[NTLUG:Discuss] linux console

[Eric Schnoebelen]

"Richard Geoffrion" writes:
- What about products that allow for ALL VGA output to be sent out
- a serial port?  Some add-in card?  This would allow remote
- personnel to do everything from setting up the BIOS to the initial
- partitioning and installing of slackware.

	http://www.realweasel.com, the PC-Weasel 2000 or the
PCI-Weasel.

	I've got three of the ISA versions in use, and one of
the PCI versions.  They work extremely well.  They even offer a
remote reset, assuming you plug the provided cable into the
correct jumpers..

- I know that some of the 'big' servers have this kind of
- functionality..but is there a product out there that allows for
- this on clone machines?  What do you call this kind of product?

	Actally, few of the `big' x86 based servers offer this.
Compaq/HP offers one via an add-in card..  Some MB
manufacturers offer a ``console redirect'' to a serial port.

	None of these solutions really offer the remote power
management and monitoring that's available on the likes of Sun
Alpha servers..  So, I don't use x86 hardware much any more..

	FYI: Sun offer's a 1U system with all of the above for
<$1k.

--
Eric Schnoebelen		eric at cirr.com		http://www.cirr.com
        Friendships are fragile things, and require as much handling as
	any other fragile and precious thing.  -Randolph S. Bourne