Solved amd64 serial console install ? [SORTED]

ajmcc

ajmcc

I've not installed FreeBSD amd64 for a while, having been focussing on aarch64 for a couple of years. I now need to install 13.0-RELEASE amd64 on an embedded system (AMD Jaguar quad-core, AMI BIOS, serial console, no framebuffer) but I'm not sure the current install ISO's support this setup as after booting I get no output. I've tried several different amd64 ISO's including 'memstick' and 'mini-memstick' with no joy. The OPNsense serial .img works fine...

I've not found anything relevant in the current Handbook, nor via searching on this forum.

I feel like I'm trapped in some weird horrific alternate reality where serial console unix never existed !

Help !
 
I had this only a few days ago, I figured it was just a bad USB stick but even loader wouldn't show up. Anywho, if you do manage to get into the loader here's what you need to do to get it to send the console output to serial:

set console=comconsole
set comconsole_speed=115200
boot
 
OK, so I just tried again, this time with 'FreeBSD-11.3-RELEASE-amd64-mini-memstick.img'. This boots as expected up to the loader screen, but then after starting the load the kernel the output stops.

I'll have to do some some further messing about to try and see why FreeBSD is dying on me. As I said, OPNsense and OpenWRt load and run fine..
 
Ok, so 11.3 is falling over in some way just after the kernel loads. I would like to verify it's been passed the necessary parameters to tell it to use the serial console at 115200-8-n-1, but where in the heck are the loader kernel command-line parameters actually documented ?
 
you can only set the speed (not parity/stop bits) i think n 1 are defaults
man 8 boot
try to stop it at loader prompt
and
boot -h
 
Right. This platform is configured to redirect its console to its one and only serial port at 115200-8-n-1. The FreeBSD loader is found by the BIOS, is loaded and the system starts up to the classic FreeBSD loader screen. I hit space to pause, then 3 to escape to the loader prompt. At the OK prompt, entering 'show', I see the following loader default variables:

comconsole_pcidev=
comconsole_port=1016
comconsole_speed=9600
console=vidconsole

I suspect what may be happening is the platform BIOS is spoofing a video console for reasons of 'compatibility', and redirecting VGA output to the serial port. So the loader doesn't realise what really going on, then when the kernel loads it all goes wrong.

The other two OS's I've tried are actually configured to boot using the real serial port, so they don't get confused.

So, I enter: 'set console=comconsole' and 'set comsonsole_speed=115200' at the loader OK prompt, then 'boot, and I am away. Thanks 'Monkey' !

Apologies for the noise ! Next I will try again with 13.0. Allegedly some changes were made to the loader...
 
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