Description of problem: When booting Hitachi S6E4433 Cold Fusion 3e machine into dom0, there is no output from a remote serial console after the following message, ELILO boot: Uncompressing Linux... done Loading file initrd-2.6.18-82.el5xen.img...done Loading file vmlinuz-2.6.18-82.el5xen...done Uncompressing... done However, the system is actually booting successfully. The original line in elilo.conf is, append="-- rhgb quiet" If I modified it to, append="-- console=tty0" I am able to see output from VGA console (I believed it is a known issue). However, even if I tried the following modifications with the help from Virtualization Guide, append="-- console=tty console=xvc xencons=xvc" append="-- console=tty0 console=xvc xencons=xvc" append="-- console=tty console=ttyS019200" append="-- console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" there is still no output from serial console, and look like the serial device is not there, [root@shangrila ~]# echo hello > /dev/ttyS0 -bash: /dev/ttyS0: No such device or address In addition, it is probably related to BZ431087. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): kernel-xen 2.6.18-82.el5xen (It is the same for RHEL5.1 stock kernel -53.el5xen.) (Non-xen kernel is perfectly fine.)
Created attachment 295500 [details] sosreport
Complete elilo.conf, please.
prompt timeout=20 default=2.6.18-82.el5xen relocatable image=vmlinuz-2.6.18-82.el5xen vmm=xen.gz-2.6.18-82.el5 label=2.6.18-82.el5xen initrd=initrd-2.6.18-82.el5xen.img read-only root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 append="-- console=tty0 console=ttyS019200" image=vmlinuz-2.6.9-67.EL label=2.6.9-67.EL initrd=initrd-2.6.9-67.EL.img read-only root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol01 append="rhgb quiet console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" image=vmlinuz-2.6.9-55.EL label=2.6.9-55.EL initrd=initrd-2.6.9-55.EL.img read-only root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol02 append="rhgb quiet console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" image=vmlinuz-rhel4.5 label=reinstall-rhel4.5 initrd=initrd-rhel4.5.img append="ks=nfs:walsinh.nay.redhat.com:/nfs/ks/shangrila-rhel4.5.ks ksdevice=eth1 console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" image=vmlinuz-rhel4.6 label=reinstall-rhel4.6 initrd=initrd-rhel4.6.img append="ks=nfs:walsinh.nay.redhat.com:/nfs/ks/shangrila-rhel4.6.ks ksdevice=eth1 console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" image=vmlinuz-rhel5.1 label=reinstall-rhel5.1 initrd=initrd-rhel5.1.img append="ks=nfs:walsinh.nay.redhat.com:/nfs/ks/shangrila-rhel5.1.ks ksdevice=eth1 console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" image=vmlinuz-rhel5.2 label=reinstall-rhel5.2 initrd=initrd-rhel5.2.img append="ks=nfs:walsinh.nay.redhat.com:/nfs/ks/shangrila-rhel5.2.ks ksdevice=eth1 console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" image=vmlinuz-rhel5.1 label=reinstall-everything initrd=initrd-rhel5.1.img append="ks=nfs:walsinh.nay.redhat.com:/nfs/ks/shangrila-rhel5.1-first.ks ksdevice=eth1 console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" image=vmlinuz-2.6.18-53.el5xen vmm=xen.gz-2.6.18-53.el5 label=2.6.18-53.el5xen initrd=initrd-2.6.18-53.el5xen.img read-only root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 append="com1=192000,8n1 -- console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" image=vmlinuz-2.6.18-79.el5xen vmm=xen.gz-2.6.18-79.el5 label=2.6.18-79.el5xen initrd=initrd-2.6.18-79.el5xen.img read-only root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol03 append="com1=19200, 8n1 -- rhgb quiet console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8"
Looks like you're missing part of the serial output configuration on your append line for label=2.6.18-82.el5xen. The hypervisor also has to be told about the serial console, similar to what you have on the append line for label=2.6.18-79.el5xen. Try this append line: append="com1=19200,8n1 -- rhgb quiet console=ttyS0" Nb: we do have the same box here in the Westford lab I can go poke at if necessary, but serial output does work on it, last I remember trying...
After further investigation, I found the actual problem is that there is no way to have VGA and serial consoles by default. Therefore, changed the title (original title was "No serial output when booting into dom0") to reflect the problem as below, In EFI Boot Maintenance Manager -> Select Active Console Output Devices * Acpi(PNP0A03,0)/Pci(1E|0)/Pci(1|0) <--- VGA * Acpi(PNP0A03,0)/Pci(1F|0)/Acpi(PNP0501,0)/Uart(19200 N81)/VenMsg(Vt100+) The remote serial console only work (it works even without "com1=19200,8n1", i.e. without telling hypervisor about serial console) when selecting only the second one, or disable onboard VGA entirely from EFI Boot Maintenance Manager -> System Setup -> Devices -> VGA. The problem here is that if I choose to select only the second one, and save the setting in NVRAM, I'll still have a do it again after next reboot (the default will select the both), and also it might not be a good idea to deselect VGA device from Active Console Output Devices.
