> Has anyone used minicom to provide a dumb terminal using a null modem cable? Yes. I wanted to be able to compile and test a kernel on a remote Linux server, so I had to be able to use Lilo in case the fresh kernel couldn't boot the machine.
> If so, any tricks to that? If you configure your kernel, say yes to: Support for console on serial port CONFIG_SERIAL_CONSOLE If you say Y here, it will be possible to use a serial port as the system console (the system console is the device which receives all kernel messages and warnings and which allows logins in single user mode). This could be useful if some terminal or printer is connected to that serial port. Even if you say Y here, the currently visible virtual console (/dev/tty0) will still be used as the system console by default, but you can alter that using a kernel command line option such as "console=ttyS1". (Try "man bootparam" or see the documentation of your boot loader (lilo or loadlin) about how to pass options to the kernel at boot time. The lilo procedure is also explained in the SCSI-HOWTO, available via FTP (user: anonymous) in ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO.) If you don't have a VGA card installed and you say Y here, the kernel will automatically use the first serial line, /dev/ttyS0, as system console. And I have this in /etc/lilo.conf on the remote machine: [cut] vga=normal delay=20 default=2.2.7 serial=0,9600n8 append="console=ttyS0 [cut] Hth. Good luck! It's a nice feature. Groetjes, Ookhoi
