From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Mar 9 19:47:17 2004 Return-Path: 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 C45FA16A4CE for ; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 19:47:17 -0800 (PST) Received: from rwcrmhc13.comcast.net (rwcrmhc13.comcast.net [204.127.198.39]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A04A643D39 for ; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 19:47:17 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from underway@comcast.net) Received: from localhost.localdomain (c-24-17-47-224.client.comcast.net[24.17.47.224]) by comcast.net (rwcrmhc13) with ESMTP id <2004031003471501500plri6e>; Wed, 10 Mar 2004 03:47:15 +0000 Received: from localhost.localdomain (localhost [127.0.0.1]) i2A3mA0E055484; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 19:48:10 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from underway@comcast.net) Received: (from jojo@localhost) by localhost.localdomain (8.12.11/8.12.11/Submit) id i2A3lv5m055481; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 19:47:57 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from underway@comcast.net) To: Matthew Seaman References: <20040308214054.GD8114@happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk> <20040309231919.GA3671@happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk> From: underway@comcast.net (Gary W. Swearingen) Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2004 19:47:57 -0800 In-Reply-To: <20040309231919.GA3671@happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk> (Matthew Seaman's message of "Tue, 9 Mar 2004 23:19:20 +0000") Message-ID: <8h3c8hgy6q.c8h@mail.comcast.net> User-Agent: Gnus/5.1002 (Gnus v5.10.2) XEmacs/21.4 (Reasonable Discussion, berkeley-unix) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii cc: "Gary W. Swearingen" cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: network type console and /etc/ttys X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 03:47:17 -0000 Matthew Seaman writes: > ... It's pretty pointless having a remote console if you > can't type 'boot' into it. And it's hard to have the network > interface configured and up, with network comms programs running when > the system is sitting at the boot-loader prompt. Hmmmm. I was thinking that the serial port only got into the picture after the kernel was loaded and / was mounted so /etc/ttys could be read to configure the console, but you remind me that it comes into play during a mid-phase of the boot loading. So what I'm looking for would require a considerable change to the boot loader. I wonder if it has to fit into a few (up to about 15, IIRC) boot records, or if it could use some code under /boot/? Oh well, you've convinced me that Ethernet consoles can't be easily supported (though it still seems useful enough that someone would have done it by now). Thanks.