ULTRIX on VAXstation II/GPX

[Melanie Anderson]

STRCC at CUNYVM.BITNET (Stuart Cohnen) writes:

>We are running Ultrix 4.1 on a VSII/GPX.  We would like to remove the
>large monitor and just use the printer port (the 9 pin one in the back)
>as the console port.  Two questions: What is that port called and what
>do I have to do in /etc/ttys.
>Many thanks==

>               Stuart Cohnen                 STRCC at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
>               The City College of New York

from the 'qd' man page:

     If there is a VCB02 module at the standard address, the sys-
     tem will use it as the system console.  All input/output
     destined for /dev/console will use the VCB02 instead. (This
     is done by overwriting the device switch tables.) There is a
     second set of device switch entries configured for the con-
     sole that may be used as an additional terminal or printer
     port by making a special device file using major number 38
     and minor number 0 and making the appropriate entry in
     /etc/ttys.

so you can call it anything you want because you have to make the device
yourself with mknod:

# cd /dev
# mknod cereal c 38 0		<- make the special char device
# cd /etc
# vi ttys
[... add this line...]
cereal "/etc/getty std.4800" vt100 on secure	#console terminal
[...exit vi]
# kill -1 1			<- make init check /etc/ttys again

notice i say 'std.4800'. i can't recommend running that console port at
anything higher than that because it's a char-at-a-time and yes, ye old
processor goes 'kachunk kachunk' every time you type (or see) a character. 

another caveat: if you ever want to turn off the terminal connected to this
port, please disable the halt switch (this is that circle-in-a-dot toggle
next to the console port). if you have halt enabled and you turn off the
terminal, the system may very well hang, halt, barf, or otherwise do things
you wish it hadn't. disabling halt has the effect of making the pushbuttons
on the front not work either, but if the system is stable, how often are you
going to be bouncing it anyhow?

msa

--

Melanie Anderson			msa at uiuc.edu
Beckman Institute			PHMETR::MELANIE
University of Illinois			217/244-1079
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------