Computer is configured (via lilo boot params) to echo kernel messages to terminal. This works, but Init (version 2.74) does not echo the nice subsytem startup messages to the terminal, but instead to tty1, leaving the terminal looking like the computer has hung, because there is a huge time gap between the last kernel message (Freed XX Memory) and the login prompt. ta.
What boot parameters are you using?
26 [~]@es-dns (admin)> more /etc/lilo.conf boot=/dev/hda map=/boot/map install=/boot/boot.b prompt timeout=50 serial=0,9600 append="console=ttyS0,9600n8 console=tty0" image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.5-15 label=linux root=/dev/hda5 read-only 27 [~]@es-dns (admin)>
This is the unfortunate expected behavior. The problem is that while LILO and the kernel have a notion of multiple nominal consoles that can all be active simultaneously, the /dev/console that program output goes to can only go to one place. One can send it to the serial port, or to a console screen such as /dev/tty0, but not both at once.
Apparently, the last console given to the kernel is the one that /dev/console will eventually point to: i.e. append="console=ttyS0,9600n8 console=tty0" and append="console=tty0 console=ttyS0,9600n8" give reverse results.