[SUMMARY]: Serial Console on a DEC3000

From: Mohan <mkannapa_at_ford.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 14:48:00 -0400 (EDT)

Greetings,

        Thanks to :
        alan_at_nabeth.cxo.dec.com
        Wendy Fong <wfong_at_synacom.com>
        Randy Rodgers <randy.rodgers_at_ci.ft-wayne.in.us>
        Erik Persson <erik_at_ikp.liu.se>
        
        The solution was as mentioned below:
        - The S3 switch.

        Thanks again
        cheers
        Mohan
My ORIGINAL QUESTION:
------------------
> Greetings,
> I want to connect a vt100 terminal to the DEC3000
> workstation. It has one of those PMAGC-?? graphics
> card. There was a serial port connection at the
> back, I plugged the cable from the vt100 to it, but
> I do not see anything. Do I need to terminate the
> coax connector at the back of the card?
>
>
> Thanks in advance
> cheers
> Mohan
-----
From: alan_at_nabeth.cxo.dec.com

        You might have to remove the graphics adapter to use the
        terminal as a console. There should also be a switch
        labeled S3 (if I remember correctly) that has to be
        approprately set to use a serial console. I have a
        DEC 3000 Model 600 setup to use a serial console that
        started life as a workstation. I did remove the graphics,
        but I don't remember if it was necessary to do so, or
        merely convient since it freed up a TURBOchannel slot.

        You also have to arrange for a getty to run on /dev/console.
        The line I have in my /etc/inittab is:

cons:1234:respawn:/usr/sbin/getty console console vt100

----
From: Wendy Fong <wfong_at_synacom.com>
Subject: Re: Serial Console on a DEC3000
There is a tiny switch at the back that you need to change.  I think
(ancient history here) it is labelled s3.
w-
----
From: Randy Rodgers <randy.rodgers_at_ci.ft-wayne.in.us>
On our DEC 2000 unplugging the keyboard when powering up the machine 
causes the console to use the serial port.  Maybe this works on the 
DEC 3000.
----
From: Erik Persson <erik_at_ikp.liu.se>
First and foremost: When dealing with serial connections you always stand
a fair chance that ypur cable is wrong. If this is the case, well...
The DEC3000:s i know of have two serial ports, one in the form of a so
called MMJ jack (much like a TP connector (but smaller) or a telephone
connector (but bigger) and with the lockspring not centered. This one is
serial port 0 and can also be used as system console if you flip the
switch labeled "S3" (or was it "S1"? - there's only one of them anyway).
If you want to use port 0 as system console, you only need to halt the
machine, flip the switch and reinitialize. If your cable is right you will
se the power-on selftest and boot sequence on the VT100.
If you want to use port 1 or 0 (if the console is on the graphics board) 
as an additional terminal you'll need to start a port listerner (getty) on
the port. This is done by having lines like this in /etc/inittab:
tty00:3:respawn:/usr/sbin/getty tty01 console vt100
or, for port 1
tty01:3:respawn:/usr/sbin/getty tty01 console vt100
Run 'init q' after having made the modifications.
And last: What coax connector? The only one I know of on the back of a
DEC3000 is the ThinWire Ethernet port, and that one does not affect this.
Hope this helps,
/Erik

Received on Thu Jun 24 1999 - 18:50:21 NZST