Re: [PATCH] Wait for console to become available, v2

From: David VomLehn
Date: Sun Apr 19 2009 - 12:23:56 EST


Andi Kleen wrote:
VomLehn <dvomlehn@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
History
v2 Wait for the preferred console rather than any console. Make the
delay interval a tunable.

CONFIG tunables are usually a bad idea. What should a binary distribution
kernel set? Better make it a boot option with a reasonable default.

Your point about boot options is well taken; I released a more recent version of this patch with boot options last Friday and would appreciate your comments.

Also a setting to panic in this case might be useful, normally a system
without console is not very useful and needs to be rebooted anyways.

Umm, those of us in the embedded space have the, perhaps misguided, notion that our systems are quite useful without consoles...

But, more to the specific point, the console code is pretty smart. If you set your delay interval too short and the console comes up later, you won't see output to /dev/console, but you *will* see kernel printk output, including the message that no console could be opened. This would, hopefully, point the user to the problem. I can also make the message more specific about which parameter to set in that case.


-Andi


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