Problem using fai with (about) serial console

[Francois JEANMOUGIN]

Hi all

Dono if this is the good list to solve this problem, but let's try. I'm on
the way using HP Altiris RDP and FAI to install my blades. It works great
with the bl20p and bl30p classes, but I have a problem with the bl10e ones.
Note that FAI installs well on those, but I can't monitore the installation.
The only way to connect to those servers is a serial console displayed by
either an awfull java applet or an ssh connection.

The parameters used by the original ks installation are (it is ugly toi read,
and with the word wrap, it is more awfull, if it could) :
:: Create autoexec.bat
:: NOTE: We are doing this convoluted script b'c of DOS line length
limitations (128 characters in one line)
echo set n=%nfsserver%> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set s=%ss%>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set o=%os%>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set k=%ksfile%>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set i=%initrdfile%>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set r=/data/install/cpqrdp>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set c1=tty0>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set c2=ttyS0,115200n8>> c:\autoexec.bat
if not "%serialconsole%" == "1" goto scelse
echo loadlin vmlinuz ks=nfs:%%n%%:%%r%%/%%s%%/%%o%%/%%k%% initrd=%%i%% text
console=%%c1%% console=%%c2%% >> c:\autoexec.bat
goto scend
:scelse
echo loadlin vmlinuz ks=nfs:%%n%%:%%r%%/%%s%%/%%o%%/%%k%% initrd=%%i%% >>
c:\autoexec.bat
:scend

So, to make it simple, it gives "text console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8" as
parameters. 


On one bl10e running RedHat (which displays at least the login prompt), the
/proc/cmdline contains :
auto BOOT_IMAGE=linux ro root=301 BOOT_FILE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.9-e.24
console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200 ide0=ata66

So I tried mine (using the kernel extracted from a fai bootdisk):

:: NOTE: We are doing this convoluted script b'c of DOS line length
limitations (128 characters in one line)
echo set n=nfsroot>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set l=loadlin>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set w=vmlinuz>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set c1=tty0>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set c2=ttyS0,115200n8>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set v=normal>> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set cc=console>> c:\autoexec.bat
::ip=<client-ip>:<server-ip>:<gw-ip>:<netmask>:<hostname>:<device>:
echo set ip=10.0.0.249:10.0.0.226:10.0.0.253:255.0.0.0:bl30:eth0 >>
c:\autoexec.bat
echo set nr=10.0.0.226:/usr/lib/fai/nfsroot >> c:\autoexec.bat
echo set r=/dev/nfs >> c:\autoexec.bat
::if not "%serialconsole%" == "1" goto scelse
::echo loadlin vmlinuz ks=nfs:%%n%%:%%r%%/%%s%%/%%o%%/%%k%% initrd=%%i%% text
console=%%c1%% console=%%c2%% >> c:\autoexec.bat
::goto scend
::scelse
::echo loadlin vmlinuz ks=nfs:%%n%%:%%r%%/%%s%%/%%o%%/%%k%% initrd=%%i%% >>
c:\autoexec.bat
::scend
echo loadlin vmlinuz ip=%%ip%% root=%%r%% nfsroot=%%nr%% console=%%c1%%
console=%%c2%% vga=%%v%% >> c:\autoexec.bat

It does not work. Does anybody know if:
- I need other parameters
- FAI installation console will be supported on serial console (special
characters are used, I think)?
- vga parameter is to be used, or not?
- Are their any parameters I could give to the fai installer so that it does
not try to use special characters on the console ?

Thanks for any help.

François.






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