Can't see full boot using the console scrollback buffer

[Andrés]

After OpenBSD boots, it clears the screen. Then I can't see some
information, for example, the start of local daemons. All I can see
using the console scrollback buffer is this:


Automatic boot in progress: starting file system checks.
/dev/rwd0a: file system is clean; not checking
setting tty flags
kbd: keyboard mapping set to es


So you can see that a lot of info is "hidden" to me. I can see tan
information when OpenBSD boot, but not later.

Any idea if I can "fix" this in some way?

Re: Can't see full boot using the console scrollback buffer

[Woodchuck]

On Thu, 31 May 2007, Andris wrote:

> After OpenBSD boots, it clears the screen. Then I can't see some
> information, for example, the start of local daemons. All I can see
> using the console scrollback buffer is this:
>
> 
> Automatic boot in progress: starting file system checks.
> /dev/rwd0a: file system is clean; not checking
> setting tty flags
> kbd: keyboard mapping set to es
> 
>
> So you can see that a lot of info is "hidden" to me. I can see tan
> information when OpenBSD boot, but not later.
>
> Any idea if I can "fix" this in some way?

Try "cat /var/log/messages" after booting.  With default settings,
what you want is stored there.  The previous part of booting the
kernel (before booting the OS), is in /var/run/dmesg.boot

Dave

Re: Can't see full boot using the console scrollback buffer

[Andrés]

On 6/1/07, Darren Spruell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

On 5/31/07, Andris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> After OpenBSD boots, it clears the screen. Then I can't see some
> information, for example, the start of local daemons. All I can see
> using the console scrollback buffer is this:
>
> 
> Automatic boot in progress: starting file system checks.
> /dev/rwd0a: file system is clean; not checking
> setting tty flags
> kbd: keyboard mapping set to es
> 
>
> So you can see that a lot of info is "hidden" to me. I can see tan
> information when OpenBSD boot, but not later.
>
> Any idea if I can "fix" this in some way?

You didnt' include your dmesg.

/var/run/dmesg.boot

--
Darren Spruell
[EMAIL PROTECTED]





