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Re: console for Linux



On Sun, 7 Dec 1997, Gaal Yahas wrote:

> Ariel Biener wrote:
> 
> > I am not talking about a PROM monitor here. I am simply talking about boot
> > console, which loads when the kernel loads. This has nothing to do with
> > stability. I am not looking for a hardware prom monitor like Sun machines
> > have, which can give you a device prober, debugger, and option to change
> > boot devices etc etc etc. I was merely talking about a boot console, which
> > loads immediately after the kernel was loaded. You didn't answer if such
> > an option exists in Linux.
> 
> I still don't understand what your requirement is.
> Are you looking to redirect your dmesg to a serial tty? Cute, but what
> of
> it? Are you looking to connect another box to your server's console,
> that
> alanyses its output and decides on forcing a reboot? And how will you do
> that? On what case will you decide on a reboot?

As you seem to fail to understand repeatedly, I will spell it out for
you. We have a a machine, that has two DigiBoards on it. We have made it
into a console concentrator, and all our network servers, be it Sun
machines, SGI machines, RS6000 machines, BSDi based PCs etc etc etc are
connected to the serial ports. Thus, if a server crashes, we can usually
reboot it from home, without the need to come to the CC. Moreover, if a
server during the boot process fails to fsck a filesystem, we can fix that
from remote (home) without the need to come to the CC. 

What I am looking for is a console that will allow me to be able to see
the boot process, so it the boot drops into a single user shell, I will be
able to fix it from remote, same as I do with the BSDi's Suns, SGIs etc
etc etc. 

The second functionality is a BIOS (which exists), that will translate a
Break into a system cold boot.

> I am still convinced that this DOES have to do with stability. OS
> stability.
> Because you're talking of a "console" that loads with the kernel, it
> won't
> be worth anything when the kernel dies; you're just stuck with one more
> respondless peripherial.
> What can you do with a serial console that you can't do with a monitor?
> Oh,
> of course *if* you find a BIOS smart enough to boot from remote, *and*
> you
> buy another machine to eat your console's messages, you'll be able to
> boot
> from remote -- but that's only as reliable as your BIOS, two serial
> cards,
> the software on the inspecting machine, and the inspecting machine
> itself.
> Where's the reliability increase?

There is no inspecting software. Can you please answer to the point ?

> 
> > > > I am interested in both features, in order to have reliable production
> > > > network servers running Linux.
> > > Buy a hardware watchdog.
> > These kind of answer is obvious, and I am not looking for the obvious, as
> > it might be clear now. I don't need something that will decide when to
> > boot my network server.
> 
> At the risk of igniting something I don't want to ignite, let me assure
> you
> that what you're looking for is completely unobvious to me. :-)

That maybe. But, for christs sake, if you don't know if Linux has a boot
console feature, and if you don't know of a BIOS supporting the features I
am looking for, say "I don't know", instead of posting all this crap. 

It was always a mystery to me why Israelis can't say "I don't know", and
they rather try and make the other one look like an idiot. If you don't
know, DON'T POST. 

So I guess you did ignited something after all.

--Ariel

> 
> Gaal
> 

   +---------------------------------------------------------------+
   | Ariel Biener                                                  |
   | e-mail: ariel@post.tau.ac.il        Work ph: 03-6406086       |
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