Re: [Soekris] Console port doesn't show anything
On Sun, 7 Jun 2009, Bill Maas wrote: (b) set up an NFS boot server, boot the box off the NFS root, and again try SSH. In this case reconfiguration will only require a reboot of the Soekris box. The drawback is that you may get to see numerous nondescript error messages from NFS before you get it all right, each of which may take a day or more to fix (really!). How about configuring to PXEboot, which uses DHCP tftp to grab a boot image, to boot something like RIPlinux. Adding in trying to use NFS for a root filesystem really isn't necessary and a lot more work. Just run straight out of the initrd. -- Matt It's not what I know that counts. It's what I can remember in time to use. ___ Soekris-tech mailing list Soekris-tech@lists.soekris.com http://lists.soekris.com/mailman/listinfo/soekris-tech
Re: [Soekris] Console port doesn't show anything
Hi Matt, On Mon, 2009-06-08 at 03:37 -0500, Matt Lawrence wrote: On Sun, 7 Jun 2009, Bill Maas wrote: (b) set up an NFS boot server, boot the box off the NFS root, and again try SSH. In this case reconfiguration will only require a reboot of the Soekris box. The drawback is that you may get to see numerous nondescript error messages from NFS before you get it all right, each of which may take a day or more to fix (really!). How about configuring to PXEboot, which uses DHCP tftp to grab a boot image, to boot something like RIPlinux. Adding in trying to use NFS for a root filesystem really isn't necessary and a lot more work. Just run straight out of the initrd. Hadn't even thought of that because I never do it that way, but definitely worth trying. Still, nothing beats an NFS boot when it comes to on-the-spot configuration/updating. It's also quite useful for quickly grabbing a dmesg and other config info off a box. And once set up properly (...), it tends to work fine, most of the time;) Bill -- Matt It's not what I know that counts. It's what I can remember in time to use. ___ Soekris-tech mailing list Soekris-tech@lists.soekris.com http://lists.soekris.com/mailman/listinfo/soekris-tech ___ Soekris-tech mailing list Soekris-tech@lists.soekris.com http://lists.soekris.com/mailman/listinfo/soekris-tech
Re: [Soekris] Console port doesn't show anything
Thanks a lot, I got the cable and worked right. Jed Clear wrote: On Fri Jun 5 9:55 , Cesar Bonilla sent: Jed Clear escribió: On Thu Jun 4 10:58 , Cesar Bonilla cesar.boni...@hyettemail.com sent: I have a Net5501 with a USB Memory. I connect to Console port but I can't see anything! [snip] Are you using a null modem cable (pins 2 and 3 crossed)? Also it might be worth giving 9600 a shot, in case it's not quite factory fresh. I found many diferent types of cable: Most of these will work in many cases. Null modem without handshaking 2 - 3 3 - 2 5 - 5 The first one is the bare minimum (Tx, Rx, Ground) with the key feature of the pin 2-3 crosses. This works if both devices ignore their hardware flow control inputs, which is often the default. For 9600 and 19200, you can generally get away w/o flow control. Null modem with loop back handshaking 2 - 3 3 - 2 5 - 5 1 + 4 + 6 - NONE NONE - 1 + 4 + 6 7 + 8 - NONE NONE - 7 + 8 This one should work, but the local loopbacks only cheat the hardware handshaking and provide no flow control. You could get overrun errors at the upper speeds (e.g. 115,200). Null modem with partial handshaking 1 - 7 + 8 2 - 3 3 - 2 4 - 6 5 - 5 6 - 4 7 + 8 - 1 I'm very suspicious of this one. Generally you want DCD (1) to be driven by DTR (4), not RTS (7), if at all. Who ever came up with this probably had hardware flow control disabled anyway. Null modem with full handshaking 2 - 3 3 - 2 4 - 6 5 - 5 6 - 4 7 - 8 8 - 7 This should work the best for most cases. I'm confusing. Can you say me what pins connect to other side? Welcome to the confusing world of cheating on the RS-232 standard. The standard was designed to let data terminal equipment (DTE), such as a dumb terminal or server (and now a PC), talk to data communications equipment (DCE, i.e. a modem). Almost immediately people began using the RS-232 ports on two pieces of DTE to direct connect without modems. So they had to figure out how to get around the handshaking designed to talk to a modem. Since many ways will work in various cases, you get many solutions. If you're the curious type, and want to fully grok what's going on, you can find out more starting here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_control and here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS_232#Conventions. If you just want to build a cable and move on, go with the last configuration. However, my personal favorite is: 2 - 3 3 - 2 5 - 5 4 - 6 + 1 6 + 1 - 4 7 - 8 8 - 7 But in practice I haven't picked up a soldering iron in ages. I just keep around a handful of DE9 gender bender and null modem inserts. -Jed, Grey Beard Hardware Engineer ___ Soekris-tech mailing list Soekris-tech@lists.soekris.com http://lists.soekris.com/mailman/listinfo/soekris-tech ___ Soekris-tech mailing list Soekris-tech@lists.soekris.com http://lists.soekris.com/mailman/listinfo/soekris-tech
