http://www.idevelopment.info/data/Unix/Solaris/SOLARIS_UsingSerialConsoles.shtml
Using Serial Consoles - (Solaris
/ Linux)
by Jeff Hunter, Sr. Database Administrator
Overview
The following article documents some of
the tips for connecting the serial port of a UNIX Server (Sun SPARC /
Linux) to the serial port (console) of a Sun Server. This is often
helpful and even necessary when performing routine administrative tasks
or initiating critical and/or long running processes. Access to the
serial console for many Sun servers is the only way to perform
administrative tasks given these servers do not come with a frame
buffer (i.e. video card).
There are times when I need to initiate a long
running job but cannot remain connected to the network for the duration
of its execution. In cases like this, I can connect to the serial
console of the Sun server, initiate the job and disconnect. The job
will remain running even when I drop my connection to the serial port.
I can, at a later time, reconnect to the serial console to determine
the results.
The first two sections of this article explain
the applications (programs) used from a Sun SPARC server and then a
Linux server for obtaining a serial console connection. The remainder
of this article attempts to describe the details (cables, connections,
adapters) of obtaining a serial console connection to/from different
Sun SPARC servers.
Connect
>From Sun SPARC Serial Port
From a Sun
machine, if you wanted to access the serial console of another computer
(ie. Linux, Sun, etc.), you would use the tip command.
The configuration file for tip is /etc/remote. In
most cases, you will be concerned with the hardwire
entry in this file. First, connect the two machines by their serial
ports (null modem if required), and from the Sun SPARC (Solaris)
machine, type the following at the command-line to connect to the
serial console of the other machine (Solaris / Linux):
# tip hardwire
Below is an example /etc/remote
file from the Sun SPARC (Solaris) machine that contains the hardwire
entry to go through serial port B (/dev/term/b). If you wanted
to change this entry to go out through serial port A instead, change "/dev/term/b" to "/dev/term/a".
cuab:dv=/dev/cua/b:br#2400
dialup1|Dial-up system:\
:pn=2015551212:tc=UNIX-2400:
hardwire:\
:dv=/dev/term/b:br#9600:el=^C^S^Q^U^D:ie=%$:oe=^D:
tip300:tc=UNIX-300:
tip1200:tc=UNIX-1200:
tip0|tip2400:tc=UNIX-2400:
tip9600:tc=UNIX-9600:
tip19200:tc=UNIX-19200:
UNIX-300:\
:el=^D^U^C^S^Q^O@:du:at=hayes:ie=#$%:oe=^D:br#300:tc=dialers:
UNIX-1200:\
:el=^D^U^C^S^Q^O@:du:at=hayes:ie=#$%:oe=^D:br#1200:tc=dialers:
UNIX-2400:\
:el=^D^U^C^S^Q^O@:du:at=hayes:ie=#$%:oe=^D:br#2400:tc=dialers:
UNIX-9600:\
:el=^D^U^C^S^Q^O@:du:at=hayes:ie=#$%:oe=^D:br#9600:tc=dialers:
UNIX-19200:\
:el=^D^U^C^S^Q^O@:du:at=hayes:ie=#$%:oe=^D:br#19200:tc=dialers:
VMS-300|TOPS20-300:\
:el=^Z^U^C^S^Q^O:du:at=hayes:ie=$@:oe=^Z:br#300:tc=dialers:
VMS-1200|TOPS20-1200:\
:el=^Z^U^C^S^Q^O:du:at=hayes:ie=$@:oe=^Z:br#1200:tc=dialers:
dialers:\
:dv=/dev/cua/b:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The attributes are:
dv device to use for the tty
el EOL marks (default is NULL)
du make a call flag (dial up)
pn phone numbers (@ =>'s search phones file; possibly taken from
PHONES environment variable)
at ACU type
ie input EOF marks (default is NULL)
oe output EOF string (default is NULL)
cu call unit (default is dv)
br baud rate (defaults to 300)
fs frame size (default is BUFSIZ) -- used in buffering writes
on receive operations
tc to continue a capability
|
Connect
to a Sun Serial Console from Linux
Linux
provides two methods (programs) that can be used to connect to a serial
console of a Sun server.
Connecting
Using minicom
The first
application I'll talk about is "minicom". Most Linux distributions
(i.e. Red Hat) already include minicom. If your particular distribution
does not include minicom, you can download it from the following URL: http://www.pp.clinet.fi/~walker/mcdevel.html.
Once you have Minicom installed, start it up with the command "minicom".
