[ipxe-devel] console pcbios/serial runtime configuration

[Leo Baltus]

Op 06/08/2013 om 14:49:09 +0200, schreef Leo Baltus:
> I just realized that ipxe is unable to configure a serial port using
> ipxe-commands.
> 
> Up until now I assumed that I could just build the undi driver and be
> done using BIOS console redirection to my serial ports. Now it seems
> this does not work in all BIOS'es.
> 

I was wrong, it turns out that console redirection 'Active After Boot'
was disabled for this particular port (COM2), so I can use undionly for
this hardware too.

> In pxelinux we used to express this like so:
> serial 1 115200
> console 0
> 
> If I understand right, I have to compile an undi driver for every
> hardware which needs other settings than the default build options?
> 
> If so, may I suggest a few ipxe-commands to set console/serial
> parameters at runtime?
> 

While using pxelinux and having redirection-after-boot disabled was just a minor
inconvenience, we couldn't see the dhcp conversation, but since pxelinux
sets the serial settings it just worked.

So in case where BIOSes break redirection or do no such thing at all runtime-
configuration can have its advantages.


While redirection for COM2 was off, I ran an undionly compiled with:

#define COMCONSOLE      COM2
#define CONSOLE_SERIAL

The output (menu) appeared to work, however on input with arrow-keys at
the first stroke it always displayed:

Could not boot image: Operation canceled (http://ipxe.org/0b2ce0a0)
No more network devices

Any idea why?

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