Re: [Soekris] Console port doesn't show anything
(Pressed Reply i.o. Reply to All - it happens.. Here's a copy for the list) Hi Cesar, On Fri, 2009-06-05 at 14:44 -0500, Cesar Bonilla wrote: Thanks a lot Bill, The cable worked right If that implies but I still can't see any output, it looks like the UART is broken. The good news is that the LED activity on the box _suggests_ that otherwise the board still _may_ be in good health. You can do 2 things: (a) configure a CF card on a PC, perform a blind boot and hope and pray that you may be able to ssh into the system. The main drawback is that for each configuration error you will have to re-flash the CF. And unless you know the CHS values, you will need to use a boot loader that ignores the fs, e.g. lilo. (b) set up an NFS boot server, boot the box off the NFS root, and again try SSH. In this case reconfiguration will only require a reboot of the Soekris box. The drawback is that you may get to see numerous nondescript error messages from NFS before you get it all right, each of which may take a day or more to fix (really!). I recently finished a piece of software (shell code) recently which sets up a Debian boot server with NFS support inside a chrooted environment: http://www.stsx.org/debian/ibs/index.html It's finished for now, publishable, and _almost_ marketable: the only thing left to do is finish the high-level Operation Manual, which is intended to demonstrate how easy it is to set up and operate the kit. But the manpages should be quite readable as well, and if time is an issue, in most cases you can skip/skim the blah and look at the examples, which mostly speak for themselves. I'll see if I can get myself to giving the OM a push in the right direction the coming days. I hope it may be of use to you and others. Anyway good luck with the boxen, Bill Regards Cesar, Bill Maas escribió: Hi Cesar, make sure you're using a correct serial null modem cable: http://www.camiresearch.com/Data_Com_Basics/RS232_standard.html If both boxes are properly connected, you should at least get garbage from the comBIOS output, even if the serial parameters are wrong. Check for compliance with the DB9 Null Modem Cable pin config, even if the cable was sold as such (there are crappy cables sold out there). Bill On Thu, 2009-06-04 at 09:58 -0500, Cesar Bonilla wrote: Hi Everybody, I have a Net5501 with a USB Memory. I connect to Console port but I can't see anything! Power led and Error led turn on. Then Disk led turns on for a while, after then Error led and Disk leds turn off. My settings of Serial port are: Baud speed: 19200 Data bits: 8 Stop bits: 1 Parity: none Flow control: none Thanks, -- Cordial Saludo, Ing. César Augusto Bonilla A. Ingeniero de Nuevos Productos HIT COMUNICACIONES Bogotá, Colombia Tel: +57 1 7424000 ___ Soekris-tech mailing list Soekris-tech@lists.soekris.com http://lists.soekris.com/mailman/listinfo/soekris-tech __ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.53/2156 - Release Date: 06/05/09 06:24:00 -- Cordial Saludo, Ing. César Augusto Bonilla A. Ingeniero de Nuevos Productos HIT COMUNICACIONES Bogotá, Colombia Tel: +57 1 7424000 __ Este mensaje contiene información confidencial para uso exclusivo del destinatario. Si Ud. es una persona distinta al destinatario, no debe distribuir, leer o copiar este correo electrónico. Sírvase notificar inmediatamente a la persona que envió este mensaje si Ud. ha recibido el mismo por error bórrelo inmediatamente de su sistema. Muchas Gracias. This message contains confidential information and it is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not distribute, read or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this message by mistake delete this e-mail from your system. Thank you. ___ Soekris-tech mailing list Soekris-tech@lists.soekris.com http://lists.soekris.com/mailman/listinfo/soekris-tech
