[ On , December 11, 1999 at 16:36:00 (-0600), Bruce Anderson wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: Install without video/keyboard?
>
> See: <http://www.valinux.com/projects/vacm/>
> for Intel motherboards.

Yes, the Intel "Emergency Management Port" console support for their
L440GX+, N440BX, and T440BX (NL440BX) motherboards will in theory do the
job.  However it appears to require some kind of client software to
handle it's peculiar communications protocol and I haven't found
documentation for it yet (the Intel client only runs on MS-Win32.  (It
does appear though that the BIOS console redirection thorugh the EMP
serial port works with normal ANSI or VT100 emulation, but unfortunately
it would seem as though this setup would require both a Unix console on
COM1 and another console port fot the COM2/EMP/BIOS multiplexer because
otherwise the ability to get at the BMC is restricted after boot and
console redirection is only possible in "real mode".)

The VA Linux guys do seem to have this "VA Cluster Manager" (VACM) which
claims to be able speak to the EMP BIOS but unfortunately it currently
requires direct access to a serial port and will not work via "reverse
telnet" to a terminal server hosting the console connections.  Perhaps
it can be used (it's source is available and is GPLed) for EMP control.

More info about the architecture of these boards is available via the
PDF manuals linked to here:

    http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server/t440bx/24371602.htm
    http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server/l440gx/24515101.HTM
    http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server/n440bx/243701_002.htm

Of course both the N440BX and L440GX+ have video onboard, so they won't
likely suffer the problem that started this thread.... :-)

None of these three "enterprise server" boards are anywhere near the
price of commodity non-American motherboards either, but I guess that
semi-decent Intel documentation has to paid for somehow.....

> Changing the code in the BIOS to use a serial console is the correct fix, 
> rather than more hardware.

Anyone want to work on iAPx86 bindings for OpenFirmware?  :-)

-- 
							Greg A. Woods

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