OpenBSD Journal

Improvements to i386 installer, easier serial console setup.

Contributed by grey on from the yay! no more #echo set tty com0 > /mnt/etc/boot.conf dept.

As I just noticed when installing a snapshot to my soekris 4521 this evening, the i386 installer has a new feature to prompt for whether you want to set a serial console up during install. For those dealing with headless systems on i386 in the past, you'll understand what a nice improvement this is. Thanks to phessler for pointing out the CVS entry here contributed by krw@. While probably not one of the biggest changes going on during c2k4 last week, for me and others this will be heavily used.

From my install, I saw this (ymmv):

Do you expect to run the X Window System? [yes] n
Change the default console to com0? [no] y
Available speeds are: 9600 19200 38400 57600 115200.
Which one should com0 use? (or 'done') [9600]
Saving configuration files...done.

(Comments are closed)


Comments
  1. By Anonymous Coward (80.65.225.73) on

    By the way, theyre also good improvements on the i386 bootloader. I just suddently succeed in booting floppys images on cdrom (from a recent -current snap) through syslinux+memdisk ; and the boot prompt timeout became more gentle I you begun to interact with keyb input. Kudos to the dev team !

    Comments
    1. By grey (64.139.7.172) on

      Indeed, as you've astutely noticed this was another improvement made recently. CVS entry (or close enough) is here.

      Comments
  2. By Seano (216.27.182.22) on

    Huge! I too was installing OpenBSD on a soekris (4801) for the first time. The pxeboot feature makes things so easy! Thanks again to the developers.

  3. By SH (82.182.103.172) on

    For some time I've dragged my wifes monitor (mine is much bigger ;-) to my (sorry, our) older Dell in the closet in the hallway acting as a gateway. Even though I've heard about it before; the book by Palmer && Nazario spells it out as well. So a couple of days ago I hunted for a NULL modem cabel, attached it to my older laptop and it worked as promised after the configuration. And now it's even easier to correct my mistakes. /SH

  4. By Daniel Melameth (208.139.201.8) daniel@melameth.com on

    Neat. I guess this is to ease the setup of your new headless uber-firewall/BGP router with built-in Sangoma T1 CSU/DSU...

    Comments
    1. By SH (82.182.103.172) on

      Dragging an older laptop is quite a bit easier than than dragging an aging monitor./SH

      Comments
      1. By grey (207.215.223.2) on

        Your laptop has KVM inputs? How much can I buy it for? I've been wanting a feature like that for years (even if implemented as a pcmcia card).

        Comments
        1. By Peter Hessler (208.201.244.164) spambox@theapt.org on http://theapt.org/openbsd/

          I think he ment hooking said laptop up to a null-modem cable.

          Comments
          1. By grey (64.139.7.172) on

            Sorry, I forgot to insert a rife with sarcasm tag. That said, I didn't notice that SH was replying to his own message, and thought it was some random AC taking the monitor mention out of context, rather than SH explaining why this was such an improvement. Misread, sorry (and guess I need to think twice before responding in the comments).

            Comments
            1. By Anonymous Coward (213.15.68.89) on

              Erh, SH replied to a post by Daniel Melameth, not SH's own.

  5. By Asenchi (64.118.132.155) asenchi@asenchi.com on

    I've never used serial before, but always like the idea of it. I am really excited about this new installer option but have one question. If I have a system installed with the serial as the default console, how do I 'call it up' with my workstation? This part I don't understand. Could someone help me? Thx.

    Comments
    1. By Anonymous Coward (80.65.225.73) on

      If I have a system installed with the serial as the default console, how do I 'call it up' with my workstation?

      You only have to connect them with a nullmodem serial cable (very common and cheap) and use the tip(1) software (bunlded on open/free/netbsd by default).
      E.g. if you're workstation under OpenBSD/i386 is connected through the first serial port to you're headless station on OpenBSD/i386: 'tip tty00' just connects you to the console.
      If youre `client' workstation is a linux, minicom do the same job. If it's a windows, use hyperterm to connect. etc.

      To really do the full installation (from the beginning) without any keyboard or screen pluggued, you may still need to create a /etc/boot.conf file containing "set tty com0" on the boot floppy (see this article on Onlamp).

      And finally, to get the computer init himself on the serial console you'll need a good pc bios (as in soekris) ... or a true computer ;).

      Comments
      1. By Peter Hessler (208.201.244.164) spambox@theapt.org on http://theapt.org/openbsd/

        If you are installing onto a soekris, you don't need the /etc/boot.conf hack on the boot media. It Does the Right Thing.

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