Download - openSUSE-Leap-42.2-DVD-x86_64.iso (https://software.opensuse.org/422/en) and install

From YAST, install:

1. ncurses-devel
2. python-curses & python3-curses
3. python-expect
4. python-pyserial & python3-pyserial
5. complete gnu-c and gnu-c++ development system
6. cutecom
7. minicom
8. lynx
9. turn off all power saving system configurations and screen blanking

1 Click Install (https://software.opensuse.org/package/kernel-preempt_rt)

Reboot and wait for the openSUSE grub menu to come up.

Under "Advanced options for openSUSE Leap 42.2, select "openSUSE leap 42.2, with Linux 3.14.79-rt85-1-preempt_rt"

Communications over serial ports can be set up in graphical mode at level 5. However, once communications are established and functioning properly, the system will be switched over to text mode, level 3, by turning off the xwindows daemon. The system can be booted into graphical mode by default and switched to level 3 for operation. This also makes system administration easier. All professional internet servers operate in non-graphical mode (text mode) at level 3 and they are usually booted up into level 3 by default; the xwindows daemon is never installed. Graphical mode consumes most of the system resources and kills latency making it unfeasible in any real time applications, such as Internet Servers, High Security Servers, machine controls, audio processing and RF SDR servers.

To switch over from graphical mode to text mode (runlevel 3), open a terminal window, log in as root and issue the command:

systemctl isolate multi-user.target (or) systemctl isolate runlevel3.target

To switch back to graphical mode, runlevel 5, on the command line type:

systemctl isolate graphical.target (or) systemctl isolate runlevel5.target

To make the system boot into runlevel 3 by default, type:

systemctl set-default multi-user.target

To make the system boot into runlevel 5 by default, type:

systemctl set-default graphical.target

To use USB serial ports, the user must be a member of several groups.

1. Open YAST and select "User and Group Management" from the "Security and Users" menu.
2. Select the user and click the "Edit" button at the bottom of the window.
3. Select the "Details" tab.
4. From the window on the right labeled "Additional Groups", select: dialout and wheel groups, then reboot.
5. Now, cutecom should load from the menu and all ports should be accessible from the menu.
6. Plug in the USB-serial interface. Go to the root (/) directory and look in /dev for a file named ttyACM0. If it is not there, search the Internet for a solution.
7. The serial communications application, Cutecom, should be already installed. Open a text window, log in as root and type cutecom on the command line.
8. In the box labeled "Device:", select ttyACM0 from the menu or type ttyACM0.
9. Goto the "Setting" button on the upper right and configure the port.
10. Open it.

Now that the serial interface is known to be working, for command line Python options, go to:

https://pythonhosted.org/pyserial/

Standard command line options are minicom, picocom and setserial.