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diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/serial-console.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/serial-console.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..a3dfc2c66 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/serial-console.rst @@ -0,0 +1,145 @@ +.. _serial_console: + +Linux Serial Console +==================== + +To use a serial port as console you need to compile the support into your +kernel - by default it is not compiled in. For PC style serial ports +it's the config option next to menu option: + +:menuselection:`Character devices --> Serial drivers --> 8250/16550 and compatible serial support --> Console on 8250/16550 and compatible serial port` + +You must compile serial support into the kernel and not as a module. + +It is possible to specify multiple devices for console output. You can +define a new kernel command line option to select which device(s) to +use for console output. + +The format of this option is:: + + console=device,options + + device: tty0 for the foreground virtual console + ttyX for any other virtual console + ttySx for a serial port + lp0 for the first parallel port + ttyUSB0 for the first USB serial device + + options: depend on the driver. For the serial port this + defines the baudrate/parity/bits/flow control of + the port, in the format BBBBPNF, where BBBB is the + speed, P is parity (n/o/e), N is number of bits, + and F is flow control ('r' for RTS). Default is + 9600n8. The maximum baudrate is 115200. + +You can specify multiple console= options on the kernel command line. + +The behavior is well defined when each device type is mentioned only once. +In this case, the output will appear on all requested consoles. And +the last device will be used when you open ``/dev/console``. +So, for example:: + + console=ttyS1,9600 console=tty0 + +defines that opening ``/dev/console`` will get you the current foreground +virtual console, and kernel messages will appear on both the VGA +console and the 2nd serial port (ttyS1 or COM2) at 9600 baud. + +The behavior is more complicated when the same device type is defined more +times. In this case, there are the following two rules: + +1. The output will appear only on the first device of each defined type. + +2. ``/dev/console`` will be associated with the first registered device. + Where the registration order depends on how kernel initializes various + subsystems. + + This rule is used also when the last console= parameter is not used + for other reasons. For example, because of a typo or because + the hardware is not available. + +The result might be surprising. For example, the following two command +lines have the same result:: + + console=ttyS1,9600 console=tty0 console=tty1 + console=tty0 console=ttyS1,9600 console=tty1 + +The kernel messages are printed only on ``tty0`` and ``ttyS1``. And +``/dev/console`` gets associated with ``tty0``. It is because kernel +tries to register graphical consoles before serial ones. It does it +because of the default behavior when no console device is specified, +see below. + +Note that the last ``console=tty1`` parameter still makes a difference. +The kernel command line is used also by systemd. It would use the last +defined ``tty1`` as the login console. + +If no console device is specified, the first device found capable of +acting as a system console will be used. At this time, the system +first looks for a VGA card and then for a serial port. So if you don't +have a VGA card in your system the first serial port will automatically +become the console. + +You will need to create a new device to use ``/dev/console``. The official +``/dev/console`` is now character device 5,1. + +(You can also use a network device as a console. See +``Documentation/networking/netconsole.rst`` for information on that.) + +Here's an example that will use ``/dev/ttyS1`` (COM2) as the console. +Replace the sample values as needed. + +1. Create ``/dev/console`` (real console) and ``/dev/tty0`` (master virtual + console):: + + cd /dev + rm -f console tty0 + mknod -m 622 console c 5 1 + mknod -m 622 tty0 c 4 0 + +2. LILO can also take input from a serial device. This is a very + useful option. To tell LILO to use the serial port: + In lilo.conf (global section):: + + serial = 1,9600n8 (ttyS1, 9600 bd, no parity, 8 bits) + +3. Adjust to kernel flags for the new kernel, + again in lilo.conf (kernel section):: + + append = "console=ttyS1,9600" + +4. Make sure a getty runs on the serial port so that you can login to + it once the system is done booting. This is done by adding a line + like this to ``/etc/inittab`` (exact syntax depends on your getty):: + + S1:23:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyS1 9600 vt100 + +5. Init and ``/etc/ioctl.save`` + + Sysvinit remembers its stty settings in a file in ``/etc``, called + ``/etc/ioctl.save``. REMOVE THIS FILE before using the serial + console for the first time, because otherwise init will probably + set the baudrate to 38400 (baudrate of the virtual console). + +6. ``/dev/console`` and X + Programs that want to do something with the virtual console usually + open ``/dev/console``. If you have created the new ``/dev/console`` device, + and your console is NOT the virtual console some programs will fail. + Those are programs that want to access the VT interface, and use + ``/dev/console instead of /dev/tty0``. Some of those programs are:: + + Xfree86, svgalib, gpm, SVGATextMode + + It should be fixed in modern versions of these programs though. + + Note that if you boot without a ``console=`` option (or with + ``console=/dev/tty0``), ``/dev/console`` is the same as ``/dev/tty0``. + In that case everything will still work. + +7. Thanks + + Thanks to Geert Uytterhoeven <geert@linux-m68k.org> + for porting the patches from 2.1.4x to 2.1.6x for taking care of + the integration of these patches into m68k, ppc and alpha. + +Miquel van Smoorenburg <miquels@cistron.nl>, 11-Jun-2000 |