mirror of https://github.com/tLDP/LDP
77 lines
3.1 KiB
XML
77 lines
3.1 KiB
XML
<section id="installer-serial">
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<title>Installing on box without a monitor (a console on a serial port)</title>
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<!-- contributed by Sebastian Zagrodzki -->
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<para>
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You may install pld on machine that has no monitor. All you need is
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a null-modem cable and a second computer with terminal emulator
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(minicom, kermit, HyperTerminal, whatever) or a hardware terminal
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(like Wyse).
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</para>
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<para>
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Serial console is very common on big machine farms, with lots of
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server boxes and without workstations.
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Some hardware, like Sun SPARCs, Compaq Alphas, many network
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devices like Cisco, Fore/Marconi or 3Com have a native serial port
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support (including BIOS prompt). You don't
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have to keep a monitor or monitors in machine room, you don't
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have to take it with you every time you go to check why the
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machine you upgraded last night doesn't respond and so on - you
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take a notebook (it could be anything, like an old
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386 or even 8086 with a floppy disk with DOS 3.3 and kermit
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installed on it) and you don't need anything else.
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</para>
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<para>
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Make sure you have a full nullmodem cable (with 7 or more
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wires). If you want to make such a cable by yourself - no
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problem. You can find pinouts here:
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<ulink url="http://www.hardwarebook.net">http://www.hardwarebook.net</ulink>
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Don't forget to check out the Yost page about serial
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console cables. You'll find there how to make an RJ45
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to DB9/DB25 adapter:
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<ulink url="http://Yost.com/Computers/RJ45-serial/">http://Yost.com/Computers/RJ45-serial/</ulink>
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</para>
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<para>
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You set your terminal to: 9600bps, 8 data bits, none parity, 1
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stop bit, with no flow control (hardware and software off),
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VT100 or VT102 emulation.
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</para>
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<para>
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Run you terminal program and then
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insert a PLD bootable floppy or CD-ROM into the target machines
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drive, and turn power on. If your BIOS does not have serial
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console support, just wait a moment for a boot - if you didn't
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set the boot device to be "drive C only", after few moments you
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should see PLD bootdisk logo. <!-- Hold down <keycap>Shift</keycap> key
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to get a boot prompt. -->
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</para>
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<para>
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Type "serial" in boot prompt and press ENTER. If you can't
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type anything - be sure to check if you turned hardware flow
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control off. See how the kernel boots, and wait for shell
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prompt. Voila, now you can do everything like you would when
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sitting before a monitor.
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</para>
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<para>
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After installation, don't forget to install getty_ps, and set
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up a console in inittab:
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<programlisting>S0:respawn:/sbin/getty ttyS0 9600 vt100</programlisting>
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When configuring lilo, use:
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<programlisting>serial=0,9600n8</programlisting>
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in global configuration, and
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<programlisting>append="console=ttyS0,9600n8"</programlisting>
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for every kernel image. This way lilo will prompt you on a
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serial console, and kernel will use /dev/ttyS0 as /dev/console.
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</para>
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<para>
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Try it - it really works, and once you start using serial
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console, you will find it really useful - for example think
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of remote console access.
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</para>
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</section>
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