From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from smtp.corp.redhat.com (int-mx02.intmail.prod.int.phx2.redhat.com [10.5.11.12]) by lists01.pubmisc.prod.ext.phx2.redhat.com (8.13.8/8.13.8) with ESMTP id wB62HOK6024921 for ; Wed, 5 Dec 2018 21:17:24 -0500 Received: by smtp.corp.redhat.com (Postfix) id C7A2D16916; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 02:17:24 +0000 (UTC) Received: from mx1.redhat.com (ext-mx02.extmail.prod.ext.phx2.redhat.com [10.5.110.26]) by smtp.corp.redhat.com (Postfix) with ESMTPS id BF5A66109E for ; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 02:17:22 +0000 (UTC) Received: from filtteri.svk.fi (79-134-96-138.cust.suomicom.net [79.134.96.138]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mx1.redhat.com (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 8C0E489AC8 for ; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 02:17:17 +0000 (UTC) Received: from localhost (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by filtteri.svk.fi (Postfix) with ESMTP id 439K4C607jz1yF4 for ; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 04:17:15 +0200 (EET) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=ijn2.net; h= message-id:from:from:subject:subject:content-transfer-encoding :content-type:content-type:mime-version:references:in-reply-to :date:date:received:received; s=dkim; t=1544062615; x= 1545877016; bh=hZkuVUXfZCk1NQ8sXRKSzxZ9rRvr3DRy0SvtamTY4Mw=; b=K fqPoiivQ4sGt+3PemTfZyvVKkEPQkMvbV7AI8zMttGT5a5NuTztOOn1D7Kf+yx27 H0ZcJm2Cfeh48RSdB9AbcdTe+ZSzQQ7Gsfirt8F4Ou98fc+VXb+Eq5K9HwKl0TLE F60gU8K/vwgI3YB1PvwrrWum/tHzyDR9n9q0QiNLStiAYSk9Uqo875SxfbdlItHV ILQeItmAZSbz8TkHeKuwpheYEkU0mw5ooIxxQjAmLYRN/9pjuoc/BSwN5HrgxQld jIIB0Q16QSTeyPgYX889uTBSCRiClX0mzUSqKys9ZrgOZrXCxNl2+uOViUQo08s/ KHAqKPMqOaUIAhgmBbaTw== X-Amavis-Modified: Mail body modified (using disclaimer) - filtteri.svk.fi X-Virus-Scanned: Scrollout F1 at svk.fi Received: from filtteri.svk.fi ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (filtteri.svk.fi [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with LMTP id DUyQ8CxgFHS6 for ; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 04:16:55 +0200 (EET) Received: from joosua.svk.fi (unknown [192.168.10.6]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by filtteri.svk.fi (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 439K3p71x9z1xQJ for ; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 04:16:54 +0200 (EET) Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2018 02:16:48 +0000 In-Reply-To: <20181206.002711.603.4@[192.168.1.146]> References: <20181205.212122.046.2@[192.168.1.146]> <10dcfffb1c7ce34509792847ceb7226d@ijn2.net> <20181205.223718.433.3@[192.168.1.146]> <49cb37b3528c353c6c8fafea7d6c459c@ijn2.net> <20181206.002711.603.4@[192.168.1.146]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Subject: Re: Booting Linux with No Video card To: blinux-list@redhat.com Message-ID: X-Greylist: Sender passed SPF test, ACL 238 matched, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.5.16 (mx1.redhat.com [10.5.110.26]); Thu, 06 Dec 2018 02:17:20 +0000 (UTC) X-Greylist: inspected by milter-greylist-4.5.16 (mx1.redhat.com [10.5.110.26]); Thu, 06 Dec 2018 02:17:20 +0000 (UTC) for IP:'79.134.96.138' DOMAIN:'79-134-96-138.cust.suomicom.net' HELO:'filtteri.svk.fi' FROM:'immo.niemela@svk.fi' RCPT:'' X-RedHat-Spam-Score: 0.563 (DKIM_INVALID, DKIM_SIGNED, HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, RDNS_DYNAMIC, SPF_PASS) 79.134.96.138 79-134-96-138.cust.suomicom.net 79.134.96.138 79-134-96-138.cust.suomicom.net X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.78 on 10.5.110.26 X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.79 on 10.5.11.12 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by lists01.pubmisc.prod.ext.phx2.redhat.com id wB62HOK6024921 X-loop: blinux-list@redhat.com From: Linux for blind general discussion X-BeenThere: blinux-list@redhat.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.12 Precedence: junk Reply-To: blinux-list@redhat.com List-Id: Linux for blind general discussion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2018 02:17:25 -0000 Ok, generic answer: 1) Linux is able to boot without video hardware. Many WiFi base stations run Linux. They have no video hardware at all. Server systems might not have video hardware which could be connected to a monitor. It could be they have no video hardware. 