Remote Console

Each of our Sun servers has a serial console port. OIT maintains console servers that provide network access to these ports.

Accessing the Console

Accessing the console port of a given machine is a two step process:

1. Use kinit username to authenticate.
2. Run rconsole machine_name to be connected to the console.

Rconsole Errors

• rconsole: connect failed: Connection refused

This means the deamon has died. This usually occurs with a large number of console messages or sometime with curses like interactive screens. It can be restarted on the console server with; con-srvX.gatech.edu: /etc/init.d/console_server start1 port_name

• If you get errors and look at this page, please add them and I'll try to explain them --Kurtus

• rconsole: ldap_sasl_interactive_bind_s error: Local error

Usually kerberos-related. Try re-running kinit.

Rconsole's Special Key Sequences

Here's a list of rconsole's command sequences and the actions that they map to on the actual console:

Viewing Unconsolidated Console Logs

If a console message has scrolled off of your screen, you can still view the message by:

1. Connect to oit.gatech.edu to find the console server
2. grep -l hostname /usr/local/ldap/ldif/consoles/*
3. Now connect to the console server matched.
4. View /var/local/consrv/logs/hostname.YYMMDD-HHMMSS

Veiwing Consolidated Console Logs

If you wish to view the accumulated console logs on scribe proceded with the following:

1. Connect to scribe.gatech.edu.
2. cd /stats/real_console_logs/machine_name
3. View the file YYMMDD-HHMMSS

Finding More About Rconsole

The man page has a little bit more info if your are interested

1. man rconsole

Console Server Administrative Functions

Console access requires two basic administrative steps. First, one must be allowed to query the oit.gatech.edu LDAP so the rconsole client can figure out which console server to connect to. Second, the console server will then query another oit.gatech.ed LDAP to determine if the user with thier kerberos credential is allowed to connect to the desired console port.

Setup Permission for Console LDAP Queries

To allow a particular uid to query to console LDAP on oit.gatech.edu proceed with:

1. oit.gatech.edu: cd /usr/local/ldap/ldif/groups

If the user is a member of Technical Support they are in ts-sasl:

1. oit.gatech.edu: vi ts-sasl

If the user is not then add them to console-users:

1. oit.gatech.edu: vi console-users

Run make to push the changes

1. oit.gatech.edu: make

Set Permission to Use a Specific Console

more to come

Physical Connectors

Each type of sever sends serial data to the console server with different connectors. We use cat5 cables with RJ45 ends to send this data back and forth. The 16 ports on the console servers are DB25 and thus need an adapter that can convert DB25 to RJ45. The server may use RJ45, DB9 or DB25 and thus may require an adapter as well.

• Generic Adapters

We also have a set of generic adapter that work for most older systems with DB25 serial ports.

The connector on the server, labled "server" is mapped thusly

DB25------------RJ45
1---------------1
2---------------2
3---------------3
Shunt 4,5
7---------------7
Shunt 6,8,20

The connector on the terminal(consle), labled "terminal" is mapped thusly

DB25------------RJ45
1---------------1
2---------------3
3---------------2
Shunt 4,5
7---------------7
Shunt 6,8,20

• Adapters for v20z servers

We have customizable adapters for DB9 to RJ45 that need some soldering and specific pin mappings to support the server side. These adapters have color coded pins on the RJ45 end that I will use to describe the mappping to the DB9 side. I should update this page to use the RJ45 numbering system instead of a color.

DB9--------------------RJ45
Shunt pins 1,4,6
Shunt pins 7,8
2----------------------2(orange)
3----------------------3(black)
5----------------------7(brown)

Once constructed as shown in the image, get out a sharpie and write "PC SERVER" on the adapter.

Joseph Forlini can make these without using solder, as the following images attest to.