[Beowulf] KVM to a compute node - ssh

[Robert G. Brown]

On Thu, 3 Jun 2004, Michael Will wrote:

> On Thursday 03 June 2004 09:19 am, Robert G. Brown wrote:
> > On Thu, 3 Jun 2004, Guy Coates wrote:
> > > > PCs, even "server class" motherboard PCs, alas, have never been
> > > > designed to have a "real" serial console as video cards are viewed to
> > > > be essential, not optional.
> > > >
> > > > image.  This is a BETTER solution than a serial interface for this
> > > > purpose, as serial interfaces to my experience have a real problem
> > > > interpreting e.g. three finger salutes in all possible runtime states
> > >
> > > Ok, I admit plain serial does have its limitations on PC hardware.
> >
> > Ya, and WOL isn't perfect or even all that great for this as well -- it
> > isn't really designed to overcome post boot state from what I can tell
> > from the original AMD white paper, and so while it can power a system on
> > from off, it isn't clear that it can reboot a hung system. 
> 
> We solved it by putting a small serial remote control card into the boxes that 
> simulates pressing the power and reset buttons. It sits between the serial 
> port and the mainboard and sniffes for break+command on the serial port 
> without affecting its normal use. We use cyclades terminal servers to be able 
> to connect to each node so we can adjust bioses without having to go to the 
> KVM, and with help of the remote control card also are able to power it up 
> and down as we like, even if it is completely stuck.

Is this a product or did you hack it together?  Do you have a web
reference?

  rgb

-- 
Robert G. Brown	                       http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/
Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305
Durham, N.C. 27708-0305
Phone: 1-919-660-2567  Fax: 919-660-2525     email:rgb at phy.duke.edu