Modem Signal and Line States
This chapter describes modem states in the following section:
•
To identify the hardware platform or software image information associated with a feature, use the
Feature Navigator on Cisco.com to search for information about the feature or refer to the software
release notes for a specific release. For more information, see the “Identifying Supported Platforms”
section in the “Using Cisco IOS Software” chapter.
For a complete description of the modem support commands in this chapter, refer to the Cisco IOS
Modem Command Reference. To locate documentation of other commands that appear in this chapter,
use the command reference master index or search online.
Signal and Line State Diagrams
The following signal and line state diagrams accompany some of the tasks in the following sections to
illustrate how the modem control works:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cisco IOS Dial Technologies Configuration Guide
DC-1 5 7
Modem Signal and Line States
Signal and Line State Diagrams
Configuring Automatic Dialing
With the dialup capability, you can set a modem to dial the phone number of a remote router
automatically. This feature offers cost savings because phone line connections are made only when they
are needed—you pay for using the phone line only when there is data to be received or sent.
To configure a line for automatic dialing, use the following command in line configuration mode:
Command
Purpose
Router(config-line)# modem dtr-active
Configures a line to initiate automatic dialing.
Using the modem dtr-active command causes a line to raise DTR signal only when there is an outgoing
connection (such as reverse Telnet, NetWare Asynchronous Support Interface (NASI), or DDR), rather
than leave DTR raised all the time. When raised, DTR potentially tells the modem that the router is ready
to accept a call.
Automatically Answering a Modem
You can configure a line to answer a modem automatically. You also can configure the modem to answer
the telephone on its own (as long as DTR is high), drop connections when DTR is low, and use its Carrier
Detect (CD) signal to accurately reflect the presence of carrier. (Configuring the modem is a
modem-dependent process.) First, wire the modem CD signal (generally pin-8) to the router RING input
(pin-22), then use the following command in line configuration mode:
Command
Purpose
Router(config-line)# modem dialin
Configures a line to automatically answer a modem.
You can turn on modem hardware flow control independently to respond to the status of router CTS
input. Wire CTS to whatever signal the modem uses for hardware flow control. If the modem expects to
control hardware flow in both directions, you might also need to wire modem flow control input to some
other signal that the router always has high, such as the DTR signal.
software detects a signal on the RING input of an idle line, it starts an EXEC or autobaud process on that
line. If the RING signal disappears on an active line, the Cisco IOS software closes any open network
connections and terminates the EXEC facility. If the user exits the EXEC or the software terminates
because of no user input, the line makes the modem hang up by lowering the DTR signal for 5 seconds.
After 5 seconds, the modem is ready to accept another call.
Cisco IOS Dial Technologies Configuration Guide
DC-1 5 9
Modem Signal and Line States
Signal and Line State Diagrams
Figure 26
EXEC Creation on a Line Configured for a High-Speed Modem
Idle state
DTR low,
watching
CTS
Ring transition
Raise DTR
Lower DTR
Answer
timeout
DTR high,
watching
CTS
DTR low
Hang up
Ringing
Lower DTR
close connection
CTS raised
Create EXEC
CTS lowered
or exit
DTR high
Ready and active
Supporting Dial-In and Dial-Out Connections
To configure a line for both incoming and outgoing calls, use the following command in line
configuration mode:
Command
Purpose
Router(config-line)# modem inout
Configures a line for both incoming and outgoing calls.
Figure 27 illustrates the modem inout command. If the line is activated by raising the data set ready
(DSR) signal, it functions exactly as a line configured with the modem dialin line configuration
line is activated by an incoming TCP connection, the line functions similarly to lines not used with
modems.
Cisco IOS Dial Technologies Configuration Guide
DC-1 6 0
Modem Signal and Line States
Signal and Line State Diagrams
Figure 27
EXEC and Daem on Creation for Incom ing and Outgoing Calls
Idle state
DTR high,
watching
CTS
CTS raised
Close connection,
DTR low for
5 seconds
CTS lowered
DTR high,
watching
CTS
DTR going
low
Hang up
Ready
User-typed
activation
character
Incoming network
connection
Create
EXEC
Create
daemon
Ready
and
active
DTR high,
watching
CTS
Ready
and
active
DTR high,
watching
CTS
CTS lowered
or exit
CTS lowered or
network
connection
closed
Note
If your system incorporates dial-out modems, consider using access lists to prevent unauthorized use.
