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Why can't you attach a serial console? This will help with any problems that still let you get to grub (BIOS Setup likely doesn't support UI over serial, unless
by robryk 10y ago
Why can't you attach a serial console? This will help with any problems that still let you get to grub (BIOS Setup likely doesn't support UI over serial, unless it's a server-like machine).
Once you have a serial console, you can either just plug the cable into your laptop (likely through USB-attached serial port) or set up a small second box (that just runs an ssh daemon and has something like picocom installed) and connect it to that. Then you'll have access over the network.
- jcrawfordor 10y agoThe capabilities of an out-of-band management system are much, much greater than the serial console offers. BIOS and UEFI configuration are an obvious case, but you also use out-of-band management to bail yourself out of situations where the OS is unresponsive or unbootable, and to take many other management actions that would normally require physical access.
- Sanddancer 10y agoSerial consoles don't help if the box is properly wedged, or has eaten its own bootloader. With a good out of band management system, you can install an OS remotely, with disks on the session driving it appearing as local disks to the machine. Or, you can power off a box as needed, power it on, reconfigure raid cards, etc. A remote serial console is very limited in comparison.