Re: how to setup serial console on my mac?

[Donald Lee <MacPPC2%caution.icompute.com@localhost>]

I have a fix for you.

>--- On Wed, 12/3/08, Donald Lee <MacPPC2%caution.icompute.com@localhost> wrote:
>> 
>> Sorry.  That question is beyond my meager expertise.  I
>> think it's a "wscons"
>> question. (?)
>> 
>> -dgl-
>
>I checked some info on wscons, IMHO don't think it's that. Getty on the other 
>hand IMHO looks like it:
>
>     getty, uugetty -- set terminal modes for system access
>     The getty program is called by init(8) to open and initialize the tty
>     line, read a login name, and invoke login(1).  The devices on which to
>     run getty are normally determined by ttys(5).
>
>and TTYS(5) states;
>     The file ttys contains information that is used by various routines to
>     initialize and control the use of terminal special files.  This informa-
>     tion is read with the getttyent(3) library routines.
>
>EXAMPLES
>     # root login on console at 1200 baud
>     console "/usr/libexec/getty std.1200"   vt100   on secure
>     # dialup at 1200 baud, no root logins
>     ttyd0   "/usr/libexec/getty d1200"      dialup  on      # 555-1234
>     # Mike's terminal: hp2621
>     ttyh0   "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600"   hp2621-nl       on      # 457 
> Evans
>     # John's terminal: vt100
>     ttyh1   "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600"   vt100   on              # 459 
> Evans
>     # terminal emulate/window system
>     ttyv0   "/usr/new/xterm -L :0"          vs100   on 
> window="/usr/new/Xvs1000"
>     # Network pseudo ttys -- don't enable getty
>     ttyp0   none    network
>     ttyp1   none    network off
>
>
>It looks like my config is OK
>wally# cat /etc/ttys
>console "/usr/libexec/getty std.38400"  vt100   off secure
>ttyE0   "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600"   vt100   on secure
>ttyZ0   "/usr/libexec/getty std.38400"  vt100   on secure
>ttyZ1   "/usr/libexec/getty std.38400"  vt200   on secure
>
>Why I'm not able to logon via ttyZ0 or ttyZ1? :-(
>

I looked into this and I think I found a solution.

If you add "local" to the end of the /etc/ttys entry:

ttyZ1   "/usr/libexec/getty std.38400"  vt200   on secure local

seems to work (mine is still "unknown" vs. "vt200", but I digress)

Note that if you change this "on the fly" you have to run ttyflags(8)
to update the flags.

"local" tells the serial driver to ignore the "modem control" serial pins -
like the "carrier detect" and such like.

If you try to do this after the machine is booted, and you have
already typed some chars and/or have a non-working getty already running,
you will have some trouble.

There is some funny business in the startup/flow control.  I had to
fire up my "terminal emulator" program to "free up" the serial port, but
once that was done, it worked.  ( think there was data "stuck" behind
some sort of flow control status that was not cleared by the "local"
change)

A reboot seems to clear it reliably, after adding "local" to the ttys line.

Also, I am pumping data through the port now, and I note that it is much
more robust than the "old" serial ports.  I think the interrupt fixes/changes
in the kernel about the 2.1 timeframe fixed some underlying problems.

It seems to work!

Good luck.

-dgl-