Press "Ctrl-A Z" to get to the main menu. Press "o" to
configure minicom. Go to "Serial port setup" and make sure that you are
set to the correct "Serial Device" and that the speed on line E matches
the speed of the serial console you are connecting to. (In most cases
with Sun, this is 9600.) Here are the settings I made when using my
Serial A / COM1 port on my Linux box:
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| A - Serial Device : /dev/ttyS0 |
| B - Lockfile Location : /var/lock |
| C - Callin Program : |
| D - Callout Program : |
| E - Bps/Par/Bits : 9600 8N1 |
| F - Hardware Flow Control : Yes |
| G - Software Flow Control : No |
| |
| Change which setting? |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
After making all necessary changes, hit the ESC key to go back to the
"configurations" menu. Now go to "Modem and dialing". Change the "Init
string" to "~^M~". Save the settings (as dflt), and then
restart Minicom. You should now see a login prompt.
Connecting Using UUCP
Another common application to use in Linux for
connecting to a serial console is UUCP. Most Linux distributions
include the UUCP application. Start UUCP with the command "cu -l
[device] -s [speed]", where [device] is the serial port you are
using, such as ttyS0 (COM1) or ttyS1 (COM2), and [speed] is
the speed of the serial console that you are connecting to.
Here is an example:
# cu -l /dev/ttyS0 -s 9600
You may need to hit enter before you see the login prompt. If you see a
bunch of weird characters, then you probably specified the wrong speed.
To exit, just type "~.".
Sun
Blade 100/150
- Connecting
to a Blade 100/150
To obtain a serial console
connection to a Sun Blade 100/150 you will need the following (These
procedures will work to an Ultra 5/10 as well):
| NOTE: You will
not be able to make use of the serial console if the Sun server was
booted with the keyboard/mouse plugged in. In order to make use of the
serial console, you will need to disconnect the keyboard/mouse and
reboot the Sun server. On the Sun Blade 100/150, if the keyboard/mouse
are plugged in during the boot phase, all console output will be
redirected to the VGA console. |
- Connecting
from a Blade 100/150
To obtain a serial connection
from a Sun Blade 100/150 to another server (possibly another Sun SPARC
machine) you will need the following (These procedures will work
from an Ultra 5/10 as well):
- On the back of a Sun Blade
100/150 (or Ultra 5/10) there is only one serial port that is dedicated
to serial A (/dev/ttya). This serial port is typically being
used by the console and will often require you to use Serial B (/dev/ttyb).
This is where it gets fun. There is a second serial port connector
located on the motherboard (actually the PCI riser card) labeled J13.
The PCI riser card is a PWA-GROVER-PLUS_RISERCARD 411707500011 and
requires a special cable. The special cable connects to the PCI riser
card (J13) on one end while the other end is a DB9 male port that will
use one of your available PCI dust cover slots. This is the only way I
have found to make a connection from a Sun Blade (or Ultra 5/10); using
serial port B out which requires this special cable to be installed in
order to have access to serial port B.
Click
here or here
to see an exploded view of an Ultra 10 Workstation - System Breakdown.
The special cable I am refering to is Sun Manufacturing Part# 370-3165
- Serial B and Parallel Cable Assembly - (Code 3a) in the Ultra
10 Workstation System Breakdown. I needed to order the Ultra 10
Cable Service Kit/FRU (370-3267) in order to obtain this cable. You
can order this kit from Ajava, Partsolver, Trident
Computer Resources, Inc., Asset
Conversion Specialists, Inc., or Sun
Microsystems.
- After installing the the Serial B and Parallel Cable
Assembly in your Sun Blade, you will have access to serial port B (/dev/ttyb).
Connect the new DB9 serial port (serial B) from the Sun Blade to the
back of the server (Sun, Linux) you want to make a serial console
connection to. In most cases, this will be using a straight through
serial cable.
- For most connections to a Sun SPARC, you will need to use
a null modem adapter.
- From the Sun Blade (or Ultra 5/10) use the tip
program to initiate the serial console connection to the other server.
Ensure that you edit the /etc/remote file from the Sun Blade
you are connecting from and change the hardwire entry to use
serial B - /dev/term/b.
# tip hardwire
Sun E450
- Connecting to
a Sun E450
To obtain a serial console connection to a
Sun E450 you will need the following:
- Connecting
from a Sun E450
To obtain a serial connection from a Sun
E450 to another server (possibly another Sun SPARC machine) you will
need the following:
- On the back of a Sun E450, there is
only one DB25 (female) serial port (labeled Serial A/B) that is used to
contain wiring for both Serial A and Serial B. The system provides two
serial communications ports through a single, shared DB25 connector
located on the rear panel. If you are to plug a serial cable directly
into the DB25 serial port on the back of an E450, you will only be
accessing the primary port (Serial A). This will not work to get a
serial connection out from since it is reserved for the console of the
machine. You will need to obtain access to Serial B (which is contained
within the shared Serial A/B port) by using a special Y-Cable (serial
splitter). In order to access the secondary port (Serial B), a serial
port splitter cable (Sun Part#: X985A or 530-1869) must be attached to
the rear panel serial port A/B connector. The serial splitter connects
to the Serial A/B - DB25 (female) connection on the back of the E450 to
give you two DB25 (female) connections - one for Serial A and the other
for Serial B. Here are several places where I found the serial
splitter:
You will need to use Serial Port B to make a connection
from the E450 to another server. Connect the Sun E450 from its Serial B
to the back of the other server (Sun, Linux) you want to make a serial
console connection to. In most cases, this will be using a straight
through serial cable.
