[ILUG] [OT] Irish colo hosts with serial console

[Paul Jakma]

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005, Conor Wynne wrote:

> Really? I've used serial console before, but it was only of use 
> after grub loads the kernel. I tend to do this for logging panics 
> if netdump is not an issue.

Then your BIOS didn't support serial console.

> So, I assume you are talking about systems which support this 
> feature in the BIOS? Enlighten me guys.

Most decent PC workstation/server orientated motherboards/systems 
support serial console in BIOS. AFAIK *all* non-PC workstation/server 
firmware environments support serial console (ARCS, SRM, 
OpenFirmware) - just desktop PCs which are always crippled in this 
respect. Intel are pushing 'EFI' to replace the BIOS, it's used on 
Itanic already, and maybe one day will also be used on x86, maybe.

Here's a screenshot (a PC based machine in USA):

Copyright 1985-2002 Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
All Rights Reserved

Sun Fire B100x [BIOS ver. 0.24]

CPU = mobile AMD Athlon(tm) XP-M processor 1800+
639K System RAM Passed
1022M Extended RAM Passed
256K Cache SRAM Passed
System BIOS shadowed
Fixed Disk 0: TOS MK3019GAXB SUN30G











Press <Del> to enter SETUP

One problem though with PC BIOS serial console is that they're often 
menu-based rather than command line, and things dont always work 
well, eg BIOS implementations which try to constantly redraw the 
screen rather than use more clever escapes to do windowing on 
terminals - too fast for 9600 baud serial to keep up with often - or 
sometimes your terminal client or console server doesnt like or 
understand those escapes, etc.). YMMV.

> Thanks
> Conor.

regards,
-- 
Paul Jakma	paul at clubi.ie	paul at jakma.org	Key ID: 64A2FF6A
Fortune:
Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness.
 		-- Beckett