[U-Boot-Users] Netconsole at startup

[U-Boot-Users] Netconsole at startup

[Robin Gilks]

Greetings

Bit of a puzzle with netconsole operation.

If I undef CFG_CONSOLE_IS_IN_ENV, then I can boot to the serial console 
and manually switch it to nc and it works great. Problem with that is 
that on boot it just uses the first device that has the correct in/out 
properties - i.e. serial and ignores any env setting.

If I define CFG_CONSOLE_IS_IN_ENV, then the netconsole stuff refuses to 
run (i.e. it doesn't use serial but it doesn't use nc either!!) - even 
though when checking with the BDI2000 I can see that the correct nc 
devices have been set up in the dev structures. If I start up in serial 
and then try to switch to nc it just doesn't work - it continues to use 
serial.

Any clues from anyone? Should netconsole be able to run from bootup?

-- 
Robin Gilks
Senior Design Engineer          Phone: (+64)(3) 357 1569
Tait Electronics                Fax  :  (+64)(3) 359 4632
PO Box 1645 Christchurch        Email : robin.gilks at tait.co.nz
New Zealand

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[U-Boot-Users] Netconsole at startup

[Wolfgang Denk]

In message <4151F179.40100@tait.co.nz> you wrote:
> 
> Bit of a puzzle with netconsole operation.

Which architecture, which board?

> If I undef CFG_CONSOLE_IS_IN_ENV, then I can boot to the serial console 
> and manually switch it to nc and it works great. Problem with that is 
> that on boot it just uses the first device that has the correct in/out 
> properties - i.e. serial and ignores any env setting.

What exactly is the problem with this? It's what I would expect... If
you want to  automatically  switch  to  NC  as  soon  as  it  becomes
available you can always do this using some CONFIG_PREBOOT settings.

> If I define CFG_CONSOLE_IS_IN_ENV, then the netconsole stuff refuses to 
> run (i.e. it doesn't use serial but it doesn't use nc either!!) - even 

What does your overwrite_console() look like?

And  what  exactly  are  you  trying  to  do  here?  What  does  your
environment settings look like?

> Any clues from anyone? Should netconsole be able to run from bootup?

What do you mean by "bootup"? NC will or course only work  after  the
main  intitialization  sequence  has  been  completed,  i.  e.  after
relocation to RAM, and after ethernet and devices initialization.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-4596-87  Fax: (+49)-8142-4596-88  Email: wd at denx.de
The software required `Windows 95 or better', so I installed Linux.

[U-Boot-Users] Netconsole at startup

[Robin Gilks]

Wolfgang Denk wrote:
> In message <4151F179.40100@tait.co.nz> you wrote:
> 
>>Bit of a puzzle with netconsole operation.
> 
> 
> Which architecture, which board?

I thought the whole point of the core code of u-boot was that it was 
architecture independent - I'm obviously wrong there...Its a custom 
mpc859 board as it happens.

>>If I undef CFG_CONSOLE_IS_IN_ENV, then I can boot to the serial console 
>>and manually switch it to nc and it works great. Problem with that is 
>>that on boot it just uses the first device that has the correct in/out 
>>properties - i.e. serial and ignores any env setting.
> 
> 
> What exactly is the problem with this? It's what I would expect... If
> you want to  automatically  switch  to  NC  as  soon  as  it  becomes
> available you can always do this using some CONFIG_PREBOOT settings.

I was relating the results of the two possible states of the compile 
time #define

> 
>>If I define CFG_CONSOLE_IS_IN_ENV, then the netconsole stuff refuses to 
>>run (i.e. it doesn't use serial but it doesn't use nc either!!) - even 
> 
> 
> What does your overwrite_console() look like?

Why should I even have it defined - if its supposed to read the device 
from the environment then it seems reasonable that it does so at a point 
when initialisation is complete and its able to make use of it.

> And  what  exactly  are  you  trying  to  do  here?  What  does  your
> environment settings look like?

I have stdin=nc, stdout=nc, stderr=nc, ncip=172.25.x.x - all values that 
work fine when used interactively!!

>>Any clues from anyone? Should netconsole be able to run from bootup?
> 
> 
> What do you mean by "bootup"? NC will or course only work  after  the
> main  intitialization  sequence  has  been  completed,  i.  e.  after
> relocation to RAM, and after ethernet and devices initialization.

I can see the assignment in console_init_r() occuring OK for the values 
in the environment, its just that (presumably) the init order is not 
correct somewhere  so it doesn't actually work!!

The whole point is now moot since your suggestion of CONFIG_PREBOOT 
solves the problem - its a bit of a cackhanded way of doing it which is 
what threw me for a while there!

One suggestion for the shell script to drive it from Linux - add a 
'-icrnl' to the stty line to stop 'cr' characters getting translated - 
works wonders at confounding the password patch from Pantelis Antoniou :-))


-- 
Robin Gilks
Senior Design Engineer          Phone: (+64)(3) 357 1569
Tait Electronics                Fax  :  (+64)(3) 359 4632
PO Box 1645 Christchurch        Email : robin.gilks at tait.co.nz
New Zealand

=======================================================================
This email, including any attachments, is only for the intended
addressee.  It is subject to copyright, is confidential and may be
the subject of legal or other privilege, none of which is waived or
lost by reason of this transmission.
If the receiver is not the intended addressee, please accept our
apologies, notify us by return, delete all copies and perform no
other act on the email.
Unfortunately, we cannot warrant that the email has not been
 altered or corrupted during transmission.
=======================================================================

[U-Boot-Users] Netconsole at startup

[Wolfgang Denk]

In message <41520CB7.3030405@tait.co.nz> you wrote:
>
> > Which architecture, which board?
> 
> I thought the whole point of the core code of u-boot was that it was 
> architecture independent - I'm obviously wrong there...Its a custom 
> mpc859 board as it happens.

It's the intention to be HW independent, but obviously this may  need
support on the driver side, too.

MPC8xx should work, though.

> >>If I define CFG_CONSOLE_IS_IN_ENV, then the netconsole stuff refuses to 
> >>run (i.e. it doesn't use serial but it doesn't use nc either!!) - even 
> > 
> > What does your overwrite_console() look like?
> 
> Why should I even have it defined - if its supposed to read the device 
> from the environment then it seems reasonable that it does so at a point 
> when initialisation is complete and its able to make use of it.

It may be reasonable, but I'm also pretty  sure  that  it  was  never
tested when we implemented the NC stuff.

> > And  what  exactly  are  you  trying  to  do  here?  What  does  your
> > environment settings look like?
> 
> I have stdin=nc, stdout=nc, stderr=nc, ncip=172.25.x.x - all values that 
> work fine when used interactively!!

In interactive mode these settings take effect MUCH later.

> I can see the assignment in console_init_r() occuring OK for the values 
> in the environment, its just that (presumably) the init order is not 
> correct somewhere  so it doesn't actually work!!

Probably. I guess you will have to debug & fix this.

> One suggestion for the shell script to drive it from Linux - add a 
> '-icrnl' to the stty line to stop 'cr' characters getting translated - 
> works wonders at confounding the password patch from Pantelis Antoniou :-))

I hate boot loaders which have passwords. They might deny  me  access
to the machine ...

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-4596-87  Fax: (+49)-8142-4596-88  Email: wd at denx.de
That Microsoft, the Trabant of the operating  system  world,  may  be
glancing  over the Berlin Wall at the Audis and BMWs and Mercedes. In
their own universe Trabants and Ladas were mainstream too...
                                                   -- Evan Leibovitch