If the system you are using does not have a keyboard, video card, or monitor (i.e. typically this is found with server systems and is referred to as a "headless configuration"), its still possible to adjust the Kernel and NST boot options. To do this, you will need to connect a null modem cable from the first serial port (COM1 or ttyS0) on the NST to a dumb terminal or second computer.
You will need to use the following serial settings:
Table 4.1. Serial Port Settings
| Baud | 19200 |
| Stop Bits | None |
| Data Bits | 8 |
| Stop Bits | 1 |
| Flow Control | None (minicom enables flow control by default - you need to edit the configuration to disable). |
| Emulation | ANSI (at least for minicom) or VT220 . |
For example, I use the
minicom program for serial
communications on my Linux box. I've set up a
minicom configuration named
server that I use when I want to
adjust the Network Security Toolkit boot process for a headless or dual
monitor (i.e. both serial and console) NST system. After
connecting a null modem cable between the two computers, I
started up minicom on my laptop and
then powered up a headless NST server with the
CDROM loaded. The following captions depict
the NST serial boot, configuration, option, help,
and specification screens (note: these screens have
been captured using development versions of the Network Security Toolkit - your
screens may be slightly different):
Figure 4.1. NST Serial Boot Screen <^F-1>
[pkb@salsa html]$minicom serverWelcome to minicom 2.00.0 OPTIONS: History Buffer, F-key Macros, Search History Buffer, I18n Compiled on Jan 25 2003, 00:15:18. Press CTRL-A Z for help on special keys Linux Network Security Toolkit (NST) http://www.networksecuritytoolkit.org/ ========================(Linux Kernel: 2.6.8-1.521smp)========================= Welcome to the Linux Network Security Toolkit (NST). This bootable ISO CD is based on Fedora Core 2 Linux. The toolkit is designed to provide easy access to best-of-breed Open Source Network Security Applications and should run on most x86 platforms. Default NST boot 5.0s: desktop (USB + DHCP-Client + SSHD + HTTPD) =============================================================================== [<^F-1> Main] [<^F-2> Configs] [<^F-3> Options] [<^F-4> Help] [<^F-5> Specs] HIT SPACE BAR TO DISABLE AUTO-BOOT! NST(v1.2.0): Wed Nov 03 03:22:27 UTC 2004 boot:
You still need to press the SPACE BAR to disable the auto boot (if you want to customize your boot options). Also, you'll need to use Control-F-1, Control-F-2, etc instead of the function keys to toggle between the help screens.
The following captions show the available NST serial boot screens:
Figure 4.2. NST Kernel Boot Configurations <^F-2>
NST Kernel Boot Configurations
===============================================================================
The following NST boot configurations are provided for your convenience
when booting an NST session:
Example to boot NST with: (USB Support + PCMCIA + DHCP-Client + SSHD + HTTPD):
Type: laptop <Enter>
===============================================================================
[ base] - Base NST: (User input required: ramdisk_size=65536 or greater)
[ mbase] - base + ramdisk_size=2097152
[ serial] - mbase + Serial Console + NST_SERIAL
[ desktop] - Default: mbase + NST_UTILS + NST_USB + NST_DHCP_SSHD + NST_HTTPD
[ laptop] - desktop + NST_PCMCIA
[ server] - desktop + Serial Console + NST_SERIAL
[ utils] - mbase + NST_UTILS
[ pcmcia] - utils + NST_PCMCIA
[ usb] - utils + NST_USB
[memstick] - usb + NST_CUSTOM=nstboot,sda1,auto
[ mserial] - memstick + Serial Console + NST_SERIAL
===============================================================================
[<^F-1> Main] [<^F-2> Configs] [<^F-3> Options] [<^F-4> Help] [<^F-5> Specs]
boot:
Figure 4.3. NST Kernel Boot Options <^F-3>
NST Kernel Boot Options
===============================================================================
The following NST boot configurations options are supported for automatic
startup post Kernel boot:
[ NST_USB] - Add support for USB devices
[ NST_UTILS] - Load full NST utility programs
[NST_DHCP_SSHD] - NST_UTILS + syslogd/klogd + dhclient eth0 + sshd
[ NST_PCMCIA] - NST_UTILS + syslogd/klogd + PCMCIA support
[ NST_SERIAL] - Enable a login session on: /dev/ttyS0 (COM1:)
[ NST_HTTPD] - Start Apache Web services: httpd
[ NST_SCSI=MOD] - Install SCSI module MOD[,MOD1...]
[ NST_CUSTOM] - Custom boot NST_CUSTOM=NAME[,DEV[,TYPE]|URL]
===============================================================================
[<^F-1> Main] [<^F-2> Configs] [<^F-3> Options] [<^F-4> Help] [<^F-5> Specs]
boot:
Figure 4.4. NST Kernel Boot Help <^F-4>
NST Kernel Boot Help
===============================================================================
- To disable the automatic boot of the NST Linux Kernel type any key within
5 seconds (Ex: hit the space bar) after the initial splash screen appears.
- To initiate a NST boot session with a preconfigured NST boot just type
the NST configuration label and hit the <Enter> key. See [<^F-2> Configs].
Example: laptop <Enter>
- To initiate a NST boot session with a preconfigured NST boot and specific
NST options just type the NST configuration label followed by any options and
then hit the <Enter> key. See the [<^F-3> Options] screen for further details.
Example: mbase NST_PCMCIA NST_USB <Enter>
- To enable the Kernel Serial Console append the following Kernel options:
Example: laptop console=tty0 console=ttyS0,19200n8 <Enter>
- To boot NST in single user mode - use Kernel parameter: "single"
Example: mbase single <Enter>
===============================================================================
[<^F-1> Main] [<^F-2> Configs] [<^F-3> Options] [<^F-4> Help] [<^F-5> Specs]
boot:
Figure 4.5. NST Kernel Boot Specifications <^F-5>
NST Kernel Boot Specifications
===============================================================================
- At least 128 MBytes of RAM is a minimum requirement to run NST.
- NST kernel and initial RAM disk (initrd) boot command line parameters:
vmlnznst initrd=nstrd.gz root=/dev/ram0 ramdisk_size=2097152
- For a server boot, both Isolinux serial and a login session on device:
/dev/ttyS0 (COM1:) are enabled. Use vt220 terminal emulation with the
following serial parameters: 19200 baud, no parity and 8 data bits.
- For a SCSI CDROM server boot with a system that has a Symbios Logic SCSI
storage controller use: server NST_SCSI=sym53c8xx.
- For a fully customized boot using a USB memory stick (/dev/sda1) and the
/nstboot/setup.sh script on the memory stick use: memstick.
- For a customized boot using a tar.gz file at http://192.168.9.1/nb.tgz
containing nb/setup.sh use: desktop NST_CUSTOM=nb,http://192.168.9.1/nb.tgz.
===============================================================================
[<^F-1> Main] [<^F-2> Configs] [<^F-3> Options] [<^F-4> Help] [<^F-5> Specs]
boot:
As a side note, booting via a serial console is an excellent way to capture error messages if you have a system that has trouble booting from the Network Security Toolkit CDROM (especially if you have a kernel panic situation).