This one piece cable is used for connecting your computer's serial port to the RJ45 console port on most Cisco equipmentTo use the cable you will connect the RJ45 connector to your equipment and the DB9 connector to the serial port on your computerThis cable is identical to the one that ships with Cisco switches, firewalls, routers, wireless devices and moreIt works with Cisco gear both new and old. Most folks use the standard Windows Hyperterminal or some other terminal emulation software to access the Cisco IOS through the console port.