Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 21:24:36 +0000 (GMT) From: Andrew Gordon <arg@arg1.demon.co.uk> To: Mike Smith <msmith@freebsd.org> Cc: spork@fasttrackmonkey.com, freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Server-class mobo's Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0011082113310.31290-100000@server.arg.sj.co.uk> In-Reply-To: <200011081900.eA8J0MF03063@mass.osd.bsdi.com>
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On Wed, 8 Nov 2000, Mike Smith wrote: > > > > Anyone have any ideas on who besides Intel uses this Phoenix BIOS that > > > > integrates a full serial console (from power on to OS boot)? > ... > > > Note that most of these BIOS-serial designs are of the screen-scraper > > > variety, so you still need a video card. Ugh. > > > > The version used in Intel's own 1U servers > > (http://www.intel.com/network/products/isp1100.htm) is indeed a > > screen-scraper, but you _don't_ need a video card installed: there's > > no on-board video, but it still works. I guess that it maps in some of > > the main DRAM using the same technique as used for shadowing the BIOS ROM > > - but since it works without problems, I haven't investigated too deeply. > > As far as I can tell, it doesn't. If you check the documentation you'll > find that the system BIOS is OK without a video card, but you're SOL if > you want to use the BIOS on an add-in card. (Since there's only 1.5 > slots, that makes things really awkward...) The documentation says: Video is redirected by scanning and sending changes in text video memory. Thus, console redirection is unable to redirect video in graphics mode. The only caveat is: Console redirection is a Real Mode BIOS extension, and does not operate outside of Real Mode. Console redirection does not work once an operating system or a driver such as EMM386 takes the processor into Protected Mode. If an application takes the processor in and out of Protected Mode, it should inhibit redirection before entering Protected Mode and restart it once back into Real Mode. One of my units has an Adaptec 29160 in it (the second slot is empty - no video card), and I have no problem accessing the Adaptec BIOS via the serial redirection. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hardware" in the body of the message
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