Notes for the Serial Console/Terminal HOWTO: The Question: ============ What is meant by a serial console, and how exactly does one boot off of one? Answers: ======= Allen Briggs (briggs@puma.mac68k.org) A console is the device that is the primary operator terminal. It's the terminal from which you should be shutting down the system, usually, and is where special messages (booting messages, security notes, kernel panics, etc.) are delivered. A serial console is a serial terminal or another computer with a terminal program that is connected to a serial port of a machine that is configured to look for a serial console. That is, if I hook up my PowerBook to my IIsi with the proper cables, run ZTerm on the PowerBook (configured for 9600 baud, 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit), configure the NetBSD booter to look for a serial console on the modem port, and boot NetBSD, all of the booting messages, etc. will go to the ZTerm session, and I will be able to control the system from there. I could just as easily use a PC or an old VT100/Wyse60/ADM3A terminal in place of the PowerBook. David A. Gatwood (davagatw@mars.utm.edu) > A console is the device that is the primary operator terminal. It's the > terminal from which you should be shutting down the system, usually, and > is where special messages (booting messages, security notes, kernel > panics, etc.) are delivered. A serial console is a serial terminal or > another computer with a terminal program that is connected to a serial port of a UN*X box and serves as the console. Jon "Jell-O" (wookie@us.net) > 1. In the booter, tell it that you want serial console on whatever port > 2. Hook up a terminal to that serial port, but connect with a null modem. > 3. Boot up with the booter program on MacOS and at boot time, all console > stuff should come through the terminal Bill Studenmund (wrstuden@loki.stanford.edu) 1) DeskWriter printer cables are "null modem" cables; they can just hook one computer to another. 2) Set ther terminal program for 9600, No parity, One stop. Just to let you know, the serial console in stock 1.1 doesn't. The version which worked didn't get to Allen before his job started overloading him, so it didn't make it into 1.1. I think Allen will eventually work it into the default package somehow, but people need to know to get the right one. Thomas Bjorn Andersen (bjorn@daimi.aau.dk) Don't forget to edit the relevant entries in /etc/ttys though... Scott Reynolds Edit /etc/gettytab and look for the std.9600 entry; it should have a "np" capability (as opposed to an "ep" or "op"). This will tell getty to use 8 data bits, no parity. Andrew Foakes See serial document. Ben Cottrell you need a regular Mac modem cable, with hardware handshaking (I have a pinout I can dig up if you need it to make your own cable, but any standard cable will work) plus a null modem adaptor to deal with the fact that both of them are "computer"-type devices.