Subject: Re: Force serial console?
To: Henry Nelson <henry@irm.nara.kindai.ac.jp>
From: Jun-ichiro itojun Hagino <itojun@iijlab.net>
List: port-i386
Date: 06/23/2001 16:17:36
	(correct me if i'm wrong)

>> 	like this.  "rwd0" part may vary by your system configuration.
>                     ^^^^
>How do you verify this for a particular system?  Are there only two
>choices, rwd0a and rsd0a?

	/etc/fstab and dmesg(8) output should help.

>> 	# /usr/mdec/installboot /usr/mdec/biosboot_com0.sym /dev/rwd0a
>> 
>> 	also don't forget to update /etc/ttys correctly (you will want a getty
>> 	on "console").                        ^^^^^^^^^
>What is "correct?"  Please give a concrete example if it is not too much
>trouble.  For example, is the following satisfactory?
>     "console "/usr/libexec/getty std.38400"   on secure"

	yes, it should be okay.

>I'm using "tty00" and have "console" turned off, and it works.  Is this
>because I have compiled serial support into the kernel and am not using
>the bootloader?  (Or am I wrong, and just lucky?)

	iirc, "console" is better (works even when you switch to VGA).

>For sparcs, 38400 seems to be the upper limit.  How about i386, can we go
>ahead and put a baud rate of 115200?  If we put 115200, does it mean we have
>to compile a custom bootloader, or does "biosboot_com0.sym" automagically
>determine the baud rate and all that matters is "/etc/ttys"?

	dunno.  never tried any other speeds than default (9600).

>Do you need to turn off ttyE0 (ttyv0), all ttyE?'s (ttyv?'s), or leave them
>on by default?  (My working system has all of them turned off, as follows.)
>     "ttyE0   "/usr/libexec/getty Pc"         vt220   off secure"
>or on the PC98,
>     "ttyv0   "/usr/libexec/getty Pc"         vsc30   off secure"

	up to you.  if you still want to use wscons, you need ttyE*.  otherwise,
	you may want to turn it off (for less process/memory usage),
	or you may want to keep it (for future use of VGA/wscons).


	now, someone please suggest a fragment for FAQ :-)
	(we need a fact-check too).

itojun