OpenBSD 4.1-stable (GENERIC) #0: Sat May 26 12:32:36 ART 2007
   [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC
cpu0: Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.50GHz ("GenuineIntel" 686-class) 2.51 GHz
cpu0:
FPU,V86,DE,PSE,TSC,MSR,PAE,MCE,CX8,APIC,SEP,MTRR,PGE,MCA,CMOV,PAT,PSE36,CFLUS
H,DS,ACPI,MMX,FXSR,SSE,SSE2,SS,HTT,TM,SBF,CNXT-ID,xTPR
real mem  = 527986688 (515612K)
avail mem = 474038272 (462928K)
using 4278 buffers containing 26521600 bytes (25900K) of memory
mainbus0 (root)
bios0 at mainbus0: AT/286+ BIOS, date 10/21/03, BIOS32 rev. 0 @
0xfb240, SMBIOS rev. 2.2 @ 0xf0800 (40 entries)
bios0: VIA Technologies, Inc. P4M266A-8235
apm0 at bios0: Power Management spec V1.2
apm0: AC on, battery charge unknown
apm0: flags 70102 dobusy 1 doidle 1
pcibios0 at bios0: rev 2.1 @ 0xf/0xdf44
pcibios0: PCI IRQ Routing Table rev 1.0 @ 0xfdeb0/144 (7 entries)
pcibios0: PCI Exclusive IRQs: 5 11
pcibios0: PCI Interrupt Router at 000:17:0 ("VIA VT82C596A ISA" rev 0x00)
pcibios0: PCI bus #1 is the last bus
bios0: ROM list: 0xc/0xc000
acpi at mainbus0 not configured
cpu0 at mainbus0
pci0 at mainbus0 bus 0: configuration mode 1 (no bios)
pchb0 at pci0 dev 0 function 0 "VIA VT8751 PCI" rev 0x00
ppb0 at pci0 dev 1 function 0 "VIA VT8633 AGP" rev 0x00
pci1 at ppb0 bus 1
vga1 at pci1 dev 0 function 0 "S3 ProSavage DDR" rev 0x00
wsdisplay0 at vga1 mux 1: console (80x25, vt100 emulation)
wsdisplay0: screen 1-5 added (80x25, vt100 emulation)
vendor "Acer Labs", unknown product 0x5459 (class communications
subclass modem, rev 0x00) at pci0 dev 9 function 0 not configured
uhci0 at pci0 dev 16 function 0 "VIA VT83C572 USB" rev 0x80: irq 11
usb0 at uhci0: USB revision 1.0
uhub0 at usb0
uhub0: VIA UHCI root hub, rev 1.00/1.00, addr 1
uhub0: 2 ports with 2 removable, self powered
uhci1 at pci0 dev 16 function 1 "VIA VT83C572 USB" rev 0x80: irq 11
usb1 at uhci1: USB revision 1.0
uhub1 at usb1
uhub1: VIA UHCI root hub, rev 1.00/1.00, addr 1
uhub1: 2 ports with 2 removable, self powered
uhci2 at pci0 dev 16 function 2 "VIA VT83C572 USB" rev 0x80: irq 5
usb2 at uhci2: USB revision 1.0
uhub2 at usb2
uhub2: VIA UHCI root hub, rev 1.00/1.00, addr 1
uhub2: 2 ports with 2 removable, self powered
ehci0 at pci0 dev 16 function 3 "VIA VT6202 USB" rev 0x82: irq 5
usb3 at ehci0: USB revision 2.0
uhub3 at usb3
uhub3: VIA EHCI root hub, rev 2.00/1.00, addr 1
uhub3: 6 ports with 6 removable, self powered
viapm0 at pci0 dev 17 function 0 "VIA VT8235 ISA" rev 0x00
iic0 at viapm0
pciide0 at pci0 dev 17 function 1 "VIA VT82C571 IDE" rev 0x06: ATA133,
channel 0 configured to compatibility, channel 1 configured to
compatibility
wd0 at pciide0 channel 0 drive 0: 
wd0: 16-sector PIO, LBA48, 38204MB, 78242976 sectors
wd1 at pciide0 channel 0 drive 1: 
wd1: 16-sector PIO, LBA48, 19130MB, 39179952 sectors
wd0(pciide0:0:0): using PIO mode 4, Ultra-DMA mode 5
wd1(pciide0:0:1): using PIO mode 4, Ultra-DMA mode 5
atapiscsi0 at pciide0 channel 1 drive 0
scsibus0 at atapiscsi0: 2 targets
cd0 at scsibus0 targ 0 lun 0:  SCSI0
5/cdrom removable
cd0(pciide0:1:0): using PIO mode 4, Ultra-DMA mode 2
auvia0 at pci0 dev 17 function 5 "VIA VT8233 AC97" rev 0x50: irq 5
ac97: codec id 0x56494161 (VIA Technologies VT1612A)
ac97: codec features headphone, 18 bit DAC, 18 bit ADC, KS Waves 3D
audio0 at auvia0
vr0 at pci0 dev 18 function 0 "VIA RhineII-2" rev 0x74: irq 11,
address 00:50:2c:a2:51:aa
ukphy0 at vr0 phy 1: Generic IEEE 802.3u media interface, rev. 8: OUI
0x004063, model 0x0032
isa0 at mainbus0
isadma0 at isa0
pckbc0 at isa0 port 0x60/5
pckbd0 at pckbc0 (kbd slot)
pckbc0: using irq 1 for kbd slot
wskbd0 at pckbd0: console keyboard, using wsdisplay0
pmsi0 at pckbc0 (aux slot)
pckbc0: using irq 12 for aux slot
wsmouse0 at pmsi0 mux 0
pcppi0 at isa0 port 0x61
midi0 at pcppi0: 
spkr0 at pcppi0
lpt0 at isa0 port 0x378/4 irq 7
it0 at isa0 port 0x290/8: IT87
npx0 at isa0 port 0xf0/16: reported by CPUID; using exception 16
pccom0 at isa0 port 0x3f8/8 irq 4: ns16550a, 16 byte fifo
pccom1 at isa0 port 0x2f8/8 irq 3: ns16550a, 16 byte fifo
fdc0 at isa0 port 0x3f0/6 irq 6 drq 2
fd0 at fdc0 drive 0: 1.44MB 80 cyl, 2 head, 18 sec
biomask ef65 netmask ef65 ttymask ffe7
pctr: user-level cycle counter enabled
ugen0 at uhub1 port 1uhidev0 at uhub0 port 2 configuration 1 interface 0
ugen0:

