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From: John Hay <jhay@mikom.csir.co.za>
Message-Id: <199504232133.XAA01284@zibbi.mikom.csir.co.za>
Subject: syscons probe function
To: hackers@FreeBSD.org (FreeBSD-hackers), sos@FreeBSD.org
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 1995 23:33:12 +0200 (SAT)
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I have mailed about this 2 weeks ago but received no response, so I'm trying
again:)

The changes to syscons.c in the last month or so panic my machines that do
not have a screen but have syscons in the kernel (they only have a serial
terminal). It happens somewhere in the attach routine during a bcopy.

This led me to look through the the syscons.c file. One thing that bothers me
is that the probe can never fail. It assumes that there is a screen. In the
attach routine it will check if it is a colour screen otherwise it reverts
to monochrome.

Shouldn't the probe determine if there is a screen and fail if there isn't?
With the other changes in the kernel and the boot blocks one would assume
that you can have a kernel with syscons compiled in and the syscons probe
will just fail and go on with your console on the serial port, which does
happen by the way, I do see the panic message on the serial terminal.

Anyone care to comment?
-- 
John Hay -- jhay@mikom.csir.co.za