Also, if switchport security is configured on the the ports of the 2900 to restrict the number of devices, connecting another switch to that port would not work.

If mac address sticky is also enabled. then it would allow only a host with a certian MAC address to communicate on that port.

You should confirm that all speed/duplex settings match on both sides of the link. Also ensure that there are not VLANs set on the ports to which you are connecting, as that will also prevent communication if misconfigured. In addition, if you do a "show log" on the cisco switch console, it may give you more insight into what's happening as the specific log entries will be relevant.