# Displaying boot process on both serial console and monitor

## aceFruchtsaft

Does anyone know how to display the boot sequence on both the serial console and the monitor?

Currently I have the following setup:

grub.conf:

```

serial --unit=0 --speed=115200 --word=8 --parity=no --stop=1

terminal --timeout=10 serial console

title=Gentoo Linux (2.6.25-gentoo-r6)

root (hd0,0)

kernel /kernel-genkernel-x86_64-2.6.25-gentoo-r6 real_root=/dev/md5 root=/dev/ram0 vga=0x317 dolvm init=/linuxrc console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8

initrd /initramfs-genkernel-x86_64-2.6.25-gentoo-r6

```

/etc/inittab:

```

# TERMINALS

c1:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty1 linux

c2:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty2 linux

c3:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty3 linux

c4:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty4 linux

c5:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty5 linux

c6:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty 38400 tty6 linux

# SERIAL CONSOLES

s0:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -L 115200 ttyS0 vt102

```

When booting with a monitor attached, the grub menu and the kernel hardware initialization are displayed on screen. However, as soon as the init script takes over (i.e. after "

Freeing unused kernel memory:") the output is redirected to the serial console only. When finished booting, I again get the login prompt on my monitor.

This of course is annoying since I can't see whether all services have been started successfully. Is it possible to display the init script output on both the monitor and serial console?

(While currently I have a monitor/keyboard attached to the machine, this is not always the case and I have to use the serial console, so I'd prefer to have both working simultaneously. )

Thanks.

----------

## Gizmo4321

I have the exact same problem, and I've yet to figure out how to configure like you are describing.

Realistically, though, this is only an issue if you are doing a reboot, and there ARE a couple of ways to work around this, though it is somewhat cumbersome.

First, I've found that if you swap console=tty0 and console=ttyS0, you can control which console is treated as the 'primary' console, and thus which one gets the output during the init-script processing.  Basically, the last one listed wins.

So, here are your options:

1) Since GRUB always comes up on both the serial and local consoles, you can elect to manually edit the boot line and swap the console commands.  The unfortunate side effect of this is that if you mistype the command, you can lose console access altogether.

2) Put a second configuration line in your grub.conf file that swaps the consoles e.g.:

```

title=Gentoo Linux (2.6.25-gentoo-r6) Serial Console

root (hd0,0)

kernel /kernel-genkernel-x86_64-2.6.25-gentoo-r6 real_root=/dev/md5 root=/dev/ram0 vga=0x317 dolvm init=/linuxrc console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8

initrd /initramfs-genkernel-x86_64-2.6.25-gentoo-r6

title=Gentoo Linux (2.6.25-gentoo-r6) Local Console

root (hd0,0)

kernel /kernel-genkernel-x86_64-2.6.25-gentoo-r6 real_root=/dev/md5 root=/dev/ram0 vga=0x317 dolvm init=/linuxrc console=ttyS0,115200n8 console=tty0

initrd /initramfs-genkernel-x86_64-2.6.25-gentoo-r6

```

The second way has the benefit of being more of a 'fire and forget' kind of solution, but requires you to do just a hair more configuration.

HTH

Later,

Gizmo

 *aceFruchtsaft wrote:*   

> Does anyone know how to display the boot sequence on both the serial console and the monitor?
> 
> Currently I have the following setup:
> 
> grub.conf:
> ...

 

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## aceFruchtsaft

 *Gizmo4321 wrote:*   

> 
> 
> 2) Put a second configuration line in your grub.conf file that swaps the consoles e.g.:
> 
> 

 

Actually that's an excellent workaround. Thanks!

----------

