Headless system or serial console

[Joachim Dagerot]

On 2005-02-18 Emanuel Strobl  wrote:

Am Donnerstag, 17. Februar 2005 23:57 schrieb Joachim Dagerot:
>> The handbook describes a way to install freeBSD to a headless system.
>> (http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/install-advanced
>>.html)
>>
>> I'm used to drag'n'drop(!) my 45kg 21" spare monitor in and out from the
>> closet to do single-user tasks. But now I want to go the serial port way.
>>
>>
>> 1. Is there a way to get a serial console after the installation is done?
>> How? (Link?) 
>
>Just add the line "console=comconsole" in /boot/loader.conf and you have your 
>1st sio as console with 9600boud.
>If you need loader interactivity, instead create the file /boot.config with 
>the two characters "-h" in the first line, then you don't need to set the 
>console in loader.conf.
>If you want to have a different console speed see the sysctl 
>"machdep.conspeed". You can set that via sysctl.conf.
>But if you also want a different port or serial control before login see the 
>following options in /etc/make.conf:
>BOOT_COMCONSOLE_PORT=   0x2F8 # Use sio1 (com2)
>BOOT_COMCONSOLE_SPEED=  115200
>
>You have to rebuild your kernel and the loader. For the latter go 
>to /usr/src/sys/boot/i386 and 'make clean' 'make depend' 'make install'
>
>If you want to login in multiuser mode edit /etc/ttys and make sure you have a 
>line like that:
>ttyd0   "/usr/libexec/getty std.115200" cons25  on secure


I had plans for connecting an old palm but I couldn't find the power supply and it was drained out. (It's a pitty how fast the batteries discharges on the palm, I mean, I used my PalmVx last time just a few years ago.

But when scavaging the closets I found an old HP 320LX (Anyone remember those: http://www.pdagold.com/hardware/detail.asp?d=7 ?) and connetced it following your advice above. Worked from start!

Sooo coool. Soooo Slooow. Soooo practical.

Thanks alot. (Goes to all you who ahve answered this question(