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Date:      Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:38:09 -0400
From:      Doug Lee <dgl@dlee.org>
To:        Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: USB console or other alternatives
Message-ID:  <20070426213809.GF10261@kirk.dlee.org>
In-Reply-To: <44r6q6khoo.fsf@be-well.ilk.org>
References:  <20070425141804.GC911@kirk.dlee.org> <44ps5rmalp.fsf@Lowell-Desk.lan> <20070426154156.GD10261@kirk.dlee.org> <44r6q6khoo.fsf@be-well.ilk.org>

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On Thu, Apr 26, 2007 at 04:24:23PM -0400, Lowell Gilbert wrote:
> Doug Lee <dgl@dlee.org> writes:
> 
> > On Thu, Apr 26, 2007 at 11:14:26AM -0400, Lowell Gilbert wrote:
> >> What do you hook up to that serial port, anyway?
> >
> > A desktop Windows machine with a serial port, until said machine
> > suddenly ceased to function entirely.  Now it would be a laptop
> > with a USB-to-serial adapter except the one I bought also seems
> > unwilling to function.  I tend to run short of PCMCIA slots for
> > such things on my laptop, my one-and-only PCMCIA slot being occupied
> > pretty permanently by an EVDO card.
> 
> So the problem is a lack of serial ports on your laptop "terminal",
> not on the FreeBSD machine?  That sounds easier to work around than
> the other way around.

Lack of serial ports on laptop yes; the FreeBSD hardware hasn't been
chosen yet, but I predicted difficulty getting a modern machine with a
serial port.  Perhaps not.

> There are some other possibilities, but I don't think they will work
> as early in the boot process.  I *think* you can use a USB serial port
> as a console, but the loader doesn't seem to understand it.  There's
> also dcons(4), but that needs firewire, and I don't know if that knows
> how to talk to anything on a Windows machine.

I predicted the USB problem you mention.  I have firewire on this
laptop but I've never tried to use it.

-- 
Doug Lee                 dgl@dlee.org        
SSB + BART Group         doug.lee@ssbbartgroup.com   http://www.ssbbartgroup.com
"There are no guarantees.  From a standpoint of fear, none are
strong enough.  From a standpoint of love, none are necessary."
- from Emmanuel's Book II



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