20.7.2016

This is a short how-to for using a serial terminal (minicom) via a ssh connection for controlling connected hardware and logging measurement data.

minicom is a very simple to use serial terminal for the console.

The first run should be called with the parameter -s (setup).
Later you can call it without any parameter. It's main interaction is done with Ctrl+A Z. This opens the options menu.

• Ctrl+a l: define log-file
• Ctrl+a z: options menu
• Ctrl+a x: exit

screen is a terminal based window manager. this is needed, to keep a remote 'minicom session' running, when the ssh-connection is closed

• start ssh-session: ssh user@server-url.com
• run: screen
• press enter to close splash screen
• minicom (start minicom in window 0)
• do whatever you want to do in minicom.
  to forward the Ctrl-a signal, which is catched by screen and very important for using minicom, use Ctrl+a a
• before closing the ssh-session, the window must be detached with Ctrl-a d
• you can close now the the ssh-session, and the minicom-session keeps running on the server.
• when you want to resume your minicom-window, connect to your server via ssh, and run
• screen -r (for resuming the window)

• resume last window: screen -r
• detach window: Ctrl+a d
• switch between windows: Ctrl+a 0-9
• close a window: ???
• kill a window: Ctrl+a k