Configuring a Line Timeout Interval
To change the interval that the Cisco IOS software waits for the CTS signal after raising the DTR signal
in response to the DSR (the default is 15 seconds), use the following command in line configuration
mode. The timeout applies to the modem callin command only.
Command
Purpose
Router(config-line)# modem answer-timeout seconds
Configures modem line timing.
Note
The DSR signal is called RING on older ASM-style chassis.
Cisco IOS Dial Technologies Configuration Guide
DC-1 6 1
Modem Signal and Line States
Signal and Line State Diagrams
Closing Modem Connections
Note
The modem cts-required command was replaced by the modem printer command in Cisco IOS
Release 12.2.
To configure a line to close connections from a user’s terminal when the terminal is turned off and to
prevent inbound connections to devices that are out of service, use the following command in line
configuration mode:
Command
Purpose
Router(config-line)# modem cts-required
Configures a line to close connections.
signal. This form of modem control requires that the CTS signal be high for the entire session. If CTS
is not high, the user input is ignored and incoming connections are refused (or sent to the next line in a
rotary group).
Figure 28
EXEC and Daem on Creation on a Line Configured for Continuous CTS
Idle state
DTR high,
watching
CTS
CTS raised
Close connection,
DTR low for
5 seconds
CTS lowered
DTR high,
watching
CTS
DTR going
low
Hang up
Ready
User-typed
activation
character
Incoming network
connection
Create
EXEC
Create
daemon
Ready
and
active
DTR high,
watching
CTS
Ready
and
active
DTR high,
watching
CTS
CTS lowered
or exit
CTS lowered or
network
connection
closed
Cisco IOS Dial Technologies Configuration Guide
DC-1 6 2
Modem Signal and Line States
Signal and Line State Diagrams
Configuring a Line to Disconnect Automatically
To configure automatic line disconnect, use the following command in line configuration mode:
Command
Purpose
Router(config-line)# autohangup
Configures automatic line disconnect.
The autohangup command causes the EXEC facility to issue the exit command when the last
connection closes. This feature is useful for UNIX-to-UNIX copy program (UUCP) applications because
UUCP scripts cannot issue a command to hang up the telephone. This feature is not used often.
Supporting Reverse Modem Connections and Preventing Incoming Calls
In addition to initiating connections, the Cisco IOS software can receive incoming connections. This
capability allows you to attach serial and parallel printers, modems, and other shared peripherals to the
router or access server and drive them remotely from other modem-connected systems. The Cisco IOS
software supports reverse TCP, XRemote, and local-area transport (LAT) connections.
The specific TCP port or socket to which you attach the device determines the type of service that the
Cisco IOS software provides on a line. When you attach the serial lines of a computer system or a data
terminal switch to the serial lines of the access server, the access server can act as a network front-end
device for a host that does not support the TCP/IP protocols. This arrangement is sometimes called
front-ending or reverse connection mode.
The Cisco IOS software supports ports connected to computers that are connected to modems. To
configure the Cisco IOS software to function somewhat like a modem, use the following command in
line configuration mode. This command also prevents incoming calls.
Command
Purpose
Router(config-line)# modem callout
Configures a line for reverse connections and prevents incoming
calls.
connection, it raises the DTR signal and waits to see if the CTS signal is raised to indicate that the host
has noticed the router DTR signal. If the host does not respond within the interval set by the modem
answer-timeout line configuration command, the software lowers the DTR signal and drops the
connection.
Cisco IOS Dial Technologies Configuration Guide
DC-1 6 3
Modem Signal and Line States
Signal and Line State Diagrams
Figure 29
Daem on Creation on a Line Configured for Modem Dial-Out
Idle state
DTR low
Incoming network
connection
Raise DTR
Lower DTR
Answer
timeout
DTR high,
watching
CTS
Ringing
Close
connection
CTS raised
Lower DTR
Network
connection
closed or
Create daemon
CTS lowered
DTR high,
watching
CTS
Ready and active
Cisco IOS Dial Technologies Configuration Guide
DC-1 6 4
|