Alphas with remote console
Fri Feb 23 13:18:59 PST 1996
The list of remote console machines is duplicated in each of these files:
/usr/contrib//lib/rconsole/rconsoles
/uns/lib/rconsole/rconsoles
~rconsoles/rconsoles on owl
Some Convenient Commands
/spin/bin/checkrc polls all the crash machines and
display their status.
/spin/bin/xrconsole is an interactive version of
checkrc. It displays the status of machines on
X window continuously, and by clicking any machine names, you can
start a rconsole xterm on that machine.
Crash Machines
Not all rconsole hosts are crashable. The non-crashable machines
will say NOT A CRASH MACHINE at the console login prompt.
These are the crash machines:
Type Room Server
alpo 400 433 owl
spincycle 400 433 owl
spinoff 400 433 owl
tweed 300x 433 owl
spandex 300x 433 owl
calico 300x 433 owl
linen pci 433 owl # usually linen is a 300L
bugs pci 117 denim
chintz 300x 223 wool
Using rconsole
Crash machines have a serial line connection to an rconsole server. You can run
rconsole from anywhere in the network, and connect to the appropriate rconsole
server.
You rconsole to one of the crash machines listed on the
rconsole page
by typing
% rconsole (machinename)
For example,
% rconsole tweed
You will need to know the rconsole password. If you don't know it
already, you will have to talk to one of us in person, as we don't
send passwords via email. If all of them are taken you can zephyr to
spin-m3 and ask if someone could make one available, since people tend to
hang on to an rconsole even when its idle.
Quitting rconsole
The sequence to exit rconsole is (contrl)(shift)(dash) and then the char "q".
Setting up the serial console
By default, the alpha PROMs want to use their graphics head and keyboard as
the console.
The way to change the system from graphics console to the
serial console varies by machine type.
DEC sometimes calls the serial console the Alternate
Console.
- DEC3000/300L,300LX,300X temporary
- Leave the keyboard disconnected at power up. The powerup test
messages will appear and when it does not detect the keyboard, the PROM
will say "switching to rconsole". This remains in effect only until the
next power cycle.
- DEC3000/300L,300LX,300X jumper
- The console jumper is a 4 pin jumper labeled W2 close to the internal
SCSI connector in the center of the machine. Serial console is the
center two pins (2&3), and graphics console is are pins towards the
power supply (1&2).
- DEC3000/400 DEC3000/700
- The console serial line is the modular connector (/dev/tty01 normally).
A switch next to the connector determines console mode: up is serial
console and down is graphics console. Power cycle to have the switch
setting take effect.
- AlphaStation 250 (PCI)
- At the PROM, type "set console serial" and then "init". If a
serial line is connected to COM1 (/dev/tty00, the upper 9-pin
connector), the PROM will switch to serial console mode.
By default you cannot use bootp. To use bootp, type "set ewa0_protocols bootp".
These settings are stored in CMOS so they survive power cycling.
Setting up the rconsole server
Once you have a serial connection to the crash machine, it needs to be
listed in both
rconsoles
files. Both the server (rconsoled) and the client (rconsole) use this
file to coordinate the service. Start the server like this:
% rconsoled -a HOSTNAME &
The server will look up in rconsoles the tty connected to the serial
console and the port where it will serve rconsole connections.
Be sure the rconsoles files are the same in /usr/contrib and /uns. The
/usr/contrib files are in AFS for reliability. We cannot just delete
the /uns version so the binaries and rconsoles file is there too.
Trouble Shooting
Occasionally you cannot connect because the rconsole daemon died on owl.
Restart the rconsoled thusly:
rlogin owl -l rconsole
passwd: (use the rconsole passwd)
% ps ax | grep rconsoled
(see what daemons are up)
% rconsoled -a HOSTNAME &
% logout