<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML ><HEAD ><TITLE >Consoles</TITLE ><META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.7"><LINK REL="HOME" TITLE="PA-RISC/Linux Boot HOWTO" HREF="index.html"><LINK REL="UP" TITLE="Preparing to boot" HREF="preparation.html"><LINK REL="PREVIOUS" TITLE="BOOT_ADMIN" HREF="bootadmin.html"><LINK REL="NEXT" TITLE="PALO, the PA/Linux kernel loader" HREF="palo.html"></HEAD ><BODY CLASS="sect1" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#0000FF" VLINK="#840084" ALINK="#0000FF" ><DIV CLASS="NAVHEADER" ><TABLE SUMMARY="Header navigation table" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" ><TR ><TH COLSPAN="3" ALIGN="center" >PA-RISC/Linux Boot HOWTO</TH ></TR ><TR ><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="left" VALIGN="bottom" ><A HREF="bootadmin.html" ACCESSKEY="P" >Prev</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="80%" ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom" >Chapter 2. Preparing to boot</TD ><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="right" VALIGN="bottom" ><A HREF="palo.html" ACCESSKEY="N" >Next</A ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ><HR ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH="100%"></DIV ><DIV CLASS="sect1" ><H1 CLASS="sect1" ><A NAME="consoles" ></A >2.2. Consoles</H1 ><DIV CLASS="highlights" ><A NAME="AEN372" ></A ><P > Throughout your PA-RISC experience, you will be often told about <EM >consoles</EM >. This section aims at de-obfuscating what this word means and how to use said <EM >consoles</EM >. </P ></DIV ><P > In order to boot your PA-RISC system with the PA/Linux kernel, you must first set up a <EM >console</EM >. A <EM >console</EM > is basically the device where the kernel (and the firmware) will display its output, and where input can by sent to control the system at an early boot stage. You can use either <EM >graphic console</EM >, which requires having a monitor and a keyboard attached to the system, or <EM >serial console</EM >, which allows serial line communication between the system and another Linux machine, or any VT system. </P ><DIV CLASS="note" ><P ></P ><TABLE CLASS="note" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="25" ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" ><IMG SRC="../images/note.gif" HSPACE="5" ALT="Note"></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P >Please note that the firmware console and kernel console are not necessarily the same. For instance, it is possible to interact with <B CLASS="command" >BOOT_ADMIN</B > using keyboard & monitor, and once PA/Linux is up, to have kernel output sent to serial port only. By default, <A HREF="gloss.html#glosspalo" ><I CLASS="glossterm" >PA LOader (<SPAN CLASS="acronym" >PALO</SPAN >)</I ></A > will try to use firmware console as the kernel one. </P ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ><DIV CLASS="tip" ><P ></P ><TABLE CLASS="tip" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="25" ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" ><IMG SRC="../images/tip.gif" HSPACE="5" ALT="Tip"></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P > Workstations usually boot in graphic mode, whereas servers boot in serial mode. Some boxes will also automatically switch to serial if no keyboard is connected, or if you hold down <TT CLASS="literal" >TOC</TT > switch while powering the system on. </P ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ><P > If you don't know what the actual console of your box is, it's quite simple: find the place where first output is sent when the box is turned on (serial line or monitor output, if any), that is the console. </P ><P > If you are trying to setup a PA-RISC workstation and have a monitor handy, the easiest method is to use <EM >graphic console</EM >. If you get into troubles, or are trying to configure a server, choose <EM >serial console</EM >. </P ><DIV CLASS="sect2" ><H2 CLASS="sect2" ><A NAME="graphicsconsole" ></A >2.2.1. Using graphic console</H2 ><DIV CLASS="caution" ><P ></P ><TABLE CLASS="caution" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="25" ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" ><IMG SRC="../images/caution.gif" HSPACE="5" ALT="Caution"></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P > To use the graphic console, you must first ensure that the Linux kernel supports your system's graphic card. </P ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ><P > There are two ways to deal with the graphic console. If you think about bug-reporting any trouble, you must know how to differentiate both. First, the <EM >STI</EM > console is the classical video text console, like <EM >VGA</EM > on a common PC for example. This name is due to the fact that each PA-RISC box with graphical capabilities features the <A HREF="gloss.html#glosssti" ><I CLASS="glossterm" >Standard Text Interface (<SPAN CLASS="acronym" >STI</SPAN >)</I ></A > which defines some standardized ways to access the video memory. The other graphic console is the well known <EM >framebuffer</EM > console (which on HP-PA uses STI in a special manner, hence the name <EM >STIfb</EM >). In this case, when booting, you will see a characteristic little penguin appearing on the top-left corner. This is the easiest way to differentiate the two graphic modes. </P ><P > Obviously, if you can use graphic console, it is the easiest way to proceed. Nevertheless, you must be sure that your hardware is supported. </P ><DIV CLASS="important" ><P ></P ><TABLE CLASS="important" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="25" ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" ><IMG SRC="../images/important.gif" HSPACE="5" ALT="Important"></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P > All HP-provided graphics cards can deal with <A HREF="gloss.html#glosssticon" ><I CLASS="glossterm" >Standard Text Interface Console layer (<SPAN CLASS="acronym" >STIcon</SPAN >)</I ></A >, but not all of them are <A HREF="gloss.html#glossstifb" ><I CLASS="glossterm" >Standard Text Interface FrameBuffer layer (<SPAN CLASS="acronym" >STIfb</SPAN >)</I ></A > supported in Linux. This is especially true for Vis-FX cards that can only be used through STIcon. </P ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ></DIV ><DIV CLASS="sect2" ><H2 CLASS="sect2" ><A NAME="serialconsole" ></A >2.2.2. Using serial console</H2 ><P > The serial console is a good way to obtain all console messages, including the <A HREF="gloss.html#glossbch" ><SPAN CLASS="acronym" >BCH</SPAN ></A > ones. It is very useful for bug reports, as its output can be easily dumped. Moreover, most of the PA-RISC servers can only be managed with serial console. </P ><DIV CLASS="note" ><P ></P ><TABLE CLASS="note" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="25" ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" ><IMG SRC="../images/note.gif" HSPACE="5" ALT="Note"></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P > The only cases where serial console <EM >HAS TO</EM > be used is either if you don't have a monitor handy, or if the machine doesn't support graphics. It is also possible that the kernel can <EM >NOT</EM > handle some specific graphics hardware present in the machine, but that is pretty rare (<A HREF="gloss.html#glosssticon" >STIcon</A > should work everywhere). </P ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ><P > Here is the procedure to setup serial console support. </P ><DIV CLASS="sect3" ><H3 CLASS="sect3" ><A NAME="cable" ></A >2.2.2.1. Serial Cable</H3 ><P > To connect a PA-RISC machine to a PC's RS232 port, you need a 9-pin-to-9-pin female plugs null-modem cable. You should be able to obtain such a cable at your local computer hardware reseller. Obviously, you can also choose to connect the other end of the cable to a terminal (in this case it will probably need a 25-pin male plug). Anyway, the most practical method is to connect it to another box running <B CLASS="command" >minicom</B > or <B CLASS="command" >cu</B >, which makes all output easily available for further usage (dump report, session log, and so on). </P ></DIV ><DIV CLASS="sect3" ><H3 CLASS="sect3" ><A NAME="minicom" ></A >2.2.2.2. Configuring <B CLASS="command" >minicom</B > on Linux</H3 ><P > In order to communicate with a PA-RISC machine on a serial line, you have to set it up in serial console mode (see <A HREF="consoles.html#changingtoserial" >below</A >), and configure a serial communication program. We recommend <B CLASS="command" >minicom</B >, which can be found in most Linux distributions. If you don't have <B CLASS="command" >minicom</B > on your system, you can find the latest package on any major Linux software website. </P ><P > Most of the <B CLASS="command" >minicom</B > configuration is machine dependent. However, you must ensure that: </P ><P ></P ><OL TYPE="a" ><LI ><P >The baud rate is set to 9600</P ></LI ><LI ><P >Protocol is set to 8-N-1 (8bit data, No parity check, 1 stop bit)</P ></LI ></OL ><P > Don't worry too much as these are the default values on PA/Linux. If you are running <B CLASS="command" >minicom</B > on a PC, you will probably need to change the baud rate. </P ></DIV ></DIV ><DIV CLASS="sect2" ><H2 CLASS="sect2" ><A NAME="switchingconsoles" ></A >2.2.3. Switching consoles</H2 ><P > It might prove useful that you learn how to manage the console mode on a PA-RISC box. The following section will explain the various operations regarding console modes. </P ><DIV CLASS="sect3" ><H3 CLASS="sect3" ><A NAME="checkingcurrentmode" ></A >2.2.3.1. Checking current console mode</H3 ><P > Type: <B CLASS="command" >path console</B > to see the current console mode. </P ><P > If it's <EM >graphic console</EM > mode, it will return something like: '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >Console path = graphic_1</TT >'. </P ><P > If it's <EM >serial console</EM >, it will return: '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >Console path = rs232_a.9600.8.none</TT >' or something similar. </P ><DIV CLASS="note" ><P ></P ><TABLE CLASS="note" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="25" ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" ><IMG SRC="../images/note.gif" HSPACE="5" ALT="Note"></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P > On some models, there can be slight differences in the naming, but the idea stays the same. If you want to see more descriptions here, please send us a message describing the box you use and what you get. </P ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ></DIV ><DIV CLASS="sect3" ><H3 CLASS="sect3" ><A NAME="changingtoserial" ></A >2.2.3.2. Changing to serial console mode</H3 ><P > To change to serial console mode, type the following command at the '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >BOOT_ADMIN></TT >' command prompt: </P ><P > <B CLASS="command" >path console rs232_a.9600.8.none</B > </P ><P >or, like on B132L+</P ><P > <B CLASS="command" >path console serial_1</B > </P ><P > Anyway, on most boxes if you try to setup an invalid path for the console, you will be warned and prompted again for a valid path. To verify that the console path has been correctly set, type <B CLASS="command" >path console</B >. This should return something like '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >Console path = rs232_a.9600.8.none</TT >', indicating that the system is now set up to boot using serial console, on RS232 port 'A'. If your machine has only one, this is OK, if not, take care to use the right one. <B CLASS="command" >reset</B > will reboot your system with the new parameters. </P ><DIV CLASS="sect4" ><H4 CLASS="sect4" ><A NAME="serial712" ></A >2.2.3.2.1. How can I change the boot console to serial on a 712?