Re: Xen console detection/selection

[david l goodrich <dlg%dsrw.org@localhost>]

Your menu name - "Boot Xen (vga) and  "console=com0" are
contradictory.  If you'd really like the dom0 output going to
VGA, use 'console=pc' instead.


On Mon, Apr 28, 2014 at 11:12:59AM -0700, Erik Fair wrote:
> The other thing about NetBSD and Xen that has me a bit confused is Xen 
> console detection/selection for systems without RS-232 (COM0) serial ports, 
> e.g. all you have is built-in graphics ("vga") and USB ports for 
> keyboard+mouse+whatever. I've got an HP Proliant Microserver N40L which fits 
> that description.
> 
> What I observe is that when the Xen hypervisor is started, console output 
> ceases entirely until the getty prompt from the dom0 appears. One can recover 
> the dom0 boot messages from dmesg, but that's it. What's going on here?
> 
> My /boot.cfg reads as follows:
> 
> menu=Boot Xen (vga):load /netbsd.dom0 console=com0;multiboot /xen.gz 
> dom0_mem=256M console=vga
> #
> menu=Boot Xen (vga, single user):load /netbsd.dom0 -s console=com0;multiboot 
> /xen.gz dom0_mem=256M console=vga
> #
> menu=Boot normally:rndseed /var/db/entropy-file;boot netbsd
> #
> menu=Boot single user:rndseed /var/db/entropy-file;boot netbsd -s
> #
> menu=Disable ACPI:rndseed /var/db/entropy-file;boot netbsd -2
> #
> menu=Disable ACPI and SMP:rndseed /var/db/entropy-file;boot netbsd -12
> #
> menu=Drop to boot prompt:prompt
> #
> default=1
> timeout=10
> clear=1
> 
> 
> You will note that the dom0 is told to use "com0" (which is presumably being 
> provided under emulation by the Xen hypervisor); that's what worked for me to 
> get anything to work at all, and I was just guessing that a VM would have to 
> do something like this.
> 
> What's the recommended method?
> 
>       curious,
> 
>       Erik <fair%netbsd.org@localhost>
>