I missed the beginning of this discussion but I am using USB serial ports (with a variety of USB-serial devices) on Ubuntu everyday in my day job and the device files are /dev/ttyUSB*. I connect with putty.
alan > On Aug 2, 2026, at 00:27, Torfinn Ingolfsen via cctalk > <[email protected]> wrote: > > To add to what Paul wrote: > Here is a oneliner to check for usb serial ports on a linux machine: > $ ls -l /dev/tty[ACU]* > (the initial '$' is the prompt, don't include it in the command) > run this before and after you plug in your usb serial device, and you > will find it - if it is detected. > > If the device only works as user root, you need to create a file to > set ownership, group and permissions on the device when it is plugged > in. This is commonly done through udev / udevadm on linux. > >> On Sun, Aug 2, 2026 at 4:00 AM Paul Berger via cctalk >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Well the first thing to do is make sure the USB serial device gets >> configured, when you plug it in, you should see the serial device listed >> in the output from 'lsusb' and there should be messages about it in >> 'dmesg' (requires root authority). It is possible that the naming >> convention for the tty device that get created is different between the >> two versions of linux. The usual way is the device gets created >> dynamically when you plug in the USB serial device. on my linux, >> Devuan which is debian based but unencumbered by systemd, it creates a >> device /dev/ttyUSB0 most modern distributions I have seen use names like >> this. >> >> Paul. >> >>> On 2026-08-01 21:41, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote: >>> Well, everything is a fight! >>> >>> The project I'm working on is to get a VMS MicroVAX system working at >>> VCFMW. The plan was to have serial comm on a Linux laptop connected >>> to the MicroVAX. I have the serial comm working on a Dell desktop >>> machine, so I just plugged the same USB serial cable into the laptop, >>> and NO COMM! I plugged back into the desktop, and serial data works >>> fine! I'm totally mystified! The desktop is running an OLD Debian >>> kernel (7.11), the laptop is running a late Ubuntu (24.04.4). >>> >>> I have no idea why the laptop doesn't communicate. I have tried >>> minicom, picocom and cutecom, same result on all of them. >>> >>> Thanks for any help you can suggest. >>> >>> Jon >>> > > > > -- > mvh > Torfinn
