Re: Serial breaks...

[Luke Mewburn <lukem%vlad.supp.cpr.itg.telstra.com.au@localhost>]

Curt Sampson writes:
> I think someone committed some code to the HP tree a while back
> that ignored breaks on the serial console.
> 
> I've been meaning to do this for the Sun 3 port for some time, but it's
> never made it to the top of the pile.

[Nochangenik mode on]

The ability to generate a break from a remote terminal to take the
system into the PROM is very useful.

At my current project, we have the consoles for all our servers
(in 8 geographic centers across Australia - about the size of mainland
USA) connected to DECserver serial terminal servers, and by logging
into a ``security host'' (standalone box) we can get to the consoles
of the machines. On our DEC boxen it's a pain that break doesn't go
into the PROM, but on the SPARCs it does. It's saved us more times
than it's bitten us, and you can always just connect up to the
console and do a "go" to kick it back into action (if someone forgets
and power cycles the DECserver).

Anyway, I digress. I reckon there probably should be a flag or
variable or sysctl to control this, rather than have it that "break
always drops to monitor" or "break is ignored". That way, people
have the choice...  And making it consistent across the ports
would be good too :-)