Hi, I thought I''d write a quick note about using the new console I/O infrastructure in Xen 1.3. Significant new features compared with 1.2, and with older revisions of 1.3, include: - bi-directional console access - log in to a Xenolinux guest OS via its virtual console - a new terminal client (replaces the use of telnet in character mode) - proper handling of terminal emulation Anyway, I hope the following helps! -- Keir ---------------------------------------------------------------- Domain 0 virtual console ------------------------ The virtual console for domain 0 is shared with Xen''s console. For example, if you specify ''console=com1'' as a boot parameter to Xen, then domain 0 will have bi-directional access to the primary serial line. Boot-time messages can be directed to the virtual console by specifying ''console=xencons0'' as a boot parameter to Xenolinux. Connecting to the virtual console --------------------------------- Domain 0 console may be accessed using the supplied ''miniterm'' program if raw serial access is desired. If the Xen machine is connected to a serial-port server, then the supplied ''xencons'' program may be used to connect to the appropriate TCP port on the server: # xencons <server host> <server port> Logging in via virtual console ------------------------------ It is possible to log in to a guest OS via its virtual console if a ''getty'' is running. To achieve this, a suitable device node must be created, and a new line added to inittab: # mkdir -p /dev/xen # mknod /dev/xen/cons c 4 123 # echo "c:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty --noclear xen/cons" >>/etc/inittab [NOTE to users in the lab -- existing Xen installations may be running mingetty on /dev/console. This is incorrect behaviour! Please modify such setups to run mingetty on /dev/xen/cons.] Additionally, if you wish to allow root logins via the virtual console, then ''xen/cons'' must be added to the trusted tty list in /etc/securettys. Virtual console for other domains --------------------------------- Every guest OS has a virtual console that is accessible via ''console=xencons0'' at boot time, or mingetty running on /dev/xen/cons. However, domains other than domain 0 do not have access to the physical serial line. Instead, their console data is sent to and from a control daemon running in domain 0. When properly installed, this daemon can be started from the init scripts (e.g., rc.local): # /usr/sbin/xend start Note that, when a domain is created using xc_dom_create.py, xend MUST be running. If everything is set up correctly then xc_dom_create will print the local TCP port to which you should connect to perform console I/O. A suitable console client is provided by the Python module xenctl.console_client: running this module from the command line with <host> and <port> parameters will start a terminal session. This module is also installed as /usr/bin/xencons, from a copy in tools/misc/xencons. For example: # xencons localhost 9600 An alternative to manually running a terminal client is to specify ''-c'' to xc_dom_create.py, or add ''auto_console=True'' to the defaults file. This will cause xc_dom_create.py to automatically become the console terminal after starting the domain. ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by: IBM Linux Tutorials Free Linux tutorial presented by Daniel Robbins, President and CEO of GenToo technologies. Learn everything from fundamentals to system administration.http://ads.osdn.com/?ad_id=1470&alloc_id=3638&op=click _______________________________________________ Xen-devel mailing list Xen-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/xen-devel