Sun Microsystems 440 manual What the System Console Does, Using the System Console

TABLE 1-1Ways of Communicating With the System (Continued)

	During	After
Devices Available for Accessing the System Console	Installation*	Installation
A local graphics monitor (frame buffer card, graphics monitor,
mouse, and so forth). See the following:
• “Accessing the System Console Through a Local Graphics		✓
Monitor” on page 29
• “System Console OpenBoot Configuration Variable Settings”		✓
on page 31

*After initial system installation, you can redirect the system console to take its input from and send its output to the serial port TTYB.

What the System Console Does

The system console displays status and error messages generated by firmware-based tests during system startup. After those tests have been run, you can enter special commands that affect the firmware and alter system behavior. For more information about tests that run during the boot process, refer to the Netra 440 Server Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide.

Once the operating system is booted, the system console displays UNIX system messages and accepts UNIX commands.

Using the System Console

To use the system console, you need some means of getting data in to and out of the system, which means attaching some kind of hardware to the system. Initially, you might have to configure that hardware, and load and configure appropriate software as well.

Chapter 1 Configuring the System Console 3