[Xen-API] XCP 1.6 Serial console with IPMI SOL

[Alexandre Kouznetsov <alk@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello.

I'm setting up some Dell PowerEdge R320 servers, to have access to 
serial console. The serial port itself is a internal port, visible as 
COM2 or ttyS1 to the OS, mapped to a integrated BMC card and accessible 
via IPMI SOL. My general guide has been Xen Serial Console wiki article 
[1]. I use no iDRAC card, only the basic BMC.
I have successfully configured IPMI interface, and SOL works as 
expected. The problem I have is to configure properly the XCP: it 
displays output on serial console, but misses all startup messages of 
the services. Since the serial console is intended to be used for 
debugging a possible boot failure, those startup messages are critical.

I have configured:
- Edited /boot/extlinux.conf to send output the serial console,
- Made inttab to use serial as console (Wiki suggests using agetty 
instead of getty, don't know how relevant this might be):
  T0:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyS1 115200 vt100
- Added 'ttyS1' to /etc/securetty (not sure if really needed).

After I connect to SOL and power on the server, I can see Syslinux's 
boot prompt, then Xen's boot messages and the kernels's boot messages, 
except the end of them. Then, after some notable delay, I see the login 
prompt. This is the very end of my serial console's output:
[    9.459950] usb 1-1.6: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and 
address 3
[    9.570903] usb 1-1.6: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
[    9.571265] hub 1-1.6:1.0: USB hub found
[    9.571562] hub 1-1.6:1.0: 6 ports detected
[    9.870053] usb 1-1.6.1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and 
address 4
[    9.990896] u[   20.637067] kjournald starting.  Commit interval 15 
seconds
[   20.637083] EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.

Xen.org XCP Host 1.6.10-61809c
[...Your XCP Host has now finished booting, IP, SSL fingerpint, etc...]
xcp-node23 login:

(Note the incomplete line at 9.990896, that's also an issue)

Watching the boot process on a monitor, I have noticed that around 
message at 20.637083 the VGA console's resolution changes to something 
like 135x43, and immediately changes back to 80x25. Can't say if it 
switches to FB mode, probably not. After the switching, I see service 
startup messages, and finally it displays XCP's curses interface.
When I shutdown the server, I see Xen's messages but not the usual 
"Broadcast message [...] The system is going down".

This is my /boot/extlinux.conf, I added serial console and cut splash 
screen, framebuffer modes and "quiet" options:
# location mbr
serial 1 115200
default xe
prompt 1
timeout 50

label xe
  # append /boot/xen.gz mem=1024G dom0_mem=752M,max:752M 
watchdog_timeout=300 cpuid_mask_xsave_eax=0 lowmem_emergency_pool=1M 
crashkernel=64M@32M com2=115200,8n1 console=com2,vga dom0_max_vcpus=1-4 
--- /boot/vmlinuz-2.6-xen root=LABEL=root-vskolivp ro xencons=hvc 
console=hvc0 console=tty0 console=ttyS1,115200n8 --- 
/boot/initrd-2.6-xen.img
  kernel mboot.c32
  append /boot/xen.gz mem=1024G dom0_mem=752M,max:752M 
watchdog_timeout=300 cpuid_mask_xsave_eax=0 lowmem_emergency_pool=1M 
crashkernel=64M@32M com2=115200,8n1 console=com2,vga dom0_max_vcpus=1-4 
--- /boot/vmlinuz-2.6-xen root=LABEL=root-vskolivp ro xencons=hvc 
console=hvc0 console=tty0 --- /boot/initrd-2.6-xen.img

A Citrix KB article [2] (applies to XenServer 5.5-6.1.0) suggests to set 
up serial console only in the boot loader, and only to for the 
hypervisor itself. No kernel parameters alteration. Does not mentions 
inittab or securetty.
Another KB article [3], which applies up to XenServer 6.0, suggests to 
configure serial console to hypervisor itself AND the kernel. I have 
tested that, with no noticeable changes. The kernel's parameters seems 
to be unnecessary, since Xen splits pretty well the console output, 
sending a copy to tty and ttyS1.
I have also learned [4], that Dell's "Redirection [console to serial] 
After Boot" BIOS option might interfere with that, so I left it disabled 
expecting a more "standard" behavior.
Reference:
[1] http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Xen_Serial_Console
[2] http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX121442
[3] http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX131909
[4] http://wiki.nikhef.nl/grid/Serial_Consoles

Thank you.

--
Alexandre Kouznetsov


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