From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Apr 26 21:38:13 2007 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6A35716A403 for ; Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:38:13 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from dgl@kirk.dlee.org) Received: from vms040pub.verizon.net (vms040pub.verizon.net [206.46.252.40]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 46CEF13C45B for ; Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:38:13 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from dgl@kirk.dlee.org) Received: from kirk.dlee.org ([71.178.107.244]) by vms040.mailsrvcs.net (Sun Java System Messaging Server 6.2-6.01 (built Apr 3 2006)) with ESMTPA id <0JH400LIGK3MOZW6@vms040.mailsrvcs.net> for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:38:11 -0500 (CDT) Received: from kirk.dlee.org (dgl@localhost.dlee.org [127.0.0.1]) by kirk.dlee.org (8.13.6/8.12.11) with ESMTP id l3QLcAxB023778; Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:38:10 -0400 (EDT envelope-from dgl@kirk.dlee.org) Received: (from dgl@localhost) by kirk.dlee.org (8.13.6/8.12.11/Submit) id l3QLc94B023777; Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:38:09 -0400 (EDT envelope-from dgl) Content-return: prohibited Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:38:09 -0400 From: Doug Lee In-reply-to: <44r6q6khoo.fsf@be-well.ilk.org> To: Lowell Gilbert Mail-followup-to: Doug Lee , Lowell Gilbert , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Message-id: <20070426213809.GF10261@kirk.dlee.org> Organization: SSB + BART Group MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-disposition: inline References: <20070425141804.GC911@kirk.dlee.org> <44ps5rmalp.fsf@Lowell-Desk.lan> <20070426154156.GD10261@kirk.dlee.org> <44r6q6khoo.fsf@be-well.ilk.org> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.9i Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: USB console or other alternatives X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:38:13 -0000 On Thu, Apr 26, 2007 at 04:24:23PM -0400, Lowell Gilbert wrote: > Doug Lee 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