That sounds more like an EFI firmware bug than a xen bug. Output to both VGA and serial works just fine on my HP boxes.
I updated to the latest firmware FW_04-21_03-34, but it did not solve the problem.
Adding Taka to the cc list. Taka is an onsite engineer from Hitachi, here in Westford. Taka, are you aware of any issues with attempting to use both vga and serial console output simultaneously with a xen kernel on Hitachi Cold Fusion systems?
I tried this on our Cold Fusion 3e, but the result was the same as Cai reported. - 2.6.18-79.el5 Both VGA and serial worked at the same time. - 2.6.18-79.el5xen The use of VGA and Serial was exclusive. Serial could not be not detected by Xen and DomU kernel when VGA is enabled by EFI Maintenance Manager. I suspect that it is Xen's or Dom0 kernel's problem because the basic kernel can output both on VGA and serial. A base kernel detects the serial port as follows, however, domU kernel does not show this message. <elilo.conf> append="rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200" <dmesg> Serial: 8250/16550 driver $Revision: 1.90 $ 16 ports, IRQ sharing enabled 00:01: ttyS0 at I/O 0x3f8 (irq = 44) is a 16550A
Taka, does the situation improve any if you use the following append line: append="com1=19200,8n1 xencons=com1,vga -- rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200" ? The hypervisor may also need to be instructed where the serial console is, since its not terribly bright. :)
Might actually be: append="com1=19200,8n1 console=com1,vga -- rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200" or append="com1=19200,8n1 xencons=ttyS,tty -- rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200" Isn't entirely clear to me anymore. Ugh, I dislike xen sometimes... :)
Thanks, Jarod. Xen is a strange creature to me... :) I will try both options.
I found the following options from the source code of xen. append="com1=19200,8n1,0x3f8,44 console=ttyS,tty -- rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200" Then, boot messages of xen, "(XEN)", showed up on serial console, but now domU does not work well. I had a little progress, but I will continue investigations.
Oops... > domU does not work well. I had a little progress, but I will continue domU -> dom0
Finally, I saw messages both on VGA and serial console by this options: append="com1=19200,8n1,0x3f8 -- rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200" I don't know why serial is not detected automatically, but we can use serial console by indicating its io_base address, which I can see in the boot message on a base kernel.
What could we do here? Should we have a KBase for it? or to go further to fix either EFI or kernel-xen?
I'd say kbase/relnote it for now and see if we can get it fixed properly for 5.3.
the current RHEL5.2 release notes contain the following note (as per BZ#249087): <quote> (ia64) On some Itanium systems configured for console output to VGA, the dom0 virtualized kernel may fail to boot. This is because the virtualized kernel failed to properly detect the default console device from the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) settings. When this occurs, add the boot parameter console=tty to the kernel boot options in /boot/efi/elilo.conf </quote> please advise if any revisions need to be made to this note, and what. thanks!
Yes, I suggest to add the something like, On some Itanium systems like Hitachi Cold Fusion 3e, serial port could not be detected in Dom0 when VGA is enabled by EFI Maintenance Manager. However, the problem can be solved by indicating serial port's io_base address to Dom0 Kernel like the following, append="com1=19200,8n1,0x3f8 -- quiet rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8"
thanks Cai, revising note as: <quote> (ia64) On some Itanium systems (such as the Hitachi Cold Fusion 3e), the serial port cannot be detected in dom0 when VGA is enabled by the EFI Maintenance Manager. As such, you need to supply the following serial port information to the dom0 kernel: * Speed in bits/second * Number of data bits * Parity * io_base address These details must be specified in the append= line of the dom0 kernel in /boot/efi/elilo.conf. For example: append="com1=19200,8n1,0x3f8 -- quiet rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8" In this example, com1 is the serial port, 19200 is the speed (in bits/second), 8n1 specifies the number of data bits/parity settings, and 0x3f8 is the io_base address. </quote> please advise if any further revisions are required. thanks!
Thanks Don. I am going to close this bug then.
Hi, the RHEL5.2 release notes will be dropped to translation on April 15, 2008, at which point no further additions or revisions will be entertained. a mockup of the RHEL5.2 release notes can be viewed at the following link: http://intranet.corp.redhat.com/ic/intranet/RHEL5u2relnotesmockup.html please use the aforementioned link to verify if your bugzilla is already in the release notes (if it needs to be). each item in the release notes contains a link to its original bug; as such, you can search through the release notes by bug number. Cheers, Don