SuperMicro IPMI keyboard - fails for 'mountroot>' prompt under FreeBSD 9-R...

[Karl Pielorz]

Hi,

We have a number of SuperMicro based systems (e.g. an X8DTL-IF) - this is 
running the latest BIOS (2.1a) - and the latest (supplied by SuperMicro) 
IPMI firmware - 2.44. We're using FreeBSD 9.0-R amd64.

When using the LAN KVM keyboard (IPMI) - it works for the BIOS (as you'd 
expect) - it works for the Beastie boot menu prompt, and it works for when 
the O/S is booted.

However, it doesn't work if the boot fails, e.g. if you get stuck at:

  mountroot>

I've tried changing a few things in the BIOS (such as EHCI handoff, legacy 
port 60/64 support, legacy USB support) - but nothing I change in there 
makes any difference.

Once the kernel is loading you see:

"
ugen1.2: <Winbond Electronics Corp> at usbus1
ums0: <Winbond Electronics Corp Hermon hidmouse Device, class 0/0, rev 
1.10/0.01, addr 2> on usbus1
ums0: 3 buttons and [Z] coordinates ID=0
ukbd0: <Winbond Electronics Corp Hermon USB hidmouse Device, class 0/0, rev 
1.10/0.01, addr 2?> on usbus1
kbd2 at ukbd0
"

I've tried with a PS2 keyboard attached, and removed from the physical 
server - but it doesn't change anything.

We have notes here for FreeBSD 8 to recompile the kernel with:

  nodevice ums

To fix a previous KVM issue with SuperMicro - but this doesn't fix the 
above issue.

Any clues on how I can fix / troubleshoot this further? The keyboard does 
work at the Beastie boot menu, and again once the O/S is loaded - but 
obviously having it work when the kernel has failed to load, would be handy 
:)

Thanks,

-Karl