About Setting Up a Console

To install your server or to diagnose problems, you need some way to enter system commands and view system output. There are four ways to do this.

1. Attach an ACSII character terminal to serial port A.

   You can attach a simple terminal to serial port A. The terminal can be capable of displaying and entering alphanumeric but not graphical data. For instructions, see "How to Attach an Alphanumeric Terminal".

2. Establish a tip connection from another Sun system.

   For information about establishing a tip connection, see the OpenBoot 3.x Command Reference Manual, an online version of which is included with the Solaris System Administrator AnswerBook that ships with Solaris software.

3. Install a local graphics console on your server.

   The server is often shipped without a mouse, keyboard, monitor, or frame buffer for the display of graphics. To install a local graphics console on a server, you must install a graphics frame buffer card in a PCI slot, and attach a monitor, mouse, and keyboard to the appropriate back panel ports. For detailed instructions, see "How to Configure a Local Graphics Console".

4. Set up a Remote System Control (RSC) console.

   Remote System Control (RSC) is a secure server management tool that lets you monitor and control your server over modem lines or over a network. RSC provides remote system administration for geographically distributed or physically inaccessible systems. For additional details, see "Remote System Control (RSC)".