i386/100831: sio ignores BIOS information about serial ports - bounty offered

[Jo Rhett]

> >4. There should be no ill effect from doing this.  Console will never break
> >and go to the wrong port.
> >
> >#4 is crucial to us.  Many of these machines are completely unavailable to
> >me for an emergency.  This console is our "last chance access"

On Thu, Aug 03, 2006 at 03:25:28AM +1000, Bruce Evans wrote:
> Yes, "should be".  The wiring should be fairly deterministic once you
> get it to work.  I think it will continue to work even if someone fixes
> (?) ACPI to prefer the hints order to the ACPI order.  However, it would
> break if someone fixes (?) ACPI to prefer the BIOS order to both the hints
> order and the ACPI order (I think ACPI is using its own order and doesn't
> know that you've swapped the order in the BIOS).
 
Actually, it doesn't work right now.  I just tested it.
/boot/device.hints: hint.sio.1.flags="0x90"

If you change the flags in device hints, the low-level (boot loader 2?)
console gets moved to wherever you put the flags.

So now I have the exact reverse behavior.  The initialization part of the
console goes to the wrong port, and then halfway through booting I
suddently get console on the right port.

I think I have to agree with Marcel on this -- device hints aren't used
consistently, and having two different processes read it with two
completely different interpretations of it is nonsense.  I can't fix one
without breaking the other.

--  
Jo Rhett
senior geek
SVcolo : Silicon Valley Colocation