If you are connecting from the Sun E450 to another
machine (i.e. Sun Blade, Sun Ultra, etc) that has a normal DB9 male
port, you can use a Belkin F2L088-06 DB9 Female/DB25 Male Modem
Cable (often with a null modem adapter):
- For most connections to a Sun SPARC, you will need to use
a null modem adapter.
- From the E450 use the tip program to
initiate the serial console connection to the other server. Ensure that
you edit the /etc/remote file from the machine you are
connecting from (the E450) and change the hardwire entry to use
serial B - /dev/term/b.
# tip hardwire
Sun E250
Sun V100
- Connecting to
a Sun V100
To obtain a serial console connection to a
Sun V100 you will need the following:
- Connect the serial port of your local
PC/workstation to the serial port (serial port B) on the back of the
Sun V100. The Sun V100 has two serial ports on the back of it. To make
a serial connection to the Sun V100, you will be connecting to Serial A
(LOM A). This is the "Lights Out Management" port used for issuing LOM
commands.
Depending on the type of device you
use to connect to the Sun V100 server, you may need to use either a
DB25 or DB9 serial adapter (both included with the Sun V100).
- Connecting Sun SPARC to Sun V100
To connect to a Solaris tip
session or to a VT100 terminal, you need to use either the DB25 (25-Pin
DSUB Male to 8-POS RJ-45 Female) adapter that is supplied by Sun (Sun
Part# 530-2889) with the V100, or an alternative adapter that performs
the same pin crossovers. The Sun-supplied DB25 adapter (530-2889)
enables you to connect to any Sun system.
Insert one end of the standard RJ-45
patch cable supplied with the Sun Fire V100 server into Serial A (LOM).
Insert the other end of the RJ-45 patch cable into the supplied DB25
adapter. Finally, attach the adapter to the appropriate port in your
serial device.
| Pin
Crossovers in the Sun DB-25 (25-Pin) Adapter |
| Serial Port (RJ-45
Connector) Pin |
25-Pin Connecter |
| Pin 1 (RTS) |
Pin 5 (CTS) |
| Pin 2 (DTR) |
Pin 6 (DSR) |
| Pin 3 (TXD) |
Pin 3 (RXD) |
| Pin 4 (Signal Ground) |
Pin 7 (Signal Ground) |
| Pin 5 (Signal Ground) |
Pin 7 (Signal Ground) |
| Pin 6 (RXD) |
Pin 2 (TXD) |
| Pin 7 (DSR) |
Pin 20 (DTR) |
| Pin 8 (CTS) |
Pin 4 (RTS) |
- Connecting PC, Laptop or handheld
computer to Sun V100
Some devices, such as a PC, laptop or
handheld computer, require you to use either a male or female DB-9
adapter. The Sun DB9 adaptor (Sun Part: 530-3100-xx) is a 9-Pin DSUB
female to 8-POS RJ-45 female adapter included with the Sun V100. The
following table is the pin crossovers:
Insert one end of the standard RJ-45
patch cable supplied with the Sun Fire V100 server into Serial A (LOM).
Insert the other end of the RJ-45 patch cable into the supplied DB9
adapter. Finally, attach the adapter to the appropriate port in your
serial device.
| Pin
Crossovers in the DB-9 (9-Pin) Adapter |
| Serial Port (RJ-45
Connector) Pin |
9-Pin Connector |
| Pin 1 (RTS) |
Pin 8 (CTS) |
| Pin 2 (DTR) |
Pin 6 (DSR) |
| Pin 3 (TXD) |
Pin 2 (RXD) |
| Pin 4 (Signal Ground) |
Pin 5 (Signal Ground) |
| Pin 5 (Signal Ground) |
Pin 5 (Signal Ground) |
| Pin 6 (RXD) |
Pin 3 (TXD) |
| Pin 7 (DSR) |
Pin 4 (DTR) |
| Pin 8 (CTS) |
Pin 7 (RTS) |
- You will NOT need to use a null modem
adapter for either the DB25 or DB9 connections.
- Communication settings for both DB25
and DB9 connections:
| Bits per second: |
9600 |
| Data bits: |
8 |
| Parity: |
None |
| Stop bits: |
1 |
| Flow Control: |
Hardware |
- Connecting
from a Sun V100
To obtain a serial connection from a Sun
V100 to another server (possibly another Sun SPARC machine) you will
need the following:
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