This is what I learnt today. Before I PR or commit it (whatevers
best), does it look accurate?  Exactly when did the bootblocks
start passing console-device info up to the kernel?

Anyone object to adding pointers to boot_console(4) to
the comments in GENERIC about serial consoles?


Index: sharesrc/share/man/man4/man4.i386/console.4
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/sharesrc/share/man/man4/man4.i386/console.4,v
retrieving revision 1.2
diff -w -u -r1.2 console.4
--- console.4	1998/01/09 08:04:32	1.2
+++ console.4	2000/01/19 04:50:05
@@ -16,8 +16,20 @@
 .Pa /dev/console
 character special device in user mode.
 It is attached to a hardware interface at boot time controlled by options
-in the kernel configuration file or information passed by the boot loader.
-The current choices are:
+in the kernel configuration file, or information passed by the boot loader.
+.Pp
+Bootblocks from
+.Nx 1.4
+or newer select their console device from a compiled-in list,
+and then pass their choice of console device and console parameters to
+the kernel. The kernel will use the same console device as the
+bootblock; no special kernel configuration is required.  
+.Pp
+To override
+the bootblock's choice of console, or to use a serial kernel console
+with older bootblocks, you must specify kernel config-file options to
+override the information passed by the bootblock.
+The current option choices are:
 .Bl -tag -width aaa
 .It - the standard PC keyboard and display
 (with either the
@@ -76,7 +88,9 @@
 
 .Sh SEE ALSO
 .Xr tty 4 ,
-.Xr boot 8
+.Xr boot 8 ,
+.Xr boot_console 8 ,
+.Xr config 8 .
 
 .Sh BUGS
 The console device is chosen early in system startup regardless