Subject: serial console reboots (disabling stop-a abort)
To: None <port-sparc@netbsd.org>
From: imtarget <sparce@imtarget.cotse.net>
List: port-sparc
Date: 09/16/2003 10:26:06
Wise NetBSD'ers:

I've a sparc5/NetBSD 1.6.1 firewall running headless, with a serial
console on a windows atrocity. Because of the nature of the beast, the win
machine must be rebooted almost weekly for security updates. Each reboot
sends a break across the serial line, dropping the firewall into OpenProm.
Which is an enormously bad place for a firewall to be.

In Solaris, I could set a line in /etc/system like "set abort_enable=0"
which would prevent a console break from being interpreted as Stop-A. My
cursory review of available literature and list archives didn't turn up
anything similar for NetBSD. Although I confess to being out of my depth
somewhat with the cnmagic documentation.

 - Is there a similar setting to "set abort_enable=0" for NetBSD (perhaps
an /etc/sysctl.conf setting for hw.cnmagic?)
 - Is there some OpenProm approach to fixing this?
 - Is there some approach I am completely ignorant of to making this setup
more robust to serial line tomfoolery?

Your kind help is appreciated.

Sparce