2) You do not fool Linux into thinking there is video hardware. 3) You need to tell where your console is connected and which parameters it uses (speed, parity, stop). 4) Boot prompt is not necessarily Linux, usually it is your boot loader which quite often is called grub (on PCs). 5) I am not aware whether grub connects to serial ports. 6) It might be your motherboard requires VGA or whatever video card and conventional keyboard in order to set up the firmware so that it is able to boot without that hardware. It might be the firmware plain refuses to boot your system without video card and/or keyboard. This is not Linux specific. It is dependent on motherboard firmware (BIOS, UEFI, whatever). Usually only PC server systems boot without video cards. Even then they have console which could be connected over serial line. You can then configure that server firmware using your text console. Honestly, I have a feeling you are trying to accomplish something that your hardware might not be able to do out of the box. These days computers are so cheap that personally I wouldn't start experimenting with unknown brand motherboards at all. The last system I built was an Intel NUC which is known to work well with Linux. You, your partner, friend or shop assistant adds RAM and SSD. Then you boot the system. It just works and costs you a few hundred. I know tinkering with computers is fun. I have tinkered with different computer and processor architectures in the past. I have built systems from scratch but I don't do it any more. I feel it just isn't worth the hassle. That's my personal view. Yours might be different and I'm fine with that. I like the machines when they just work and are supported for years (software close to ten years). I don't want to reinstall or reconfigure my daily rigs at home all the time. I purchase them with as long on-site warranty as possible. Minimum three years. If they break service personnel comes fixing them on my kitchen table. I have certain older computers which are ten or more years old. No warranty on those any more. But that's me and my choice on the computers I own and support at home. On December 6, 2018 12:27:11 AM UTC, Linux for blind general discussion wrote: >Linux for blind general discussion wrote: >> I have a feeling you haven't provided enough information for anyone >to >> help. Unfortunately it is quite normal on this list. >> >> Please try to tell exactly what you are trying to accomplish with >what >> exact hardware setup and scenario. > > >Trying to install Debian on a new system. When I said, debian prompt, I >was referring to the boot prompt observed when booting a USB stick or >cd. This usually consists of the distribution name and optionally a >prompt to type commands. >The board does not have integrated video, at all. When the USB stick is >plugged in (or boot cd inserted), the computer just sits there, doing >nothing. >Having observed similar behavior from another system, it was clear that >video hardware is required. Immediately upon inserting a video card >into the previous system, everything worked as normal. >The reason I wrote was because subsequent to my previous experience, I >found out that Linux could be fooled into thinking there was video >hardware present when, in fact, there isn't. I knew it could be fooled >into thinking there was a monitor present, but someone informed me that >linux also did not necessarily need video hardware either. >Unfortunately, the evidence he gave confirmed my own information; that >is, editing xorg.conf to use xorg-video-dummy-x86 or similar. This is >way ahead of where I am, as there is no xorg yet and we are still at >trying to boot a linux USB stick or cd. >I am using a braille display and, as previously stated, I saw no >indication that the stick (or cd) had booted appear on the display. The >computer just sat, humming to itself. >I went ahead and ordered a cheap video PCI card, but I was curious to >know if Linux could be fooled into running without it. It appears, >however, that it can't. At least, not here. It was a generic question >(can linux do this?) and not necessarily hardware specific. > >_______________________________________________ >Blinux-list mailing list >Blinux-list@redhat.com >https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list