On Wed, 6 Mar 1996, Allen Briggs wrote:

> Hmm...  This would be a good one for a HOW-TO (probably worded better
> than the below).

It looks pretty good to me.  Only one suggestion, for the last line of
the first paragraph.

How about
> A console is the device that is the primary operator terminal.  It's the
> terminal from which you should be shutting down the system, usually, and
> is where special messages (booting messages, security notes, kernel
> panics, etc.) are delivered.  A serial console is a serial terminal or
> another computer with a terminal program that is connected to a serial
port of a UN*X box and serves as the console.

the original line, 

> port of a machine that is configured to look for a serial console.

is a tad confusing because of the string of "that"'s.  It makes sense to me, but
it *could* be misconstrued by people who don't read carefully or are not fairly 
fluent in English to mean that a serial console is a terminal program that is
configured to look for a serial console.  Hmm.  Recursion.

The fact that the UN*X (BSD clone) box has to be configured to use one is
*probably* pretty self explanatory by the "Use Serial Console" checkbox, as
mentioned in that next paragraph, though _one never knows_ ....

> That is, if I hook up my PowerBook to my IIsi with the proper cables,
> run ZTerm on the PowerBook (configured for 9600 baud, 8 bits, no parity,
> 1 stop bit), configure the NetBSD booter to look for a serial console on
> the modem port, and boot NetBSD, all of the booting messages, etc. will
> go to the ZTerm session, and I will be able to control the system from
> there.  I could just as easily use a PC or an old VT100/Wyse60/ADM3A
> terminal in place of the PowerBook.

That works right in, telling about the booter having to be configured to look
for a serial console.  It fits well there. :-)

Just my two cents,

 /---------------------------------------------------------------------\
|David A. Gatwood             And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,  |
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|dgatwood@nyx.cs.du.edu              --Edwin Arlington Robinson         |
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