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This should be corrected as customers run into this all the time now, since the driver was updated for all platforms by Silicom Labs.

The instructions here are incorrect entirely for macOS:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/solutions/netgate-2100/connect-to-console.html#locate-the-console-port-device

Updated in pfSense docs as well: https://gitlab.netgate.com/docs/pfSense-docs/-/commit/a1870dd5368f3232712f0cc9564b54a8c6916aaa

Jim Pingle wrote in #note-5:

Updated in pfSense docs as well: https://gitlab.netgate.com/docs/pfSense-docs/-/commit/a1870dd5368f3232712f0cc9564b54a8c6916aaa

I recommend the command:

ls -l /dev/ | grep -i usb

And this is the result on my M1-based iMac:

ryan.netgate@Ryans-iMac ~ % ls -l /dev/ | grep -i usb
crw-rw-rw-  1 root          wheel        0x9000005 Jul 31 14:03 cu.usbserial-2320
crw-rw-rw-  1 root          wheel        0x9000004 Jul 31 14:03 tty.usbserial-2320

and then use this command (-U for unicode support, -L for writing a log file to the current directory):

screen -U -L /dev/cu.usbserial-2320 115200

It would be worth noting that there should be proper commands listed on how to disconnect your Screen session safely.

Control-A, Control-D to detach; then it will say "Resource Busy" when you try to open a new session.

To search for open screens:

screen -list

ryan.netgate@Ryans-iMac ~ % screen -list
There are screens on:
    77058.ttys000.Ryans-iMac    (Detached)
Remove dead screens with 'screen -wipe'.
1 Sockets in /var/folders/xx/50bhbcrs1zj6khwnv2hl55sm0000gp/T/.screen.

And remove the specific with the following method:

screen -X -S 77058 quit

screen -wipe

And then you can re-attach on the original command.

Screen is a great tool but it very much isn't super convenient to novice users.

I will verify these things against both of my other Apple Silicon devices here.

Thoughts: ls -l /dev/cu.* will specifically show all available cu devices regardless of driver, which is what we are interested in here. “ usb ” will miss some (like /dev/cu.KeySerial1 - a KeySpan adapter I have, and possibly future chipsets in netgate units or their drivers because "they" decide to change them and how they enumerate.)

Ryan Coleman wrote in #note-6:

Jim Pingle wrote in #note-5:

Updated in pfSense docs as well: https://gitlab.netgate.com/docs/pfSense-docs/-/commit/a1870dd5368f3232712f0cc9564b54a8c6916aaa

I recommend the command:
ls -l /dev/ | grep -i usb

As cjl mentioned that will miss some other devices, and also be confusing. The tty devices are not usable in the way we want here, only the cu devices. A tty device is for others to call into the Mac, whereas the cu device is for the Mac to "call up" another serial host, which is the only usable mode for these purposes. As far as I can tell any serial device usable the way we want would use the cu driver/prefix.

and then use this command (-U for unicode support, -L for writing a log file to the current directory):

[...]

The doc already mentions -U, I'm not sure we should recommend -L, not everyone will need to log, and there are other ways (e.g. :hardcopy -h blah.txt to dump the buffer to file).

It would be worth noting that there should be proper commands listed on how to disconnect your Screen session safely.

I don't think we should start down a path of writing a manual for screen. We only explain enough of the others like PuTTY to get the users connected, after that it's up to them. If we did write such a thing, it would have to be a separate reference document and is not macOS specific so not in scope here. It might be an OK fit on the main pfSense docs rather than platform docs, but even that is a stretch.

Should we choose to do this I already have a document I wrote which would be a decent head start (though it would need to be generalized and expanded): https://www.pingle.org/2022/04/02/raspberry-pi-serial-console-server#gnu-screen

However that would have to be part of a separate Redmine issue for new content as it is not specific to macOS which is the focus of this request.

Jim Pingle wrote in #note-8:

I don't think we should start down a path of writing a manual for screen. We only explain enough of the others like PuTTY to get the users connected, after that it's up to them. If we did write such a thing, it would have to be a separate reference document and is not macOS specific so not in scope here. It might be an OK fit on the main pfSense docs rather than platform docs, but even that is a stretch.

This is an issue in all uses of Screen, not specifically that to the Mac. Applies to Linux as well.

Ryan Coleman wrote in #note-9:

Jim Pingle wrote in #note-8:

I don't think we should start down a path of writing a manual for screen. We only explain enough of the others like PuTTY to get the users connected, after that it's up to them. If we did write such a thing, it would have to be a separate reference document and is not macOS specific so not in scope here. It might be an OK fit on the main pfSense docs rather than platform docs, but even that is a stretch.

This is an issue in all uses of Screen, not specifically that to the Mac. Applies to Linux as well.

Right but this Redmine issue is only about macOS serial commands, so anything else is out of scope here.