Correct. The MMJ port is the console port. Any random serial port is not 
a console port.
However, any random serial port can be used to log into a running 
system, assuming you have setup your system to allow logins from that 
serial port.

But people need to understand the difference between a serial port and a 
console port. (A console port can be a serial port, but it don't need to 
be. And a serial port has no bearing on wether it's a console port or not.)

	Johnny


Jim MacKenzie wrote:
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Matt Thomas [mailto:matt@3am-software.com] 
> Sent: February 25, 2007 3:23 PM
> To: Jim MacKenzie
> Subject: Re: hooking up a console
> 
> Jim MacKenzie wrote:
> 
>> 
>>
>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: port-vax-owner@NetBSD.org
>>>[mailto:port-vax-owner@NetBSD.org] On Behalf Of bart sikkes
>>>Sent: February 25, 2007 2:14 PM
>>>To: port-vax@netbsd.org
>>>Subject: Re: hooking up a console
>>>
>>>so i got myself a BD25 female - BD25 female cross cable as i was 
>>>unsure if the MMJ one is working correctly. the 25 pins 
> 
> connector on 
> 
>>>the vax can be used for this right? but now i get no text on the 
>>>screen, nothing happens when i press a key.
>>
> At least on my VAXen, you do need to use the MMJ serial 
> port, even if 
> you have a DB25 serial port as well.  The DB25 port cannot 
> be the main 
> login console.  (Perhaps one can make it into a secondary login 
> console; I'm not
> sure.)
>  
> The MMJ cable issue is the reason only one of my three VAXen is 
> running right now.  I need to get a couple more.
>  
> Jim
>