C.2. Configure the BIOS to use the serial
port
Many servers allow the BIOS to be configured
from the serial port, especially on systems designed for rack
mounting. At the moment few machines designed to be used as
desktop systems allow the BIOS to be accessed from
the serial port.
Refer to your vendor's documentation to set the
BIOS to use the serial port. Some vendors call
this feature "console redirection". Unfortunately, the
meaning of this term varies by vendor. Some vendors use it to mean
the redirection of the VGA output and keyboard
to a remote PC using a proprietary serial
protocol. This feature can only be used in conjunction with the
Linux serial console if the
BIOS can be instructed to disable the serial
redirection after booting.
As an example of the confusion, Dell uses "console
redirection" when describing the Dell
2400 and the Dell 2450.
The Dell 2450 BIOS
can be configured from the serial port. The Dell
2400's "console redirection" is
additional hardware that remotely replicates the computer's
VGA monitor and keyboard.
An example of a BIOS configuration is given
in Figure C-1.
Many BIOSs will enter their configuration
dialogs if a particular terminal key is pressed during the
BIOS boot. This can be a problem if the modem
link is noisy.
For normal operation, set the boot order to attempt to boot
from the hard disk first.