On 8/6/07, Glyn Astill <glynastill@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> I've never used the serial console. I just used the 3.99 restore cd
> and then I've set everything else from there.
>
> What do I need to use the serial console? A null modem cable?
>
> The sysctl thing confuses me (I know nothing about the boot process),
> are you saying this option had to be set  for me to get in with a
> serial console? I thought you just held in the reset button to do
> that?

Let me warn you in the beginning that I can be dense, so I might need
things explained very slowly about what you're doing.

How are you deciding that you are stuck in fsck? I am assuming that
you can only know that for sure if you're watching the console,
because the network doesn't come up until well after that.

To use the serial console, you would need a null modem cable, another
machine running any recent operating system, and a serial port on the
other machine (which is increasingly rare these days). I mostly do it
from a Windows box using hyperterminal. If you have it set up properly
(see the FAQ), you can watch the thing boot from it's own firmware all
the way through booting the NetBSD kernel (there's some setting you
have to do to see the firmware though, again, see the FAQ).

If you have the console set up, you can see exactly what's happening
and report it here, then maybe we can help. It could be that fsck
found a problem that it can't automatically fix (which happens
sometimes) and it's prompting you for input.

I consider it mandatory to have a console set up on these things if
you're going to be serious about using them with NetBSD. There are
some things you just can't do on a completely headless machine.

Andy