Arch Linux

sodface

Member

Registered: 2005-12-26

Posts: 38

console=ttyS0 not working

I'm trying to install Arch0.7.1 using a slightly modified boot cd.  All I did was edit the isolinux.cfg file to add "console=ttyS0" to the beginning of append line to try and get a serial port console.   It doesn't work.  The machine is booting from the disk (I temporarily hooked up a monitor) but I get absolutely nothing out the serial port.

I did the same thing on a Slackware cd and it worked fine.  Slack is using a 2.4 kernel - this version of Arch is using a 2.6 kernel right?  Is this the source of the trouble?  I've looked at what I think is the kernel config file from the cvs repository and it seems like the correct options are selected:

CONFIG_SERIAL_8250=y
CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_CS=m
# CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_ACPI is not set
CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_NR_UARTS=4
# CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_EXTENDED is not set

This is the kernel parameter line I'm using:

label arch
  kernel vmlinuz
  append console=ttyS0 initrd=initrd.img load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 root=/dev/ram0 BOOTMEDIA=cd

I've actually tried several different times, specifying baud rates and using different baud rates, but nothing seems to help.

Any ideas?  (besides using a monitor  :? )

sodface

Member

Registered: 2005-12-26

Posts: 38

Re: console=ttyS0 not working

Well, I suppose this might be it. 
From the 2.6.10 kernel config:

# 
# Serial drivers 
# 
CONFIG_SERIAL_8250=y 
# CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_CONSOLE is not set 

sodface

Member

Registered: 2005-12-26

Posts: 38

Re: console=ttyS0 not working

I finally broke down and hooked up a monitor to do the reinstall.  The 2.6.14 kernel has the serial console option enabled this time so once the install was done I was able to edit menu.lst and inittab and get serial access.

I hope that the serial console option is consistently set from now on.