Re: Hardware Console Redirection
On 3-Nov-06, at 11:13 AM, Brian A. Seklecki wrote: With the Real Weasel, you could connect on demand and force a screen refresh/redraw and it would grab the current VGA framebuffer and re- write to the TTY. I invented the Weasel and even I use it in Serial passthrough mode. The VGA display is nifty and all, but as a sysadmin, I want more than 25 lines of display history. (for those who don't know, serial passthrough, when set to auto, causes the weasel to either use its VGA framebuffer or its PCI Uart as the source for data to be sent to its serial port; switching automatically depending on where the last write occurred by the host CPU). Disclaimer: I no longer have any association with any company or individuals who may or may not be dealing in new or used PC Weasels. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: Hardware Console Redirection
Brian A. Seklecki wrote: Right, and the Dell PE uses "com 2", or "com1" (when properly counting from 0), ah la 0x2F8 which is logically connected to a serial port on the DRAC5 via the daughterboard connection. The drac [345] Cards actually hook into or present a new vga adapter to the system (this can be seen as an ati chipset on the drac 4 pci addin cards) They also present a soft keyboard an mouse to the system via a set of usb devices. If you also use the bios console redirection the bios is sent to the configured serial port. FreeBSD fully supports the dell drac [345] cards (at least RELENG_6 does which i guess means 7 does), I have a largs number of these cards working perfectly in production. Using the drac web interface you can send the system a scroll lock and scroll back the system console as if you where using the physical console. So there is no need to be conected all of the time. On a side note it is advisable to put (device kbdmux) into your kernel if you want to use both the physical console and the drac console access, otherwise the usb devices provided by the drac disable the physical keyboard. If you have DRAC cards in you dell systems I would recomend the console access in them over serial port redirection as it is much simpler to setup. Tom ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: Hardware Console Redirection
redirection) and use "consdev com0". (Unless you used the bios console direction at > 9600 bps) Right, and the Dell PE uses "com 2", or "com1" (when properly counting from 0), ah la 0x2F8 which is logically connected to a serial port on the DRAC5 via the daughterboard connection. And that's where Dell, Intel, and Phoenix went totally wrong. Another big problem with mixing hard and soft serial console redirection (at least with FreeBSD) is that kernel panic/trap message output doesn't always make it to the serial console (such as UVM faults), where with VGA console you almost always get the message. This killed us several times with FBSD 5.3 and some NFS bugs. Plus when you're doing serial console redirection, your console server has to be configured to be connected 100% of the time and log output to a file. If you get a panic and need to connect on-demand, you'll have missed that message to the buffer otherwise. With the Real Weasel, you could connect on demand and force a screen refresh/redraw and it would grab the current VGA framebuffer and re-write to the TTY. --- The only macro keys you get with Dell are: Press the spacebar to pause... KEY MAPPING FOR CONSOLE REDIRECTION: Use the <0> key sequence for Use the key sequence for Use the <@> key sequence for Use the key sequence for Use the key sequence for Use the key sequence for Use the key sequence for Use the key sequence for , where x is any letter key, and X is the upper case of that key Use the key sequence for ~BAS ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: Hardware Console Redirection
On Wed, Nov 01, 2006 at 01:05:04AM -0500, Brian A. Seklecki wrote: > In either case, forget about sysinst/sysinstall to install off of stock > install media. I'm not sure why - just stop the bootloader (still in bios console redirection) and use "consdev com0". (Unless you used the bios console direction at > 9600 bps) Martin ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: Hardware Console Redirection
> Why is that a problem? The BIOS doesn't use the console once > the kernel has booted. Because it becomes a burden always having to customize your install/upgrade media/kernels/bootblocks to use redirection. Dell knew that; that's why they made the DRAC4 with a virtual VNC-based console redirection. Then the bungled it with the DRAC5 when they re-wrote it to depend on ActiveX. Also because the hardware vendors could follow the PC Weasel model and not utilize a serial port visible to the OS. With NetBSD its just one or two flags to installboot(8) to change the options, with the only exception being that we seem to lack the ability to set the com console _speed_ when in *interactive* mode at boot(8) ; of course it can be set from the installboot(8) flags. With FreeBSD, you have to jump through a ring of fire to get it to work right. You've got three stages of bootblocks to recompile/configure. boot.config. device.hints. etc. etc. Then the kernel has to be told in-src, recompiled. Then the getty. In either case, forget about sysinst/sysinstall to install off of stock install media. All very possible with the Weasel. You alway have to consider the the 3:30 AM incident where you're fumbling though a stack of CD-Rs for a Fixit or Live CD and you have to wonder if you re-mastered the disc with a boot image containing your custom serial enabled kernel with the right baud and com port (as you can see below). > What serial console semantics do the bootblocks get wrong? None. I'm just suggesting that for simplicity it would be nice not to have to make them aware. > What sort of reset do you need? I don't really understand the > question, I'm afraid. Reset my attitude I guess >:} I'm pining for the days of sparc systems and a unified serial console server. When TLS says: "Of course; it is a BIOS feature, and NetBSD does not use the BIOS for console I/O.", I tend to think of Sun how writing to the OBP firmware console is not dissimilar from the NetBSD kernel output. It would be nice to think x86 has caught up over the last 15 years. Anyway, for the record: The old PC Weasel Console Redirection: Phoenix BIOS: http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/displayimage.php?album=16&pos=23 NetBSD 2.0 Sysinst: http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/displayimage.php?album=16&pos=24 Bios Summary: http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/displayimage.php?album=16&pos=22 --- Dell PE750 Console Redirection: http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/displayimage.php?album=16&pos=21 Compare where DRAC VNC (IE6 only) VGA redirected console output continues and the DRAC5 virtual "COM2" serial redirection halts: http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/displayimage.php?album=16&pos=27 http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/displayimage.php?album=16&pos=25 vs.: http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/displayimage.php?album=16&pos=29 Dell PE2950 Settings (BIOS nicely drawn via Serial/ANSI): http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/displayimage.php?album=16&pos=28 ~BAS ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: Hardware Console Redirection
On Tue, Oct 31, 2006 at 06:18:22PM -0500, Brian A. Seklecki wrote: > I have noticed that the "Phoenix BIOS" console redirection feature on both > discontinues to operate once the kernel has booted (however, the 1st/2nd > stage boot loaders work fine). Why is that a problem? The BIOS doesn't use the console once the kernel has booted. > The advantage of native, hardware level BIOS -> VGA emulated console > redirection is that, much like Sun/MacPPC or any OPF/PROM aware platform > (Soekris), the OS/Bootblocks need not be aware of the serial console > semantics; -- only of a benign VGA console. What serial console semantics do the bootblocks get wrong? > Is there some routine in the *BSD kernel console code that performs an > operation, perhaps a reset, on the serial ports, that wouldn't happen in > DOS? What sort of reset do you need? I don't really understand the question, I'm afraid. Do you mean a hardware reset of the serial port, or using the serial port to have the effect of Ctl-Alt-Delete (NMI) from a PC keyboard? > In the case of the Axiom device, the console is redirected to the BIOS > level "com0" 0x3f8. In the case of the PowerEdge, the redirection is to a > "virtual com1" which is attached to the DRAC5 LOM card. > > I tried the FreeBSD loader(8) hint.sio.1.flags="0x40" to attempt to have > the kernel ignore the device without success. You can build a kernel that explicitly doesn't have a driver that will look at a particular serial port, I think (by making it explicit which ports it *does* look at), but I don't understand how that would help: you'd have a serial port that would be used by the BIOS, but would do nothing once the main OS was booted. Cheers, -- Andrew ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
