strace BROKEN since 1.3.96

Olaf Titz (olaf@bigred.inka.de)
Fri, 3 May 96 11:07 MET DST


Newsgroups: linux.dev.kernel
Path: not-for-mail
From: Olaf Titz <olaf@bigred.inka.de>
Subject: Handless machine (Re: Serial Console mini HOWTO)
Message-ID: <dqto0c.9kw@bigred.inka.de>
Date: 03 May 1996 11:07:24 +0100
References: <4m8f22$ds@fido.asd.sgi.com>
Organization: private Linux site, southern Germany
Lines: 25

Larry McVoy <lm@neteng.engr.sgi.com> wrote:
> You'll also be bummed to learn that while you can lose the graphics card
> and monitor, most motherboards seem to want a keyboard plugged in to boot.
> If anyone has a trick to get rid of this limitation (I'll bet you can
> hot wire it somehow), let me know.

While we're at this, I've recently had a problem with a machine that
would not boot without a keyboard. All the others [in the same server
cabinet] do fine. Closer inspection showed that the boot hangs in LILO
just after the "LILO" message. As soon as a keyboard get plugged in,
the boot process continues.

Older BIOSs let you configure the keyboard out so that it skips at
least the keyboard test and the infamous "press F1 to continue" step.
This particular machine was a "modern" one where just that option was
missing, and the BIOS itself seems to ignore the missing keyboard. But
judging from the above, perhaps _that_ problem is in LILO (and could
be fixed...)

olaf

-- 
___        Olaf.Titz@inka.de or @{stud,informatik}.uni-karlsruhe.de       ____
__ o           <URL:http://www.inka.de/~bigred/>     <IRC:praetorius>
__/<_              >> Just as long as the wheels keep on turning round
_)>(_)______________ I will live for the groove 'til the sun goes down << ____