Very good info...although at my company we manage our AIX and Linux servers with advocent/kvm when ssh is not an option. At home, this may come in handy! Thanks! > -----Original Message----- > From: centos-bounces at centos.org > [mailto:centos-bounces at centos.org] On Behalf Of > pctech at mybellybutton.com > Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 1:11 PM > To: centos at centos.org > Subject: RE: Re: [CentOS] /etc/inittab: Serial access/ Console Server > > >On Thu, 2006-06-29 at 20:48 -0700, Chris Fox wrote: > >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > >> Hash: SHA1 > >> > >> Rodrigo Barbosa wrote: > >> > >> > you might want to try agetty: > >> > > >> > T0:23:respawn:/sbin/agetty 9600 ttyS0 vt100 > >> > > >> > Not sure if it will work, but seems likely. > >> > > >> I've always wanted to know how this is done (before serial > ports go > >> away forever). > >> > > > >We (CentOS Project) just got a $29,000 machine w/o a video > card. (Sparc > >niagara t2000 machine). > > > >I use a serial connection to what it boot ... > > > > > > You don't just need the inittab setting. You also need a > GRUB setting and a secureTTY detting. The following is a > paste out of my firewall document that I wrote that has been > tested and works: > > 6.15 Configuring Headless Operation > By configuring "headless" operating we will be able to manage > the firewall via a cable plugged into the serial port of the > firewall. This obviates the need to plug a keyboard and > monitor into it to perform changes. Thus the term "headless". > > 6.15.1 Changes to /etc/inittab > The /etc/inittab file contains settings that get applied to > the Operating Systems at boot time. There are some changes > that need to be made to these settings. In order to edit the > /etc/inittab file type: > > vi /etc/inittab > > Typing this command will open the /etc/inittab file for editing. > > As stated earlier the 18th line down is the run level line. > Add the following line to the file: > > S0:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty ttyS0 9600 linux > > This line sets the Operating System to be able to send boot > time information to the serial port in addition to the console. > > After you have made these changes to the /etc/inittab file > press the colon (: ) key and then type wq to quit vi and save > the changes. > > 6.15.2 Changes to /etc/securetty > The /etc/securetty sets the controls for which TTY devices > that the root account can log on via. In order for us to be > able to log onto the serial console as root or to be able to > su to root we must add a line to the file. In order to edit > the /etc/secuertty file type: > > vi /etc/securetty > > Typing this command will open the /etc/secuertty file for editing. > > Add the following line to the end of the file: > > ttyS0 > > This line sets the Operating System to allow root to log on > to the serial port in addition to the console. > > After you have made these changes to the /etc/securetty file > press the colon (: ) key and then type wq to quit vi and save > the changes. > > 6.15.3 Changes to the Boot Loader > In order for boot-time messages to be sent to the console, > including the boot loader information some changes must be > made to the configuration file for it. The boot loader that > CentOS uses is GRUB. As such, the configuration file is > /etc/grub.conf. > > The first change that we must make is to add some lines after > the timeout line in the GRUB configuration file. In order to > edit the /etc/grub.conf file type: > > vi /etc/grub.conf > > Typing this command will open the /etc/grub.conf file for editing. > > Add the following two lines after the timeout line in the > configuration file: > > serial --unit=0 --speed=9600 > terminal --timeout=2 serial console > > Another change that we must make in the GRUB configuration > file is to tell the kernel to send out all kernel-level > messages to the serial port in addition to the console. That > is done by adding the following line to the end of the kernel line: > > console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600 > > After you have made these changes to the /etc/grub.conf file > press the colon (: ) key and then type wq to quit vi and save > the changes. > > Once you have made these changes reboot the firewall by > typing by typing: > > reboot > > The firewall will now reboot. > > > > _______________________________________________ > >CentOS mailing list > >CentOS at centos.org > >http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos > _______________________________________________ > CentOS mailing list > CentOS at centos.org > http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos