diff --git a/share/man/man8/man8.i386/boot_console.8 b/share/man/man8/man8.i386/boot_console.8 index 025216a2e547..98a39d3b1b52 100644 --- a/share/man/man8/man8.i386/boot_console.8 +++ b/share/man/man8/man8.i386/boot_console.8 @@ -1,98 +1,127 @@ -.\" $NetBSD: boot_console.8,v 1.3 1998/02/25 12:30:13 drochner Exp $ +.\" $NetBSD: boot_console.8,v 1.4 1999/02/21 15:59:18 drochner Exp $ .\" -.Dd September 30, 1997 +.Dd December 31, 1998 .Os .Dt BOOT_CONSOLE 8 i386 .Sh NAME .Nm boot_console .Nd selection of a console device in the i386 bootloader - +.\" .Sh DESCRIPTION -The i386 bootloader selects a console device for its user interaction -and passes information about it to the +The .Nx -kernel. The selection process is controlled by bootloader compile-time +i386 bootloader selects a console device for its user interaction and +passes information about it to the +.Nx +kernel. The selection process is controlled by bootloader compile-time options and system setup at the bootloader startup time. - -.Pp -The compile-time options (to set in the bootloader's -.Dq Makefile -) are: +.\" +.Ss Serial Console Options +The compile-time options (to be set in the booter's +.Dq Makefile ) +are: .Bl -ohang -.It Cd SUPPORT_SERIAL -enables support for serial input / output. If not set, the standard PC -keyboard / display is always used as console device and the following -options are meaningless. -.It Cd DIRECT_SERIAL +.It Dv Sy SUPPORT_SERIAL= Ns Fa policy +enables support for serial input / output. By default this option is +not set and the standard PC keyboard and display are always used as the +console device. See +.Dq Em "Console selection Policy" +below for valid values of +.Fa policy . +.It Dv Sy DIRECT_SERIAL causes direct hardware access to be used for serial input / output. -With this option, software handshake (XON/XOFF) is used for -flow control. Without this option, BIOS functions are employed for -serial port handling, which require hardware handshake lines to -be completely wired. -.It Cd CONSPEED=integer -sets the baudrate for the serial console. This option has only an -effect together with the -.Dq Cd DIRECT_SERIAL -option above. Otherwise, the default setting of 9600 baud is used. -.It Cd COMCONS_KEYPRESS -If console autoselection is used (see below), require a character -input within 1 second after a space character is sent to the serial -line for a serial console device to be selected. If not set, only a simple -function check is done (and the hardware handshake is checked -if -.Dq Cd DIRECT_SERIAL -is not defined). +With this option, software handshake (XON/XOFF) is used for flow +control. Without this option, BIOS functions are employed for serial +port handling, which require hardware handshake lines to be completely +wired. +.It Dv Sy CONSPEED= Ns Fa integer +sets the baud-rate for the serial console. This option has only an +effect when used in combination with the +.Dq Dv DIRECT_SERIAL +option above, otherwise, the default setting of 9600 baud is used. The +value of +.Fa integer +must be something that makes sense as a serial port baud rate. +.It Dv Sy COMCONS_KEYPRESS +Require a character input within seven(7) seconds from serial console +device to be selected. .El - -The actual policy for the console selection is determined by the -argument to the console initialization function -.Fn initio int -which is called early in the bootloader's -.Fn main -function. The following are available: +.\" +.Ss Console Selection Policy +The actual policy for the console selection is determined by the value +of +.Dv Dq SUPPORT_SERIAL +The following options are available: .Bl -ohang -.It Fa CONSDEV_PC -Use the standard PC keyboard / display as console. -.It Fa CONSDEV_COM0 Li ... Fa CONSDEV_COM3 -Use the serial port with the corresponding BIOS number as -console. If the port is not known to the BIOS, it falls back to -.Dq Fa CONSDEV_PC -\& . -(Note1: This feature can be deliberately used for console -selection if the BIOS allows to disable serial ports.) -(Note2: This works with the -.Dq Cd DIRECT_SERIAL -option too.) -.It Fa CONSDEV_AUTO -Auto-select the console. First the serial ports known to the BIOS -are probed. If output of a (space) character to the port succeeds, -and the conditions described under -.Dq Cd COMCONS_KEYPRESS -above are fulfilled, the port is used as console. If no serial port +.It Dv Em CONSDEV_PC +Force use of the standard PC keyboard and display as the console. +.It Dv Em CONSDEV_COM0 Li ... Dv Em CONSDEV_COM3 +Use the serial port with the corresponding BIOS number as the console. +No output is attempted to the selected serial port. If the port is not +known to the BIOS, it falls back to +.Dq Dv CONSDEV_PC . +(Note: This feature can be deliberately used for console selection if +the serial ports have been disabled in the BIOS.) +.It Dv Em CONSDEV_COM0KBD Li ... Dv Em CONSDEV_COM3KBD +If the port is known to the BIOS, and output of a character to the port +succeeds (and if +.Dq Dv DIRECT_SERIAL +is defined the RS-232 +.Dq "modem ready" +status is on after the character is output), and the conditions +described under +.Dq Dv COMCONS_KEYPRESS +above are fulfilled, the port is used as console. If the port is not +known to the BIOS, it falls back to +.Dq Dv CONSDEV_PC . +.It Dv Em CONSDEV_AUTO +Auto-select the console. All serial ports known to the BIOS are probed +in sequence. If output of a character to the port succeeds (and if +.Dq Dv DIRECT_SERIAL +is defined the RS-232 +.Dq "modem ready" +status is on after the character is output), and the conditions +described under +.Dq Dv COMCONS_KEYPRESS +above are fulfilled, the port is used as console. If no serial port passes the check, -.Dq Fa CONSDEV_PC -is used. The progress of the selection process is shown at the PC display -as digits corresponding to the serial port number currently probed. +.Dq Dv CONSDEV_PC +is used. The progress of the selection process is shown at the PC +display as digits corresponding to the serial port number currently +probed. .El - +.\" .Sh FILES -.Bl -tag -width xxx -.It Pa /src/sys/arch/i386/stand/{bios,dos,net}boot/Makefile -.It Pa /src/sys/arch/i386/stand/{bios,dos,net}boot/main.c +.Bl -tag -width /sys/arch/i386/stand/{bios,dos,net}boot/Makefile +.It Pa /sys/arch/i386/stand/{bios,dos,net}boot/Makefile +compile time options for the boot programs. .El - +.\" .Sh SEE ALSO .Xr console 4 , .Xr boot 8 - +.\" .Sh BUGS -There is generally no non-volatile storage available on the -PC platform. This requires autoselection methods which can -be inconvinient and / or unstable in some situations. The selection -policy should be adapted to the local hardware configuration, which -might require code changes. +The value of +.Dv SERIAL_POLICY +should be settable through a boot configuration option. However +traditionally there was no non-volatile storage available on the PC +platform. This requires console auto-selection methods which can be +inconvenient and / or unstable in some situations. The selection policy +should be adapted to the local hardware configuration, which might +require code changes. (Some BIOS versions, particularly those used on +large servers and in embedded and single-board industrial computers, +have integrated support for serial consoles. The boot loader should +query for these settings if possible.) .Pp -The serial communication parameters (bytesize, parity, stopbits) -are not setable. In any case, -.Dq 8N1 -is used. +The serial communication parameters (byte-size, parity, stop-bits) are +not settable (either at compile time or run time). The default +parameters are +.Dq "8 N 1" . +.Pp +The baud rate is not settable when using BIOS I/O. It should be +settable at compile time with +.Dv Dq CONSPEED +just as it is when using +.Dv Dq DIRECT_SERIAL . +The default speed is 9600 baud (the maximum for BIOS I/O).