serial console support broken

[Bill Huey (hui)]

The serial console option is broken under the latest release of grub. I noticed that there were a lot of source changes to get graphics support going for the grub splash screen, but there should have been enough testing to find that the serial console support hosed. It doesn't respond to key focusing properly when you hit a character over a serial console. The previous version works correctly and I have since reverted to it.

[Chuck Short (zulcss)]

Please post your menu.lst

[Bill Huey (hui) (billh)]

On Sun, Feb 26, 2006 at 02:03:30AM -0000, zul wrote:
> Public bug report changed:
> https://launchpad.net/malone/bugs/32904
>
> Comment:
> Please post your menu.lst

bill

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
default 12

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 10

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
##hiddenmenu

##
#
##nonaltoptions=console=ttyS3,115200n8 console=tty1 single quiet
##nonaltoptions=console=uart,io,0xa800,115200n8 console=tty1
##nonaltoptions=quiet splash
# defoptions=console=ttyS0,115200n8 console=tty1 vga=0x317
#

serial --unit=0 --speed=115200
terminal serial console

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specifiv kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,0)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(recovery mode) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## nonaltoption boot targets option
## This option controls options to pass to only the
## primary kernel menu item.
## You can have ONLY one nonaltoptions line
# nonaltoptions=console=ttyS0,115200n8 console=tty1 vga=0x317

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, ...

[Alexandre Otto Strube (surak)]

zul, does the menu.lst put some light on the matter?

[Bill Huey (hui) (billh)]

On Tue, Apr 04, 2006 at 09:18:58PM -0000, Alexandre Otto Strube wrote:
> zul, does the menu.lst put some light on the matter?

Clearly, if one looks at the patch, they would realized that it's the
code that added the graphics support for the splash logo. It looks like
it hijacked the serial console support for the graphics mode when really
(s)he should have create another device and use that instead basically
deprecating the serial support.

I've put the grub package on hold and have reverted it back to the
previous version as a work around. This going to be a problem for kernel
developers and the like that need a console to determine which kernel to
boot.

bill

[Matt Zimmerman (mdz)]

The splash patch has been included in the Ubuntu grub package for as long as there has been an Ubuntu grub package. Which version did you revert to, and what changed since that version?

[Bill Huey (hui) (billh)]

On Wed, Apr 05, 2006 at 01:16:59AM -0000, Matt Zimmerman wrote:
> The splash patch has been included in the Ubuntu grub package for as long as there has been an Ubuntu grub package. Which version did you revert to, and what changed since that version?

I'm using "0.95+cvs20040624-17ubuntu7". I can't say as far as what
changed, but I looked at the patches and they seem to only have done
a half job of getting that graphics support up and going. A closer
look would probably reveal more details than my description.

I couldn't even boot with this problem which is why this was a real
pain for me.

bill

[jhansonxi (jhansonxi)]

I have also encountered this problem with Grub 0.97 on Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy Eft. The remote terminal doesn't get anything from Grub. Nothing is displayed until getty is running on ttyS0. Specifying the port with --unit or --port has no effect.

[Andrew Steele (fozzy)]

I've just come across this bug report whilst googling to set up a feisty beta box with a serial console. Things seem to be working. I don't know if this is because Feisty has fixed the problem, however there is one thing that seems out of place in your grub line above.

You have: console=ttyS0,115200n8 console=tty1

I think it should be: console=tty1 console=ttyS0,115200n8

As the doco says it's the last console entry that becomes the input

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for grub (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]