Users Guide

22 Configuring Your Managed System
Using BIOS Console Redirection With SOL Proxy
Console redirection allows maintenance of a system from a remote location by redirecting keyboard
input and output through the serial port. Any console-based feature or operating system can then be
used to access the server. DR DOS
®
, Linux (init 3) and Windows
®
Special Administrative Console
(SAC) are examples of operating systems and consoles that can be used to access the server.
By default, some operating systems, such as Windows Server
™ 2003, are automatically configured to
send text console output to the BIOS. Manual configuration of the Redirection after Boot feature
through the system BIOS may not be visible to the operating system. This results in both, the operating
system feature and the BIOS redirection feature, being enabled. Depending on the operating system and
its setup, the results may vary. Dell recommends the following steps as good practice:
DR DOS: Do not configure DOS for serial console output. Enable console redirection after reboot in
system BIOS.
Windows Special Administrative Console (SAC): Do not configure Windows SAC for serial console
redirection. Enable console redirection after reboot in system BIOS.
Linux: Do not configure console redirection after rebooting the system BIOS. Do the tasks listed in the
"Installation and Setup for Linux Operating Systems" section, to configure Linux for console redirection.
NOTE: See" Escape key sequences" for a list of keystrokes to be used for BIOS Setup operations from a serial terminal.