# Installing in appliance over the serial port.



## Santiago Martinez (Feb 18, 2022)

Hi everyone, I'm trying to install FreeBSD 13.0 on a vendor appliance that is almost a standard hardened server.

the problem I am having is that the appliance only has two serial ports and no video port/hardware(as far as I can see).

I can connect to the device via console, configure the bios and make it load FreeBSD loader (UEFI).

Now, after the kernel is loaded, the console output gets stuck, Still not sure if it's the output or if there are other issues (something else not loading on getting stuck) as the appliance redirect all output to the serial ports, hence it should continue doing so.

I have tried changing different parameters ( console=comconsole, comsconsole_port, gop=0, etc ) without any success.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

Thanks                     

Boot screenshot.                                                                          



 

Boot loader vars:


```
OK show                                                                                                                                                                  
COLUMNS=80                                                                                                                                                              
LINES=25                                                                                                                                                                
autoboot_delay=NO                                                                                                                                                       
boot_serial=YES                                                                                                                                                         
bootenv_autolist=YES                                                                                                                                                    
bootfile=kernel                                                                                                                                                         
comconsole_pcidev=                                                                                                                                                      
comconsole_port=1016                                                                                                                                                    
comconsole_speed=9600                                                                                                                                                   
console=efi                                                                                                                                                             
currdev=disk0p2:                                                                                                                                                        
efi-version=2.60                                                                                                                                                        
efi_com_speed=115200                                                                                                                                                    
efi_max_resolution=1x1                                                                                                                                                  
hint.acpi_throttle.0.disabled=1                                                                                                                                         
hint.atkbd.0.at=atkbdc                                                                                                                                                  
hint.atkbd.0.irq=1                                                                                                                                                      
hint.atkbdc.0.at=isa                                                                                                                                                    
hint.atkbdc.0.port=0x060                                                                                                                                                
hint.atrtc.0.at=isa                                                                                                                                                     
hint.atrtc.0.irq=8                                                                                                                                                      
hint.atrtc.0.port=0x70                                                                                                                                                  
hint.attimer.0.at=isa                                                                                                                                                   
hint.attimer.0.irq=0                                                                                                                                                    
hint.attimer.0.port=0x40                                                                                                                                                
hint.fd.0.at=fdc0                                                                                                                                                       
hint.fd.0.drive=0                                                                                                                                                       
hint.fd.1.at=fdc0                                                                                                                                                       
hint.fd.1.drive=1                                                                                                                                                       
hint.fdc.0.at=isa                                                                                                                                                       
hint.fdc.0.drq=2                                                                                                                                                        
hint.fdc.0.irq=6                                                                                                                                                        
hint.fdc.0.port=0x3F0                                                                                                                                                   
hint.p4tcc.0.disabled=1                                                                                                                                                 
hint.ppc.0.at=isa                                                                                                                                                       
hint.ppc.0.irq=7                                                                                                                                                        
hint.psm.0.at=atkbdc                                                                                                                                                    
hint.psm.0.irq=12                                                                                                                                                       
hint.sc.0.at=isa                                                                                                                                                        
hint.sc.0.flags=0x100                                                                                                                                                   
hint.smbios.0.mem=0x7f20d000                                                                                                                                            
hint.uart.0.at=isa                                                                                                                                                      
hint.uart.0.flags=0x10                                                                                                                                                  
hint.uart.0.irq=4                                                                                                                                                       
hint.uart.0.port=0x3F8                                                                                                                                                  
hint.uart.1.at=isa                                                                                                                                                      
hint.uart.1.irq=3                                                                                                                                                       
hint.uart.1.port=0x2F8                                                                                                                                                  
interpret=OK                                                                                                                                                            
kernel=kernel                                                                                                                                                           
kernel_options=                                                                                                                                                         
kernelname=/boot/kernel/kernel                                                                                                                                          
kernels_autodetect=NO                                                                                                                                                   
loaddev=disk0p2:                                                                                                                                                        
loader_conf_dirs=/boot/loader.conf.d                                                                                                                                    
module_blacklist=drm drm2 radeonkms i915kms amdgpu                                                                                                                      
module_path=/boot/modules;/boot/dtb;/boot/dtb/overlays                                                                                                                  
nextboot_conf=/boot/nextboot.conf                                                                                                                                       
prompt=${interpret}                                                                                                                                                     
script.lang=lua                                                                                                                                                         
smbios.bios.reldate=05/17/2018                                                                                                                                          
smbios.bios.vendor=American Megatrends Inc.                                                                                                                             
smbios.bios.version=ABDN_U_POR3-SFP_17.37.00                                                                                                                            
smbios.chassis.maker=Default string                                                                                                                                     
smbios.chassis.serial=Default string                                                                                                                                    
smbios.chassis.tag=Default string                                                                                                                                       
smbios.chassis.type=Desktop                                                                                                                                             
smbios.chassis.version=Default string                                                                                                                                   
smbios.memory.enabled=8388608                                                                                                                                           
smbios.planar.location=Default string                                                                                                                                   
smbios.planar.maker=Default string                                                                                                                                      
smbios.planar.product=Default string                                                                                                                                    
smbios.planar.serial=Default string                                                                                                                                     
smbios.planar.tag=Default string                                                                                                                                        
smbios.planar.version=Default string                                                                                                                                    
smbios.socket.enabled=1                                                                                                                                                 
smbios.socket.populated=1                                                                                                                                               
smbios.system.family=Default string                                                                                                                                     
smbios.system.maker=Default string                                                                                                                                      
smbios.system.product=Default string                                                                                                                                    
smbios.system.serial=Default string                                                                                                                                     
smbios.system.sku=Default string                                                                                                                                        
smbios.system.uuid=03000200-0400-0500-0006-000700080009                                                                                                                 
smbios.system.version=Default string                                                                                                                                    
smbios.version=3.0                                                                                                                                                      
twiddle_divisor=1                                                                                                                                                       
verbose_loading=NO                                                                                                                                                      
vfs.mountroot.timeout=10
```


