A Pentium-class CPU system with an available USB port (type A, flat connector, downstream). The RocketPort USB Serial Hub II supports USB 2.0 and is USB 1.0 and 1.1 compatible. The RocketPort USB Serial Hub III supports USB 1.0 and is USB 2.0 compatible.
Linux distribution including the Prolific driver (pl2303) in the kernel, compiled in or loaded as a module.

How to Check for the USB Driver

The first installation step is to see if the USB driver is available on your system.

Attach the USB cable from the RocketPort USB Serial Hub b to a USB port on your computer
Login to the root account.

At the command prompt, type dmesg | grep ttyUSB

The following shows example results:

usb 2-1.1: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0
usb 2-1.2: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB1
usb 2-1.3.1: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB2
usb 2-1.3.2: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB3
usb 2-1.3.3.1: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB4
usb 2-1.3.3.2: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB5
usb 2-1.3.3.3: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB6
usb 2-1.3.3.4: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB7

If you do see ttyUSB0, ttyUSB1, etc., the kernel already has the driver built in or the module is loaded, and you are ready to use your RocketPort USB Serial Hub.

If you do not see anything in the output from the above command about ttyUSB devices, go to the next procedure, as your kernel does not have the correct drivers compiled in or loaded in via module.

How to Recompile the Kernel with the USB Driver

To recompile your kernel to include the correct drivers, use the following instructions.

Optionally, refer to the following HOWTO at: http://www.digitalhermit.com/linux/Kernel-Build-HOWTO.html for detailed information about recompiling your kernel.

At the command prompt, type uname –a. Note the result, which is the running kernel.
At the command prompt, type cd /usr/src
At the command prompt, type ls –l. Note the result, there should be a symbolic link from the running kernel to a directory called linux. Make sure that this symbolic link is there, which is provided in the output noted above and if the linux directory has lrwxrwxrwx as it’s permissions, it is a symbolic link. The output will also show to which directory it is linked. This should point to the running kernel. If it is, continue on to Step 5. If not, go to Step 4.
To change the symbolic link perform the appropriate steps:
1. At the command line type: rm –rf linux
2. At the command line type: ln –s 2.6.18-gentoo/ linux
  
  This step depends upon what kernel you are running. Review results from Step 1 in the command after ln –s, which is the running kernel as seen from the uname –a.
At the command prompt, type cd linux.
At the command prompt, type make menuconfig, which opens the menu for configuring your kernel.
In the menu system for configuring the kernel, enable the following within your kernel, are as follows:
```
Device Drivers
   USB Support
      <*> Support for host side USB
         USB Serial Converter support
            <*> USB Serial Converter Support
            <*> Prolific 2303 Single Port Serial Driver
                
```
Now that you have enabled the options you need in your kernel to support the RocketPort USB Serial Hub II and III, you are ready to compile the kernel. To do so, make sure that you are exiting the menu system. It is important to save your settings when prompted.
At the command line, type make && make modules_install. This compiles the new kernel and modules.

At this point, the new kernel is compiled and ready to use, however it will need to be copied to /boot or wherever your distribution stores it’s kernel.

To copy the kernel to /boot:.

32-bit systems: cp ./arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/kernel-2.6.18-gentoo

64-bit systems: cp ./arch/x86_64/boot/bzImage /boot/kernel-2.6.18-gentoo

Update your boot loader to make it aware of the new kernel. You can use lilo or Grub. nano –w /etc/lilo.conf brings up your current lilo configuration. Add another entry in the lilo.conf file for your new kernel. The easiest way to add another entry, is to cut and paste a copy of the entry for the previous kernel and put that below the previous kernel entry itself, and then edit the copied text to fit your kernel.

An example lilo.conf with the second entry (32-bit or 64-bit) added is below:
```
boot=/dev/hda
prompt
timeout=50
default=gentoo
                
image=/boot/kernel-2.6.17-gentoo-r4
  label=gentoo
  read-only
  root=/dev/hda6
            
```
- 32-bit system example:
```
image=/boot/kernel-2.6.18-gentoo
  label=gentoo2.6.18
  read-only
  root=/dev/hda6
```
- 64-bit system example:
```
image=/boot/kernel-2.6.18-gentoo
  label=gentoo
  read-only
  root=/dev/hda6
```
At the command prompt, type /sbin/lilo -v. This updates the copy of lilo that is in the master boot record so that it is aware of the new kernel.
Reboot your machine, at the command prompt, type halt or reboot.

Attaching the RocketPort USB Serial Hub

Use the following procedure to attach the RocketPort USB Serial Hub.

If you have not done so, bring the machine back up.
Attach the USB cable from the RocketPort USB Serial Hubb to a USB port on your computer. The system detects the device and creates ttyUSB0 through ttyUSB3 (RocketPort USB Serial Hub II) or ttyUSB0 through ttyUSB7 (RocketPort USB Serial Hub III).

Connecting Serial Devices

Use the following procedure to connect serial devices to the RocketPort USB Serial Hub.

Connect the serial device(s) to the serial port(s) on the RocketPort USB Serial Hub.
Disconnect the USB cable from the RocketPort USB Serial Hub upstream port. The USB port is located next to the serial ports.
Reconnect the USB cable to the RocketPort USB Serial Hub upstream port. The PC automatically locates and configures each serial port on the RocketPort USB Serial Hub .

Special Notes

If you switch the serial devices that are connected to the RocketPort USB Serial Hub II, make sure that you disconnect and reconnect the upstream cable (USB type B, square shape) from the device.

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