More to the point, Red Hat has to support lots of different machines, including headless servers, so they compile just about everything imaginable into the kernel and modules package, including, of course, console redirection, and they document that in their manuals. If you look at their kernel config files, which get installed as /usr/src/linux-2.*/configs/kernel-2*86.config, you will find a line that says: CONFIG_SERIAL_CONSOLE=y Or in other words, unless you compile your own kernel, this should be a non-issue -- console redirection should always work, and new users should never have to worry about this, and should not be confused this way. Just as an interesting aside, since another thread discussed the fact that console redirection is routine for all sorts of Unixen; if you look at /usr/doc/kernel-doc-2.2.19/serial-console.txt, you will find that there are all sorts of ways to redirect your console output. You can, for instance, just pull your video card out of the machine, and it will automatically go to the first serial port; no boot line redirection is necessary in this case. There are also instructions there as to how to get lilo to work through the serial port. LCR On Mon, 15 Oct 2001, Janina Sajka wrote: > This is correct. The kernel must be compiled with support for console over > serial. > > On Mon, 15 Oct 2001 cstrobel@crosslink.net wrote: > > > As I recall, you have to have a Kernel compiled with serial console > > support enabled. -- L. C. Robinson reply to no_spam+munged_lcr@onewest.net.invalid People buy MicroShaft for compatibility, but get incompatibility and instability instead. This is award winning "innovation". Find out how MS holds your data hostage with "The *Lens*"; see "CyberSnare" at http://www.netaction.org/msoft/cybersnare.html