On Wed, Oct 27, 2010 at 9:16 AM, Harry Putnam <rea...@newsguy.com> wrote: > Mike Gerdts <mger...@gmail.com> writes: > >> In which case you can edit the kernel line in grub to add a -k option >> to the boot options. If the system panics, you will be dropped to a >> kmdb prompt. You can manually enter kmdb with F1-A or shift-break >> from a text console. You can use Ctrl-Alt-F1 to shift to the text >> console if you aren't there already. Once at the kmdb prompt, you can >> use ::msgbuf to see the things that have scrolled off the screen. You >> should get the output a page at a time. If you need to provide this > > Thanks,, very helpful info there > > I'm a bit confused though.... is all of this dependent on having the > system panic, or do you mean you can enter kmbd from a text console > any time? > > For example, if I were to edit /rpool/boot/grub/menu.lst at this > line: > > kernel$ /platform/i86pc/kernel/$ISADIR/unix -B $ZFS-BOOTFS # console=graphics > > by adding `-k' before the octothorpe above. > > On reboot, and from a text console I could enter kmbd as you > describe?
Yes > > Oh, and by the way, what is `shift-break'... is it on a standard us > qwerty keyboard? Maybe the `pause' key? Quite likely. Your initial description implied to me that the system was in some state where you were stuck with just the text console, potentially locked up. The same text that is available with ::msgbuf in mdb is also available from the dmesg command. The dmesg command can be run from a more capable terminal than the console - such as from a GUI login session or remotely through ssh. Most of the output that goes to the console will also be logged by syslog - which I see you found in a message you sent just a couple minutes ago. If the system is behaving well and you want to poke around in it without pausing the kernel, you can use "mdb -k" as well. This can be run from any root (or otherwise appropriately privileged) shell - you don't have to be on the console. The use of "mdb -k" on a live system does not require that it was booted with the "-k" option. Also, if you can find services that were unable to start with "svcs -xv". Each of them will have a log file (see output of "svcs -xv") that may have more useful information. -- Mike Gerdts http://mgerdts.blogspot.com/ _______________________________________________ opensolaris-discuss mailing list opensolaris-discuss@opensolaris.org
