User Manual

Ports Starting a Port
8-2
8.3.1 Waiting for Character Input
By default, each SCS port is idle until character input is received (e.g. if a remote user presses the Return
key). If automatic protocol detection is enabled (see Automatic Protocol Detection on page 8-4), and the
SCS recognizes a PPP or SLIP character in a packet for an enabled protocol, the SCS automatically runs
that protocol.
8.3.2 Starting Automatically
To configure a port to start automatically when the SCS is booted, or as soon as the SCS receives a
predetermined trigger character, use the Set/Define Ports Autostart command.
8.3.2.1 Enabling Autostart
When Autostart is enabled, the port starts up and executes any configured commands or connections. No
user input or serial data is necessary for the port to start up; it occurs automatically.
To enable Autostart for a port, use the following command.
Figure 8-2: Enabling Autostart
Once Autostart is enabled, the port start ups without waiting for character input. The port then performs any
operations that it’s configured to run at start-up. For example, the port may connect to a particular host, run
an authentication sequence, or run a particular protocol.
Note: To dedicate a port to a host, see Preferred/Dedicated Hosts on page 8-8.
If PPP is enabled on the port, the port starts when a PPP packet is received. See PPP Mode on page 8-3 for
details. If both Autostart and modem control are enabled, the port starts as soon as the DCD signal is raised.
8.3.2.2 Setting an Autostart Trigger
Autostart can also be triggered by a specific input character. As the SCS does not have a default Autostart
character, you will have to configure one. For example, you may want to use A so that Autostart will occur
as soon as an AT modem command is entered. Keep in mind that when you configure an Autostart
character, you can no longer use press Return to get to the Local> prompt.
The following example configures “A” as the Autostart character for the first serial port.
Figure 8-3: Configuring an Autostart Character
A two-character sequence can also be defined as an autostart trigger.
To specify a control character, using escaped hex. For example, Ctrl-B (ASCII character 0x02) is “\02” in
escaped hex.
Local>> DEFINE PORT 2 AUTOSTART ENABLED
Local>> DEFINE PORT 1 AUTOSTART CHARACTER “A”