had to do serial comms!

Thanks,

Jeremy Begg

[Steven Schweda]

   Have you tried an xterm on the Mac?  That's how I talk to the home
systems when I'm away.  (But I'm using Telnet or SSH or something
networky, not a serial port.)

[Jeremy Begg]

I have found a solution: Ericom PowerTerm Interconnect for MacOS X.  It talks directly to the serial port (no need for Kermit) and displays the ORCA console nicely.  Next step is to get pricing and decide if it's worth the epense.

Regards,

Jeremy Begg