The remote console command, rconsole, opens a remote console for each node specified with the command. The method used for opening a remote console is dependent upon the hardware and software supporting the remote console. This section describes remote console hardware configuration, software support, and the relationship between them.
Notes:
The console or terminal server is connected to the management VLAN by an Ethernet connection. Each console port is connected to the serial port of a node. The default console configuration is Equinox (ESP); any other terminal server hardware requires different configuration by the system administrator.
The serial ports' connection from the ESP to the nodes must be in the same order that the nodes are defined for the Equinox console server in CSM. The CSM database has a number associated with each ESP, and with each port within the ESP. Attention to detail is required when configuring both the hardware connectivity and the definitions of this relationship in the CSM database. More detailed information on this relationship is covered in Remote Console Configuration.
The definenode command updates the CSM database with the information describing the console server and each node's associated port number. There is a direct relationship between the hardware configuration and the CSM database information created with this command. Planning is required prior to running definenode to ensure that nodes are defined correctly. (A sample worksheet is shown in Node Attributes Table.) This section will expand on the CSM database contents and its relationship to the hardware and the rconsole command.
The remote console function supports two software environments: Equinox and Conserver. You specify which environment you want to use for the console for each node with the ConsoleMethod attribute. Supported values for this attribute are esp and conserver. For more information about the Conserver software environment, see the Conserver open source software Web site (http://www.conserver.com).
You can write a custom console method to suit your hardware environment. Each environment has its own routine (in /opt/csm/bin/ConsoleMethod_console) that returns the command that rconsole uses in the xterm window where the command is run. For example:
The following parameters are passed to any console method. If you write a new console method to manage another console type, you must include these parameters in the order shown in the interface definition:
The /etc/lilo.conf and /etc/inittab files on each node must contain the following settings, which direct the console to the serial port. When installnode is run, these files are automatically modified on each node.
serial = 1,9600n8 append = "console=tty1 console=ttyS1,9600"
s1:345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 9600 ttyS1 xterm
Remote console requires the following CSM attributes for each node:
The lsnode -Al command lists the node attributes in the CSM database. When the host parameter is specified, either by host name or IP address, the command displays all of the host's attributes.
To verify the remote console configuration, use the esptty and lsnode commands. The esptty command opens the Equinox Serial Provider (ESP) Port Diagnostic Utility. This utility allows system administrators and users to verify or modify port characteristics or dump status information about ESP Serial Hub serial ports (ttys).
You can also verify or change a Console Server configuration using the espcfg command. This command opens the ESP Configuration Wizard, which allows you to manage Equinox Service Processors. For further information on these verification commands, see the command man pages.
To test the Equinox hardware configuration:
esptty -cOutput is similar to:
ESP Device UdpState TcpState Ports /dev/esp1 HEARTBEAT TCP_ACTIVE 16 /dev/esp2 HEARTBEAT TCP_ACTIVE 16 /dev/esp3 HEARTBEAT TCP_ACTIVE 16 /dev/esp4 HEARTBEAT TCP_ACTIVE 16 /dev/esp5 HEARTBEAT TCP_ACTIVE 16 /dev/esp6 HEARTBEAT TCP_ACTIVE 16
ls /dev/ttyQ*The format of the tty is: ttyQesp_numbereport_number where:
/dev/ttyQ01e0 /dev/ttyQ02e4 /dev/ttyQ03e8 /dev/ttyQ04ec /dev/ttyQ06e0 /dev/ttyQ01e1 /dev/ttyQ02e5 /dev/ttyQ03e9 /dev/ttyQ04ed /dev/ttyQ06e1 /dev/ttyQ01e2 /dev/ttyQ02e6 /dev/ttyQ03ea /dev/ttyQ04ee /dev/ttyQ06e2 /dev/ttyQ01e3 /dev/ttyQ02e7 /dev/ttyQ03eb /dev/ttyQ04ef /dev/ttyQ06e3 /dev/ttyQ01e4 /dev/ttyQ02e8 /dev/ttyQ03ec /dev/ttyQ05e0 /dev/ttyQ06e4 /dev/ttyQ01e5 /dev/ttyQ02e9 /dev/ttyQ03ed /dev/ttyQ05e1 /dev/ttyQ06e5 /dev/ttyQ01e6 /dev/ttyQ02ea /dev/ttyQ03ee /dev/ttyQ05e2 /dev/ttyQ06e6 /dev/ttyQ01e7 /dev/ttyQ02eb /dev/ttyQ03ef /dev/ttyQ05e3 /dev/ttyQ06e7 /dev/ttyQ01e8 /dev/ttyQ02ec /dev/ttyQ04e0 /dev/ttyQ05e4 /dev/ttyQ06e8 /dev/ttyQ01e9 /dev/ttyQ02ed /dev/ttyQ04e1 /dev/ttyQ05e5 /dev/ttyQ06e9 /dev/ttyQ01ea /dev/ttyQ02ee /dev/ttyQ04e2 /dev/ttyQ05e6 /dev/ttyQ06ea /dev/ttyQ01eb /dev/ttyQ02ef /dev/ttyQ04e3 /dev/ttyQ05e7 /dev/ttyQ06eb /dev/ttyQ01ec /dev/ttyQ03e0 /dev/ttyQ04e4 /dev/ttyQ05e8 /dev/ttyQ06ec /dev/ttyQ01ed /dev/ttyQ03e1 /dev/ttyQ04e5 /dev/ttyQ05e9 /dev/ttyQ06ed /dev/ttyQ01ee /dev/ttyQ03e2 /dev/ttyQ04e6 /dev/ttyQ05ea /dev/ttyQ06ee /dev/ttyQ01ef /dev/ttyQ03e3 /dev/ttyQ04e7 /dev/ttyQ05eb /dev/ttyQ06ef /dev/ttyQ02e0 /dev/ttyQ03e4 /dev/ttyQ04e8 /dev/ttyQ05ec /dev/ttyQ02e1 /dev/ttyQ03e5 /dev/ttyQ04e9 /dev/ttyQ05ed /dev/ttyQ02e2 /dev/ttyQ03e6 /dev/ttyQ04ea /dev/ttyQ05ee /dev/ttyQ02e3 /dev/ttyQ03e7 /dev/ttyQ04eb /dev/ttyQ05ef
lsnode -Al clsn03Output is similar to:
Hostname = clsn03.pok.ibm.com OSVersion = UniversalId = 0 InstallDisk = ConsoleServerName = mgtn02.pok.ibm.com ConfigChanged = 0 Status = 1 HWControlPoint = mgtn03.pok.ibm.com OSType = SvcProcName = node03 InstallMethod = PowerMethod = netfinity Macaddr = PowerStatus = 127 ConsolePortNum = 2 HWType = netfinity HWModel = OSDistribution = ConsoleMethod = esp LParID = OSKernel = InstallDiskType = ConsoleServerNumber = 1 HWSerialNum =
For more information on using serial devices, see the following Linux HOWTO documents, located at /usr/doc/HOWTO or on the Linux Documentation Project Web site (http://metalab.unc.edu/mdw/index.html):