Allied Telesis AT-S39 - Manual (Page 30)

Section II: Local or Telnet Management
30
Local Management Session
On the front panel of the switch is a port labelled RS232 Terminal Port.
You can use this port to establish a local (out-of-band) management
session with the switch’s AT-S39 management software.
A local management session is so named because you must be close to
the switch, usually within a few meters, to start this type of management
session. This typically means that you must be in the wiring closet where
the switch is located.
A switch does not need an IP address to be managed from a local
management session. You can start a local management session at any
time on any AT-8000 Series switch in your network. A local management
session does not interfere with the flow of Ethernet traffic through the
unit.
Starting a local management session on a switch that has been
configured as a Master switch allows you to manage all the switches in
the enhanced stack from the same local management session. You do
not have to start a separate local management session for each switch.
This can simplify network management.
Starting a local management session on a switch that is not part of an
enhanced stack or that is a slave switch allows you to manage just that
switch.
Note
For information on enhanced stacking, refer to Enhanced Stacking
Overview on page 58.