LCSR Serial Console System User Documentation
Nicholas Harknett, Developer
Tuesday 28 June 2005
Overview:
To interact with machines connected to the Console System, users should sit at the serial console. Configuration of the Console System can be done here as well, and changes will be made accordingly on the console server.
Connecting to a Machine:
Users should sit at the console server and then either use the button bar seen on the left, or the menu button at the lower-left corner of the screen. To use the button bar, first click the category of machine that you wish to connect to. This will then create another menu below it of machines that are available within that group. Simply click on the machine to connect. Similarly, using the menu, go to the group of machines you wish, then click the machine you wish to connected to. A window will be drawn, and then you will be connected to the machine. If prompted with a question, either the session has not been started yet, or someone else is connected from another console client. If it is asking you if you'd like to create the session, go ahead. If it is asking if you'd like to override another user using the session, decide appropriately. Overriding a session will not lose any data or current running programs - the entire session will be transferred to the person performing the override. If the window appears and disappears quickly, or nothing happens at all upon clicking a machine's button, check that the machine is in fact connected, and if so, try nuking the session.
Nuking a Connected Session:
Click on the menu, then click nuke session. Type the name of machine you wish to nuke. Doing so disconnects a telnet session and terminates the screen session. (The only connection that remains is between the cisco and the machine).
Viewing Logs of Console Sessions:
Click on the menu, then go to the Logs submenu. In a similar fashion as connecting to a machine, go to the group then the machine you wish, and click. The log will be opened in an instance of 'less' and should contain all of the logs for that machine as far back as are on record. To traverse the logs, use keyboard commands as you would in the less pager.
Configuring Server and Client Layout: (Menus and Buttons Configuration)
Click on the menu, and traverse to the appropriate configuration submenu and item. Once open, an emacs session will be open, and should be set to edit the appropriate file. Follow syntax in the files as dictated by the comments at the top. Upon saving, if changes are detected, the appropriate restarts will take place, so don't be surprised if you see some activity on the console client. See syntactical information at end of this document.
Resetting Console Client Appearance:
Click on the menu, then traverse to log out and choose to really log out. Then login again as user console. The session will be started with no windows open, but all the sessions will still be intact, so simply click a machine's connect button / menu item and all will be as it was. This is useful if you would like to reset the locations of the menu bars or any layout changes that may have occurred due to window movement etc.
Adding a New Console Client:
On the console server edit the file /usr/local/ConsoleServer/etc/clientlist and add the machine's host name. Add the host name and IP address to the hosts file editable from the menu on the console client. Copy /home/console to the new console client and configure the machine for hostbased authentication as per the developer documentation.
Configuration File Syntaxes:
- one machine hostname per line
- machinename,ip_or_hostname_of_cisco,port_on_cisco,machine_group
- example: remus,shrooms,2002,Undergraduate
- groupname,hexcolor
- example: Faculty,3a6599