On Mon, 2003-01-13 at 14:48, Carel Fellinger wrote: > On Mon, Jan 13, 2003 at 01:59:15PM -0500, Mark L. Kahnt wrote: > .. > > The current desktop box would become a combination firewall and X > > terminal, but it all raises one key question: with the second rack > > computer being meant to be rebooted regularly as I switch between > > various o/s, how reliable is it to control the boot process/selection > > from a separate machine? I know that Lilo and Grub do have the "serial" > > Not sure where your doubts stem from, but the only reason to have a > screen and keyboard attached to the machine it self is to fiddle with > the BIOS. Linux doesn't care, log messages can be directed to the > serial port. Grub and lilo are capable to read from the serial port to > get there instructions, heck, they're even capable during boot to let > you decide to switch to console or serial. > > And ofcourse running programs on those servers with there output directed > to your X-terminal is just a matter of setting it up that way:) > > > option for sending the info to another machine (I'm hoping that means > > that Minicom would handle it fine.) Any heads-up of use, given that it > > yep, minicom is fine > > > is one thing to point clients to the HOWTOs when setting things up, but > > I haven't regularly run a system this way - only installed and > > troubleshot them? > > Here me English is lacking, atleast I can't parse the above. > > Do or don't you have experience with using a headless server? > > Do you have clients in the sence of costumers that you want > to use those rack mounted systems? > Yeah, I did say something weird there :) I have limited experience with headless servers - I have set up a couple, and a few times I've had to deal with problems on them that has lead to re-booting. However, I've not had the job of running one on an ongoing basis to the point that I have run into any and every possible problem of this configuration (other than rats eating at the null modem cable so that a minicom connection won't *quite* work for the restart - luckily, I just let the prompt timeout, and the boot went okay according to the logs.) I have enough experience to know it can be done, and to have done it (both the installation and the use when necessary) but expect that things can go wrong, and was wondering what those are that I need to look out for and stand by with solutions. I also tend to pull out an old vt102 to do the actual install (they just don't make keyboards that feel that good to the fingers anymore) over a network for headless servers, but the thing is on its last legs (I got it originally from someone who was replacing his dialup to the office with an actual computer.) Beyond that, I am the client - I just see this all as a way to get away from data and processing bottlenecks with the SMP server, and to learn about multiple o/s and new software with the other box. It is also more "space appropriate" to do this headless than to go with a separate traditional box/monitor/keyboard, so long as I'm not walking into more headaches than I can guess at at present. > > -- > groetjes, carel -- Mark L. Kahnt, FLMI/M, ALHC, HIA, AIAA, ACS, MHP ML Kahnt New Markets Consulting Tel: (613) 531-8684 / (613) 539-0935 Email: kahnt@hosehead.dyndns.org
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