Re: Boot (i386) hangs in absence of video hardware

[Scrap Happy <scrap%GMX.com@localhost>]

Hi Martin,

On 3/4/2011 1:27 PM, Martin Husemann wrote:
> Why are you using such an ancient release?

Because the application development started on that
release and there has been no need to move away from
it.  (why "upgrade" when there is no need to?  There
have been no problems with the OS itself, to date.)

> Try 5.1, interrupt the boot loader and use the "consdev" command to
> select a working serial console. Once found, you can use the /boot.cfg
> file to automate the boot process.

The loader for 3.1 also supports consdev.  I tried
specifying "consdev com0" and no joy.

I would prefer to understand what the problem really *is*
than to go flailing at possible fixes.  I.e., knowing
how the kernel is talking *to* the hardware at various
stages of the process (since the boot process begins AS IF
the console has already been redirected to the serial port;
so, how orderly will the handoff -- BIOS to kernel -- be
when/if it happens?).  Otherwise, I'll just waste time
getting back to exactly the same problem...  :<

I could drag out a logic analyzer and trace where the
code is headed but that's a big time investment -- probably
easier to stub the kernel and have it tell *me* where it
is at any given time... (e.g., by stuffing values at
a particular I/O address, etc.)

[if it wasn't obvious from my original post, "local charity"
should suggest that my time is donated; time spent chasing
after hardware that might *never* be suitable is time taken
away from finishing the application, itself]

Thanks,
--don