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Re: DATACENTER: Serial console concentrator/server
Joseph Chin wrote:
> Like the Intel,
> they too have the console redirect to serial port built-in. So you can
> monitor the boot-up sequence to just before the system enters graphic mode.
> It seems like a standard feature on higher-end PC servers (HP NetServers
> have them too), but I don't know anything about the Dell PowerEdge.
>
> To be honest, other than a few occasional fiddling in the lab, I haven't
> used these PC server console redirect to serial port in a production
> environment. RealWorld(tm) comments from anyone who have used such features
> in battle-tested environments would be much appreciated.
We have a collection of N440BX mb's from Intel which offer this
feature. It's _very_ handy, since I do almost all work remotely. The one
negative is that (AFAICS) it's display only, you can't enter BIOS
command mode without a KVT. However it beats "blind reboots" with a
stick, so I'm not complaining too much. This combined with FreeBSD's
serial console ability make my life very much easier.
HTH,
Doug
--
"Stop it, I'm gettin' misty."
- Mel Gibson as Porter, "Payback"