As a systems engineer, I spend a lot of time in data centers configuring servers and other computer equipment. Two of the items I keep in my toolkit are an RS-232 serial-to-USB converter and a standard DB-9 serial cable. These can be indispensable when you have no other way to access a device. You may need to deploy a new router that has not yet been configured for your network. You might need to troubleshoot a firewall appliance that has become inaccessible via SSH.
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