Configuring the Keyboard ?

[Henry Spencer]

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004, Lennart Sorensen wrote:
> For example, sending break on the serial console of a sun drops you to
> the boot monitor prompt (even with the OS running), you can then reset
> or 'go' to continue where it was.  Break isn't a character, it's a state
> on the serial line, hence it's a great interrupt that applications
> normally shouldn't expect to be able to use.

And using it to drop the machine into the boot monitor is a *really* bad
idea.  Because if whatever's connected to that serial console loses power,
even momentarily, or if the serial cable is disconnected, even
momentarily... your Sun drops into boot monitor.  Unless somebody who
knows what he's doing is handy, this is effectively a crash. 

Yes, I speak from experience.

The right way to do this is to use a signal which *can't* be confused with
untoward physical events on the line.  DEC servers used to answer to
control-P, but had a front-console switch that could be used to disable
this if/when you didn't want them to listen.

                                                          Henry Spencer
                                                       henry-lqW1N6Cllo0sV2N9l4h3zg at public.gmane.org

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