Depending on how the virtual machine console device has been configured, it is possible to access the console in a number of different ways. The sections listed below describe example configurations and other useful notes detailing how set up and use the different console access methods.

For complete reference on all configuration options related to accessing the virtual serial console device, see the section [ttya] Section of the Configuration Reference and the section Managing Virtual Machines.

Physical Console Access

For physical console access, the virtual machine must be configured to attach the virtual serial port to a physical serial port on the host system. The following configuration extract demonstrates how to attach the virtual serial port to the host device, /dev/ttyS0.

Configuratin ttya for Physical Console Access

# Virtual serial console attached to host device /dev/ttyS0.
[ttya]
type = physical
port = /dev/ttyS0

The remaining serial port configuration options, such as speed, parity and stop-bits must be configured using the ttya-mode variable in the Open Boot guest environment. The following example shows the default configuration values for ttya-mode.

Printing Configuration of ttya-mode Console Variable

ok printenv
printenv
Parameter Name        Value                          Default Value
auto-boot?            false                          true
boot-file             -v
boot-device           disk:a disk1                   disk net
ttya-mode             9600,8,n,1,-                   9600,8,n,1,-
ttyb-mode             9600,8,n,1,-                   9600,8,n,1,-

For a complete reference on how to configure the serial options in Open Boot, see the [ttya] Section of the Console Reference chapter.

Console Access from CHARON-SSP Manager

From the CHARON-SSP Manager it is possible to access the serial console, via the Console tab. The example below shows the console of a SPARCstation 20 that has booted the SunOS 4.1.4 installation CDROM.

CHARON-SSP Manager Console Tab

To configure the serial console to be accessed from the CHARON-SSP Manager, use a configuration for the TTYA section similar to the one below.

Configure TTYA for CHARON-SSP Manager Console Access

Console Access from the Network

The serial console can also be configured for remote access across the network. The configuration extra below demonstrates configuring the guest console, ttya to accept incoming connections from port 9000/tcp on the host.

Configuring ttya for Network Console Access

# SPARCstation 20 serial console redirected to network
# port 9000/tcp.
[ttya]
type = socket
port = 9000

At this point, any terminal emulator with telnet capability can be used to connect to the port and access the guest system's serial console.

Graphical Console Access

Although not a graphical console, per-se, the CHARON-SSP Manager has the ability to connect to an X11 login session using the XDMCP protocol. The screenshot below shows an X11 session from CHARON-SSP Manager to a guest running Oracle Solaris 10.

Example X11 Session to a Guest Runing Solaris 10

Enabling XDMCP

Before switching to the Xserver, it is first necessary to ensure that XDMCP is enabled on the guest system. The actions for enabling XDMCP are different, depending on the version of Solaris or SunOS installed on the guest. Follow the relevant sub-section below to configure XDMCP on your guest.

Solaris 2.5 and higher

Use the following instructions to enable remote login over XDMCP on Solaris 2.5 and higher.

Enable Remote XDMCP Login on Solaris 9 and Lower

Step Description

Edit the file /usr/dt/config/Xconfig

# vi /usr/dt/config/Xconfig

Locate the following line and insert a comment character, '#', at the beginning of the line.

Dtlogin.requestPort: 0

Save the configuration file and restart the Xserver:

# /etc/init.d/dtlogin restart

Solaris 10 and HIgher

Use the following commands to enable remote login over XDMCP on Solaris 10 and higher.

Enable Remote XDMCP Login on Solaris 10 and Higher

# svccfg -s cde-login setprop 'dtlogin/args=""'
# svcadm restart cde-login

Starting the Xserver

Once XDMCP has been enabled on the guest, use the following instructions to start the Xserver display.

Instructions for Starting the X11 Server

Step	Description
1.	Open the Start X11 Xserver window (shown below) from CHARON-SSP Manager by following the menu path, Tools > X11 Server > Start X11 Server.
2.	Configure the X11 Server by completing the fields: Enter the address or name of the guest in the field IP address. Select the X11 session resolutions from the Resolution drop down box.
3.	Click the button labelled Start to start the X11 server.

Step

Description

Open the Start X11 Xserver window (shown below) from CHARON-SSP Manager by following the menu path, Tools > X11 Server > Start X11 Server.

Configure the X11 Server by completing the fields:

Enter the address or name of the guest in the field IP address.
Select the X11 session resolutions from the Resolution drop down box.

Click the button labelled Start to start the X11 server.

Stopping the Xserver

To stop the X11 Server, follow the instructions below.

Instructions for Stopping the X11 Server

Step	Description
1.	Open the Stop X11 Xserver window (shown below) from CHARON-SSP Manager by following the menu path, Tools > X11 Server > Stop X11 Server.
2.	Enter the address or name of the guest into the field IP address.
3.	Click the button labelled Stop to termination the X11 session. If multiple sessions to the same host are open, it will be necessary to repeat these steps for each session.

Step

Description

Open the Stop X11 Xserver window (shown below) from CHARON-SSP Manager by following the menu path, Tools > X11 Server > Stop X11 Server.

Enter the address or name of the guest into the field IP address.

Click the button labelled Stop to termination the X11 session.

If multiple sessions to the same host are open, it will be necessary to repeat these steps for each session.

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