sysinst, serial console on soekris

I've been using a NetBSD/mac68k box as the internal router
on my home network
for several years, but I think it has finally run out of
steam.  I'm in the
process of replacing it with a soekris 4801.  This is my
first i386-based
install, so I have a couple of questions.

To paraphrase/distill advice from various mailing lists,
"all I need to do" is
to pxeboot via tftp, then boot the install kernel over NFS,
install via
sysinst, and select a serial console.

I have pxeboot and the install kernel booting with no
problems.  My question
is about getting the serial console set correctly (I don't
see what I'm
looking for in the INSTALL docs).  Is sysinst going to DTRT
on it's own or ask
me if I'm using a serial console?  Or do I need to drop into
a shell and run
installboot after the installation is done (and before I
reboot)?  As I recall
from my last install on mac68k, sysinst leaves things so
that only console
logins are possible (i.e., ssh is either not enabled yet, or
root logins via
ssh are disabled; I don't remember which, just that network
login by root is
disabled), and I don't want to find myself with a fresh
install and no way to
use the 4801.  I'd like to get it right the first time. 


Thanks,
Mark

On Wed, Dec 27, 2006 at 10:40:10AM -0500, Mark E. Perkins
wrote:

> I have pxeboot and the install kernel booting with no
problems.  My question
> is about getting the serial console set correctly (I
don't see what I'm
> looking for in the INSTALL docs).  Is sysinst going to
DTRT on it's own or ask
> me if I'm using a serial console?  Or do I need to drop
into a shell and run
> installboot after the installation is done (and before
I reboot)?  As I recall
> from my last install on mac68k, sysinst leaves things
so that only console
> logins are possible (i.e., ssh is either not enabled
yet, or root logins via
> ssh are disabled; I don't remember which, just that
network login by root is
> disabled), and I don't want to find myself with a fresh
install and no way to
> use the 4801.  I'd like to get it right the first time.
 

I did force the console in my kernel config to /dev/com0
with
a specific speed but it's not required ;)

when you do the installboot, you can set the speed there.

Just install your NetBSD. If you did not change the Soekris
default
com speed, type this :

installboot -m i386 -oconsole=com0,ioaddr=0x3f8,speed=19200

/dev/wd0d /usr/mdec/bootxx_ffsv1

(change the speed setting if required)

On boot, the console speed and address will be set properly.

-- 
unzip ; strip ; touch ; grep ; find ; finger ; mount ; fsck
; more ;
yes ; fsck ; umount ; sleep