Cisco Console software for Linux

There is a nice tool that I use regularly to access consoles on routers, switches, etc.

minicom.  This is a great tool for doing simple console work.

get started with Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install minicom

Here is a link on configuration and setup.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CiscoConsole

Basically, minicom -s for initial configuration.
E - Bps/Par/Bits       : 9600 8N1                                 
F - Hardware Flow Control : No
G - Software Flow Control : No
Save setup as dfl
Ctrl-a f is the break sequence for password recovery
Ctrl-a z for the help menu, say you want to upload files through the console.  I hope you never have to :)