</H4 ><P > Unfortunately, it is <EM >*normally*</EM > not possible. Although 712s are configured for in-house HP development to use serial, this cannot be set in <B CLASS="command" >BOOT_ADMIN</B >. You will have to use graphic console on 712s. And why the hell would we use this beautiful 712 with serial console when we can have X on it?! </P ><P > Anyway, if you feel like trying bleeding edge solutions, there is a tip at the <A HREF="http://lists.parisc-linux.org/pipermail/parisc-linux/1999-December/008117.html" TARGET="_top" >PA/Linux mailing list archive</A >. This explains how to change the console from an <EM >HP/UX <A HREF="gloss.html#glossisl" >ISL</A ></EM > prompt. Since you actually <EM >need</EM > HP/UX to be able to do the serial trick, you can find a small HP/UX <EM >lifimage</EM > here: <A HREF="http://www.pateam.org/archive/uxbootlf" TARGET="_top" >http://www.pateam.org/archive/uxbootlf</A >. (See further <A HREF="bootnetwork.html" >Section 4.3</A > to learn how to <EM >netboot</EM > a lifimage). In fact, serial console on 712 is especially useful if you want to boot the box without having a keyboard attached to it, which is otherwise not possible. </P ><DIV CLASS="warning" ><P ></P ><TABLE CLASS="warning" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="25" ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" ><IMG SRC="../images/warning.gif" HSPACE="5" ALT="Warning"></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P > The following takedown is highly unofficial, unsupported and in a general way a <EM >bad idea</EM >, as you can make your 712 unbootable, needing intervention from a HP-techie, if something goes wrong. Beware! </P ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ><P > Here is the procedure: </P ><P ></P ><OL TYPE="1" ><LI ><P > Turn the box on and when in <B CLASS="command" >BOOT_ADMIN</B >, boot into <SPAN CLASS="application" >HP/UX ISL</SPAN >. For example: </P ><TABLE BORDER="0" BGCOLOR="#E0E0E0" WIDTH="100%" ><TR ><TD ><FONT COLOR="#000000" ><PRE CLASS="programlisting" ><TT CLASS="computeroutput" > BOOT_ADMIN> boot lan isl </TT ></PRE ></FONT ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ></LI ><LI ><P > Once you get the '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >ISL></TT >' prompt, type the following: </P ><P ></P ><UL ><LI ><P >Switching to serial: <B CLASS="command" >conspath 2/0/4.0x283</B ></P ></LI ><LI ><P >Switching to graphic: <B CLASS="command" >conspath 1/0/0.0</B ></P ></LI ></UL ></LI ><LI ><P > Still at the '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >ISL></TT >' prompt, type <B CLASS="command" >disp</B >, and check that console path is either '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >(hex) 2/0/4.283.0.0.0.0.0</TT >' for serial, or '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >(hex) 1/0/0.0.0.0.0.0.0</TT >' for graphic. </P ></LI ><LI ><P >Power cycle the system to bring it up on the new console.</P ></LI ></OL ></DIV ></DIV ><DIV CLASS="sect3" ><H3 CLASS="sect3" ><A NAME="changingtographic" ></A >2.2.3.3. Changing to graphic console mode</H3 ><P > This is the reverse of the previous operation. By checking your console path, you should see '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >Console path = rs232_a.9600.8.none</TT >'. Now, you can switch to the graphic mode by issuing the following command at '<TT CLASS="computeroutput" >BOOT_ADMIN></TT >' prompt: </P ><P > <B CLASS="command" >path console graphic_1</B > </P ><P > The actual <EM >switch</EM > will happen after a <B CLASS="command" >reset</B >. If the monitor does not seem to work properly, try to press the <B CLASS="keycap" >Tab</B > key (on the keyboard attached to the box of course) at the beginning of the boot sequence to change the resolution of the display. By pressing this key, the monitor resolution cycles from one to another. </P ><DIV CLASS="tip" ><P ></P ><TABLE CLASS="tip" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="25" ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" ><IMG SRC="../images/tip.gif" HSPACE="5" ALT="Tip"></TD ><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ><P >Keep that in mind when changing monitors.</P ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ></DIV ></DIV ></DIV ><DIV CLASS="NAVFOOTER" ><HR ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH="100%"><TABLE SUMMARY="Footer navigation table" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="bootadmin.html" ACCESSKEY="P" >Prev</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="34%" ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="index.html" ACCESSKEY="H" >Home</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="palo.html" ACCESSKEY="N" >Next</A ></TD ></TR ><TR ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" ><B CLASS="command" >BOOT_ADMIN</B ></TD ><TD WIDTH="34%" ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="preparation.html" ACCESSKEY="U" >Up</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" ><B CLASS="command" >PALO</B >, the PA/Linux kernel loader</TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ></BODY ></HTML >