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Date:      Mon, 12 Jul 2004 13:08:18 -0500
From:      Jon Noack <noackjr@alumni.rice.edu>
To:        Kim Culhan <w8hdkim@yahoo.com>
Cc:        freebsd-current@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: serial console config -recent changes
Message-ID:  <40F2D392.70509@alumni.rice.edu>
In-Reply-To: <20040712150055.82281.qmail@web50707.mail.yahoo.com>
References:  <20040712150055.82281.qmail@web50707.mail.yahoo.com>

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On 07/12/04 10:00, Kim Culhan wrote:
> Some would say they're not that recent but
> lots of google hits on serial console config
> are obsolete -so what else is new..
> 
> On -current the best approach appears to be
> something like:
> 
> echo 'console=comconsole' > /boot/loader.conf.local
> 
> This worked fine here. Now we want to increase the
> baud rate beyond 9600.
> 
> Google remembers a note on the -current list from
> 9-1-03 in which scottl@ talks about the baud rate setting.
> 
> In that thread theres a mention of a procedure for including
> the baud rate in the boot block, which I followed and blew up
> my disk -no big deal.
> 
> At the time scottl didn't think the comconsole baud rate
> stored-in-boot-block was the Right Thing but that wasn't
> enough to stop me from trying.
> 
> If anyone has some thoughts on this they would be
> greatly appreciated.

This has worked for me for a long time, but may not be the best way 
these days.

Put the following in /etc/make.conf and recompile to set the serial 
console speed (as documented in /usr/share/examples/etc/make.conf):
BOOT_COMCONSOLE_SPEED= 115200

To keep it speedy for a login, make sure you change /etc/ttys as well:
ttyd0 "/usr/libexec/getty std.115200" vt100   on  secure

Finally, set up /etc/remote on your client so that it defaults to the 
new higher speed:
sio1|com2:dv=/dev/cuaa1:br#115200:pa=none:

I have 2 machines with criss-crossed serial ports (I grew up with 
windows, so I'll use com*):
         com1-----\ /-----com1
Computer 1        X        Computer 2
         com2-----/ \-----com2

Thus, on either machine I can 'tip com2' and connect to the other 
computer's serial console running on com1.  This scheme gives me a lot 
more confidence when updating a machine remotely, as I can SSH in to the 
other machine and get serial console access to actually perform the 
update or to do damage control if things go awry.

Jon



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