Re: [Xen-users] [XCP] questions

[Pasi Kärkkäinen <pasik@xxxxxx>]

On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 05:53:40PM -0500, James Pifer wrote:
> > In the usual way.. I guess you're not familiar with serial consoles? 
> > 
> > The "oldskool" way is to use serial cables ("null-modem cables") and 
> > connect the serial ports of the servers to other computers or 
> > terminal servers. Then configure the Xen-hosts to use the serial port 
> > as a console logging/printing everything there, and the other computers 
> > or terminal servers to log everything from the serial ports and write to 
> > disk. 
> > 
> > If you're using a laptop to log, you can get an USB serial adapter 
> > for the laptop for logging.
> > 
> > USB serial adapter cannot be used on the Xen hosts, since the serial port 
> > needs to be accessible before USB drivers are loaded in the dom0 kernel.
> > 
> > This allows you to capture and store everything that happens (=is printed 
> > on the console)
> > on the Xen-hosts.
> > 
> > The 'newskool' way is to use serial console over SOL (Serial Over Lan). SOL 
> > devices 
> > can be found from most new servers nowadays, usually from the management 
> > processor 
> > (for example HP iLO or IPMI).
> > 
> > Basicly SOL presents a (PCI) serial port to the OS, but the management 
> > processor 
> > makes it possible to use/attach to that serial port over the network over 
> > an IP connection.
> > 
> > Some desktop computers also have Intel AMT/vPro (Active Management 
> > Technology), 
> > which also has virtual serial port over the network implemented.
> > 
> 
> Yeah, I'm not familiar with serial consoles and I'm remote to the
> servers. We do have iLO cards in the servers where I can take over the
> servers console. In these cases where the server has problems, it's a
> black screen and you can't do anything. 
> 

Indeed that's exactly the problem with VGA consoles. 
It doesn't help you at all in a error/crash condition.

HP iLO should provide SOL for you. You can set it up, and configure other 
server to log the
serial console over the network.

Please run "lspci -vvv" in the dom0/host. Do you see a serial port? Check the 
IO port 
and interrupt (IRQ) it's using and I can help you to set up the SOL.

If you don't see a serial port, I believe then you have to enable it in iLO 
settings.

-- Pasi


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