iB::Topic::Serial booting

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Topic: Serial booting, Booting DSL with serial only (no video)

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rfriedri

Group: Members
Posts: 2
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Sep. 29 2005,05:34

I hope someone can help me! First I have to say that this is one of the coolest OS's ever.

I want to configure DSL to boot/run over a serial terminal. The system and I am stuck with doesn't have a video and I can only use serial. I can put a video card into the box but once I close the box the video card / keyboard / mouse have to be disconnected. It's a 1U box and these devices are only
used with the system opened.

I kind of have it partially working but the last few edits are killing me.

I am using GRUB as the boot loader and added these statements:

serial --unit=0 --speed=9600 --word=8 --parity=no --stop=1
terminal serial

I also figured I had to edit the kernel boot line. Right now I added "console=ttyS0 console=ttyS0,9600"

I am not sure what to do with the vga=normal in this line.

I added this line to the /etc/inittab:
S0:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 9600 ttyS0

Also, I am using the frugal install.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Robin

skaos

Group: Members
Posts: 430
Joined: April 2004

Posted: Sep. 30 2005,13:10

Is there any possibility that you could dump the serial terminal in favour of an old PC (386/486 laptop maybe)? In that case you could use SLIP to set up a network connection through a null modem cable:
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/2820/print
http://www.dbaoncall.net/references/ht_connect_2pc.html

As for the terminal, could it be that it uses some non-standard pin-out or cable? And maybe you (somehow) have to tell DSL what kind of terminal/protocol (VT100 ..) you are using.

rfriedri

Group: Members
Posts: 2
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Sep. 30 2005,23:50

That would be a great idea and I think it would work. But, the final goal is to boot (serially of course) then run various tests. However, this testing isn't going to be done by myself it's going to third party testing. I don't have control over how the other end attaches. All that I was given was a serial terminal running at 115200,8,n,1.

Right now I was able to get Debian doing what I need. But, it takes 256M compact flash not the 64M like DSL offers.

2 replies since Sep. 29 2005,05:34

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Damn Small Linux Board » Damn Small Linux » HD Install » Serial booting