Re: monitorless server; was Re: FTP server on a Sparc 2.

[Mouse <mouse%Rodents-Montreal.ORG@localhost>]

> Some time back I sent a message containing an explanation that a
> telnet connection to the Sparc 2, via Ethernet, is adequate.  There
> is no need of a serial console nor of system video.  How should the
> system be configured for this case?  No video.  No serial console.

The ROM code does not know anything about any such; it will use video
or serial console, and if there's nothing connected to the serial port
then the bits it sends will go nowhere.  (Short of desoldering chips or
cutting etch runs, there's no way to remove serial ports from a SS2;
they're built into the motherboard.)

Once the bootblocks load, they can use whatever they want.  I don't
know of any SPARC bootblocks that know how to use anything other than
the ROM console for I/O, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.  And,
of course, when the kernel loads it can use anything it pleases for
console - while as far as I know NetBSD doesn't know how to use
anything but serial or video for console, if you're willing to use
recent enough NetBSD that knowledge may well be out of date.

That said, I've run machines set up for serial console without anything
actually connected to the console often enough; that may be good enough
for your purposes.

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