Users Guide

Serial Port Console Redirection 89
Serial Port Console Redirection
The Serial Port Console Redirection (SPCR) table provides information about how the system
firmware and service processor use the out-of-band (OOB) management port. For example, if the
OOB Management port is a serial port, the SPCR table contains information such as serial port
number, baud terminal type, and other settings used for OOB communication. The SPCR table is
read by the Special Administrative Console (SAC) for console redirection and configures itself
automatically during a bootable CD installation.
The SPCR table is automatically enabled if the system service processor supports Emergency
Management Services (EMS) such as console redirection. If it is not configured automatically, you
must configure SPCR to match BMC settings by adding the following parameters to the
unattend.txt file.
NOTE: The unattend.txt file is automatically created after installation.
[Data]
EMSPort
EMSBaudrate
Where,
EMSPort = Port used for serial communication. For example, COM1 or COM2.
EMSBaudrate = Configured baud rate for communication. The minimum supported baud rates for
supported Dell™ PowerEdge™ systems is 19200.
Serial Console redirection with SOL Proxy
Configuring Linux for Serial Redirection During Boot
The "SysRq key" is a key sequence that allows basic commands to be passed directly to the kernel for
debugging. Under some circumstances, it can also be used to reboot remote managed systems. The
serial console uses the RS-232 break function as the SysRq key. A "break" is a period of no
transmission on the serial line. To configure the "Sysrq" key in systems running Linux, follow the
instructions given below:
NOTE: The following instructions are specific to the Linux GRand Unified Bootloader (GRUB). Similar changes
would be necessary for using a different boot loader.
NOTE: In configuring the client VT100 emulation window, you must set the window or application that is
displaying the redirected console to 25 rows x 80 cothe lumns to ensure proper text display; otherwise, some
text screens may be garbled.