From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Dec 11 08:45:59 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7707C1065672 for ; Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:45:59 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from keramida@ceid.upatras.gr) Received: from igloo.linux.gr (igloo.linux.gr [62.1.205.36]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E1C6A8FC1A for ; Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:45:58 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from keramida@ceid.upatras.gr) Received: from kobe.laptop (adsl22-219.kln.forthnet.gr [77.49.149.219]) (authenticated bits=128) by igloo.linux.gr (8.14.3/8.14.3/Debian-5) with ESMTP id mBB8jiqQ021515 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NOT); Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:45:49 +0200 Received: from kobe.laptop (kobe.laptop [127.0.0.1]) by kobe.laptop (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id mBB8jhrs004380; Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:45:44 +0200 (EET) (envelope-from keramida@ceid.upatras.gr) Received: (from keramida@localhost) by kobe.laptop (8.14.3/8.14.3/Submit) id mBB8jfEB004379; Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:45:41 +0200 (EET) (envelope-from keramida@ceid.upatras.gr) From: Giorgos Keramidas To: Jonathan McKeown References: <493DA269.2070805@FreeBSD.org> <20081208235119.GA46608@onelab2.iet.unipi.it> <200812101331.24182.jhb@freebsd.org> <200812110837.26316.jonathan+freebsd-hackers@hst.org.za> Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:45:41 +0200 In-Reply-To: <200812110837.26316.jonathan+freebsd-hackers@hst.org.za> (Jonathan McKeown's message of "Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:37:26 +0200") Message-ID: <87prjzw156.fsf@kobe.laptop> User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.0.60 (berkeley-unix) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-MailScanner-ID: mBB8jiqQ021515 X-Hellug-MailScanner: Found to be clean X-Hellug-MailScanner-SpamCheck: not spam, SpamAssassin (not cached, score=-3.86, required 5, autolearn=not spam, ALL_TRUSTED -1.80, AWL 0.54, BAYES_00 -2.60) X-Hellug-MailScanner-From: keramida@ceid.upatras.gr X-Spam-Status: No Cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Enhancing cdboot [patch for review] X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:45:59 -0000 On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:37:26 +0200, Jonathan McKeown wrote: > While you're enhancing cdboot anyway, can I ask how complicated it > would be to make cdboot serial-console capable? (I'm not a C > programmer, I'm a sysadmin - but I'd be prepared to try and look at > this myself if no-one else is interested). > > As it stands, the only way I've found to do a serial-console CD-based > installation is by enabling the serial console in /boot/loader.conf, > by which time you've already missed several useful points, > particularly the entry to BIOS settings (if you have a serial-capable > BIOS). cdboot runs long after the prompt for BIOS setup. I don't think we can modify cdboot to add serial console support to systems whose BIOS setup doesn't support it.