Connecting to a switch

ICX Setup connects to a switch two ways. Use the serial console for a factory-fresh switch that has no IP yet, and SSH once the switch has a management address on your network.

Serial console

Plug a USB-to-serial console cable from your Mac into the switch’s console port and choose Connect via Console on the Welcome screen.

Finding the right port

ICX Setup enumerates your Mac’s serial ports and shows the likely console adapter first, with a green Recommended badge. It recognises the common console-cable chipsets by their USB vendor:

Chipset	Shown as
FTDI	FTDI Serial
Prolific	Prolific Serial
Silicon Labs CP210x	CP210x Serial
WCH CH340	CH340 Serial

Other serial ports are collapsed under Show N other port(s) in case your adapter isn’t one of the recognised four. Ports are watched live, so plugging the cable in after you open the screen makes it appear.

Serial parameters

ICX Setup opens the port as raw 8N1 (8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit) and auto-detects the baud rate, trying 9600, 115200, 57600, 38400, then 19200 and keeping the first rate the switch answers on. RUCKUS ICX consoles default to 9600. Commands are sent with a carriage return only, as ICX expects.

If it connects but won’t talk

Seeing “Could not detect baud rate” or “Connected to the cable but can’t communicate with the switch” usually means the switch is mid-boot or wedged. Power-cycle the switch and try again. See Troubleshooting.

SSH

Once a switch has a management IP, choose Connect via SSH and enter:

• Host / IP — the switch’s management address.
• Port — default 22.
• Username — default super.

You don’t enter a password here — ICX Setup tries your configured passwords in order (see Logins and passwords).

SSH needs FastIron 9.0 or later

ICX Setup’s SSH client uses modern algorithms only. If the switch runs older firmware, connect over the console cable instead and upgrade it first.

Host keys are pinned (trust on first use)

The first time you SSH to a switch, ICX Setup records (“pins”) its SSH host key in the macOS Keychain. On every later connection it checks the switch is presenting the same key. The stored fingerprint is a standard OpenSSH SHA256:… value — the same one ssh-keygen -lf prints — so you can verify it out of band.

If the key ever changes, ICX Setup refuses to connect and shows:

The switch’s SSH identity has changed since you last connected. This can happen after a factory reset — or it may mean someone is intercepting the connection. Only reconnect if you know this switch was reset.

If you know the switch was genuinely reset or replaced, use Reset Pin & Reconnect to pin the new key. If you don’t, stop and investigate. ICX Setup also fails closed — it refuses to connect rather than trust an unverified key — if it can’t read or save the pin in the Keychain. See Security and privacy.

Which one should I use?

Situation	Connect with
Brand-new switch, no IP configured	Serial console
Switch on FastIron below 9.0	Serial console
Switch already has a management IP and runs FastIron 9.0+	SSH (or console — either works)

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Trouble connecting? Troubleshooting · Contact support.