From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Oct 16 12:57:58 2005 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 05C2016A41F for ; Sun, 16 Oct 2005 12:57:58 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from gpeel@thenetnow.com) Received: from constellation.thenetnow.com (thenetnow.com [69.90.69.141]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A363743D46 for ; Sun, 16 Oct 2005 12:57:57 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from gpeel@thenetnow.com) Received: from hpeel.ody.ca ([216.240.12.2] helo=GRANT) by constellation.thenetnow.com with esmtpa (Exim 4.54) id 1ER85M-000HfZ-3z; Sun, 16 Oct 2005 08:57:56 -0400 Message-ID: <009101c5d251$3ca04ed0$6501a8c0@GRANT> From: "Grant Peel" To: "Andrew P." References: <007e01c5d243$77839100$6501a8c0@GRANT> <008501c5d24b$80bff0d0$6501a8c0@GRANT> Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 08:57:56 -0400 Organization: The Net Now Internet MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180 x-mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2180 Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Remote Console X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: Grant Peel List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 12:57:58 -0000 Thanks again Andrew, I will do a search on COM Hubs and see whats out there. I assume, the HUB would connect to one controll terminal, then to each COM port on the servers. I have been reading (pouring over and over) the man and handbook pages to see if more than one console can be specified at a time. If all goes well, it looks like we should be able to do anything from the serial port, short of physicaly pushing the power button! -Grant ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrew P." To: "Grant Peel" Cc: Sent: Sunday, October 16, 2005 8:44 AM Subject: Re: Remote Console On 10/16/05, Grant Peel wrote: > Thanks Andrew, > > So If I understand your reply, a setup like this should always give me > access to any of the servers by SSHing to one server, then CUing to get to > the console of the 'broken' one, regardless of its state (assuming the > disks > are OK, and boot stage 1 worked): > > (WAN Shown, LAN Same, using seperate nics on Servers and Switch) > > > ISP's router > | > My Switch > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > | | | | > | > Serv1 Serv2 Serv3 Serv4 > Serv5 > > Serial1--------->Serial2 > Serial1------------->Serial2 > Serial1------------>Serial2 > > Serial1---------->Serial2 > > Can more than 1 console access type be specified in loader.conf ? > i.e. > console='serialconsole' > console='videoconsole' > > When using 'serial console, does anything have to be specified to use > serial > 2? > > What is the default local console, how is it specified? > i.e. the one you use when you plug a keyboard and monitor directly > into > the machine? > > Would I need to install any other software other than the client (CU)? > > -GRant > I haven't configured comconsoles myself, I just happen to work at a place where they are used heavily (Sun ALOM mostly, but built-in LOMs and FreeBSD software comsonsoles also). Please consult the Handbook and google, I'm sure there's nothing difficult to it. I would not support your chaining idea, though. It's the only one that requires $0.00 budget, but COM hubs are cheap today. If you rent rackspace, I'm sure your colocation provider can offer you some kind of non-expensive remote management. If rackspace is free, consider buying some hardware (like a COM hub). The matter is, that you'll want 9600 bps speeds for max compatibility. While it is usable for occasional failure recovery, chaining it would make it lag too much.