Serial console connection problem

[Jani Luukkanen]

Hi Jonathan and thanks for reply!

Jonathan Chen wrote:

>I have an issue with serial console connection with two FreeBSD machines 
>(Both with Intel SE7210TP1-E motherboard, other configured as "host" 
>from bios and other has ordinary com ports which are connected with 
>normal tested serial cable).
>
>Host machine is running FreeBSD 5.3 and the "client" one 4.10.
>
>Problem is that when trying to open the serial connection with tip, 
>error occurs as;
>
>/root at mos root # tip com1
>tip: /dev/cuaa0: Device busy
>link down
>  
>
>
>  
>
Weird, fstat shows nothing on the port;

root at mos root # fstat /dev/cuaa0
USER     CMD          PID   FD MOUNT      INUM MODE         SZ|DV R/W NAME
root at mos root #

And yes, this is problem is on the 4.10 machine which is connecting to 
the 5.3 one.

>Try running fstat(1) against /dev/cuaa0 to try to find out what's
>holding the device. If I understand you correctly, you're doing this
>on the 4.10 machine.
>
>  
>
>>Main question is that how to get access first to the com1 port generally 
>>and second to get ahold of the remote screen on the other end of the 
>>serial cable?
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
Might be this is the problem, here is all gettys running on the 4.10 
machine:

root     246  0.0  0.1   956  516  v7  Is+  16Mar05   0:00.00 
/usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv7
root     245  0.0  0.1   956  516  v6  Is+  16Mar05   0:00.00 
/usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv6
root     244  0.0  0.1   956  516  v5  Is+  16Mar05   0:00.00 
/usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv5
root     243  0.0  0.1   956  516  v4  Is+  16Mar05   0:00.00 
/usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv4
root     242  0.0  0.1   956  516  v3  Is+  16Mar05   0:00.00 
/usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv3
root     241  0.0  0.1   956  516  v2  Is+  16Mar05   0:00.00 
/usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv2
root     240  0.0  0.1   956  516  v1  Is+  16Mar05   0:00.00 
/usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv1
root     239  0.0  0.1   956  516  v0  Is+  16Mar05   0:00.00 
/usr/libexec/getty Pc ttyv0
root     238  0.0  0.1   956  516  d0  Is   16Mar05   0:00.00 
/usr/libexec/getty std.9600 console

The last one (console) does not appear on the 5.3 machines processlist, 
would it be safe to kill that one just like that with kill -9 238 (If 
that is the process locking the port)?

The connection is ordinary serial cable, do you mean that should specify 
from BSD side what kind of connection is it?

>Make sure that you haven't got a getty running at the same time on
>both sides, and that you've got a null-modem connection between the two
>hosts instead of a straight thru'.
>
>Cheers.
>  
>
Thanks and Cheers,

Jani