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Date:      Tue, 21 Dec 1999 17:13:07 -0800
From:      Mike Smith <msmith@freebsd.org>
To:        Justin Hawkins <justin@tardis.mx.com.au>
Cc:        freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Serial boot prompt messages and a modem 
Message-ID:  <199912220113.RAA04353@mass.cdrom.com>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 20 Dec 1999 20:41:41 %2B1030." <Pine.BSF.4.21.9912201953090.499-100000@tardis.mx.com.au> 

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> I've recently had .. ahem .. fun trying to get my headless FreeBSD box to
> spit messages at the console. I've got the kernel doing it right, but not
> the boot loaders. The boot loader will print to the serial device - but it
> won't load my kernel :-( I haven't exhausted all oppurtunities here yet -
> this isn't a cry for help on that.
> 
> The reason I need to play around with the boot loaders is that I need the
> serial console on COM2. I have a modem on COM1. Before you ask, I can't
> swap them over easily, I'd need to swap the connectors internally or buy
> some 9-25 adaptors. But I digress.

"Swapping them internally" would probably involve about 30 seconds of 
work.  It's not hard, really. 8)

> I think (I am not positive on this) that if the boot loader talks to a
> modem in command mode with echo on, it gets confused and won't boot any
> further. Is this a known problem?

Yes.  The solution is "do not connect a modem with echo enabled to the 
console".  The loader will spend endless hours talking to the modem (and 
if _it_ didn't, getty would a few seconds later).

> Is there enough room in there for some code, which checks for this? IE if
> the first line output to the serial device == the first input (some
> version string probably) then it just ignores it and does the default
> action?

No.  Wrong solution.  Connect your console to the console port and your 
modem to the modem port.

> Sorry about the vagueness - I didn't have time to test this or gain any
> real empirical evidence - I needed to get the machine back in action ASAP.

Sorry about the fascist attitude, but you really do just need to Do The 
Right Thing here.



-- 
\\ Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. \\  Mike Smith
\\ Tell him he should learn how to fish himself,  \\  msmith@freebsd.org
\\ and he'll hate you for a lifetime.             \\  msmith@cdrom.com




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