Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Fri, 5 Jun 2009 09:42:05 +0200
From:      Jonathan McKeown <j.mckeown@ru.ac.za>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: n00b question regarding installation via serial console
Message-ID:  <200906050942.05880.j.mckeown@ru.ac.za>
In-Reply-To: <ade45ae90906040828q393722cfi222ac3d4d0d08a3b@mail.gmail.com>
References:  <abc784790906040646t56c3bd86n1ec67e28aab6569e@mail.gmail.com> <alpine.BSF.2.00.0906041547480.33675@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> <ade45ae90906040828q393722cfi222ac3d4d0d08a3b@mail.gmail.com>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Thursday 04 June 2009 17:28:56 Tim Judd wrote:
> On 6/4/09, Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> wrote:
> >> Hello list,
> >>
> >> Is it possible to boot into the serial console from the installation
> >> CD, or must boot.flp be used as per
> >
> > make your own CD
> >
> > add file boot.config containing just one line:
> >
> > -P
> >
> > to existing, make sure you it's bootable (mkisofs -b boot/cdboot
> > -no-emul-boot) and record
> >
> > refer to
> >
> > man boot.config

Unless things have changed since I last did this, this isn't going to work. 
First of all, the CD boot process doesn't pick up the boot.config. Secondly, 
many motherboards use a BIOS which causes the -P test to fail.

What you can do is create boot/loader.conf on the CD image containing

console="comconsole"

>
> Sure that's enough?  ttys is still going to mark the ttyd0 line as
> "off" and won't present a tty/login then.

Yes, it is. You don't need a login for an installation. You do need to make 
sure you enable the correct serial port (usually ttyd0, as you point out) 
in /etc/ttys before you reboot at the end of the installation.

> I think it's more complicated than that.  And what if the boot process
> hangs for some reason?  no console output either by your solution.

It's not an ideal process (particularly since the serial console only cuts in 
at a very late stage). One day I will make time to sit down and work out how 
to do it properly on a CD.

Jonathan



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?200906050942.05880.j.mckeown>