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## Andriy (Feb 19, 2022)

Perhaps comconsole_speed is incorrect?
Or console needs to be set to comconsole rather than efi?


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## Santiago Martinez (Feb 20, 2022)

Hi Andriy, I did try changing the comconsole_speed and the console to comconsole, but it always gets stuck after the EFI frame buffer Information.


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## Santiago Martinez (Feb 20, 2022)

Just managed to make it work, the serial 1 and serial 2 are disabled by default on BIOS, so changed to redirect those ones also (apart from 3 and 4)  and now I can see the full boot.


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## darmokandjalad (Sep 21, 2022)

Santiago Martinez said:


> Just managed to make it work, the serial 1 and serial 2 are disabled by default on BIOS, so changed to redirect those ones also (apart from 3 and 4)  and now I can see the full boot.


Hello, Santiago. My boss just gave me the go-ahead to try doing the same thing with an old appliance we're decommissioning. Under the hood, it's really just a Linux box. Do you have a blog post or write up about your experience using FreeBSD on the appliance you're using? If not, can I ask how things have gone? In the first few posts here, you mentioned using UEFI firmware, but in your last post, say you enabled serial 1 and 2 in the appliance's BIOS. Did you have to switch from booting under UEFI to legacy BIOS, or were you able to boot under UEFI?

Cheers!


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## Phishfry (Sep 21, 2022)

Santiago Martinez said:


> but it always gets stuck after the EFI frame buffer Information.


I had this with the Up Board. I had to disable hints for UART.

i would have never guessed that. It seems alot of Z83xx boxes have this quirk.
I guess the SOC's UART's uses a different scheme.

RIP Ian


			hint.uart.1 in device.hints causes freeze at boot


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