Re: Can't see full boot using the console scrollback buffer

[Woodchuck]

 ... snip ...
> No information about local daemons, for example.
> 
> Any idea why I can't see the information using the console scrollback
> buffer after boot? The information detailing the start of daemons, for
> example.
> 
> Greetings.

Darn.  You're right.  I looked before, but saw what wasn't there (in
/var/log/messages).  This stands to reason, one cannot log through
syslogd before syslogd is started.  By the same token, one cannot
log to *any* disk file, before a filesystem has been mounted with
write access.  This is non-trivial, because / is not mounted (remounted)
for write until /etc/rc is well along.  In fact, it is not knowable
in advance exactly when various filesystems may be mounted (due to
the possibility of nfs mounts).

What you are seeing on /dev/console is the standard output and
standard error from /sbin/init and its various descendents (sh,
sh's scripts, and so on).

I don't think there is an official way to get this output anywhere
other than the console.  So you have two options -- the easy
and the hard.

The easy option is to rig up another machine with a serial port
to the subject machine's serial port and use a serial console.  On
the second machine, your output from the boot>> prompt onwards can
be readily captured to disk or wherever you'd like.  Man boot.conf
on how to get the console output sent to serial port.  Man tip,
man cu, maybe see /usr/ports/comms/minicom or kermit for terminal
software.

The hard option is to figure out why you can't page backwards
in /dev/console.

I just did a fresh, unaltered installation of 4.1_STABLE to a test/
sacrifice machine. (Painless enough to do with OpenBSD, cheer-cheer).

There was no screen memory wiping on the console when rebooting.
There was a formfeed/newpage stunt, early during kernel loading.
After boot, and after logging in as root, I can "Page Up" into the
console history, to *before* BSD booted, catching the last few lines
of output from GRUB bootloader, which happens to be installed on
this machine, and of course all the "white on blue" kernel load.

All I can think of is that you are doing something during startup
that causes loss of console buffer.  I suspected "kbd" of doing this,
but I can do "kbd es" without ill effect.  In my case /etc/wsconsctl.conf
is default, i.e. containing nothing but comments.  Perhaps you are
doing something with wsconsctl that causes it to have the effects
you observe?  Loading a character set?  Try without kbd or wsconsctl
during boot. (mv /etc/kbdtype /etc/XXkbdtype,  mv /etc/wsconsctl.conf
/etc/XXwsconsctl.conf) 

/sbin/getty *used* to clear the screen before issuing the login prompt,
due to control characters in /etc/gettytab, in the "im" field, but that
has been mercifully absent for several releases now.  Perhaps you have
restored that for some reason (ending over-the-shoulder snooping, say).
Maybe you are doing something in /etc/ksh.kshrc or similar file.

Maybe /dev/console uses your video card's memory, or somesuch.  The
card on my test machine is an ATI Rage XL.  Yours is some sort of S3
I don't know about.

Good luck, and I hope I have been of some use.

Dave
-- 
 Resistance is futile.  You've already been assimilated.