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I have had a hard time getting the serial console working on this server. As I was trying to figure it out, I came across a lot of posts having similar issues, but no good solution. After some trial and error, I have it finally working and would like to contribute what I learned.
The key issue, in my opinion, is that the "Windows Emergency Management Services" console redirection must be enabled. In "Legacy Console Redirection Settings", select "Always Enable" for "Redirect After Post".
Here are the BIOS Settings in Advanced->Serial Port
COM0(Pci Bus0,Dev26,Func0)
Console Redirection [Enabled]
Console Redirection Settings
Terminal Type [ANSI]
Bits per second [115200]
Data Bits [8]
Parity [None]
Stop Bits [1]
Flow Control. [None]
VT-UTF8 Combo Key [Enabled]
Recorder Mode. [Disabled]
Resolution 100x31. [Disabled]
Putty KeyPad [VT100]
Legacy Console Redirection
Legacy Console Redirection Settings
Redirection Com Port [Com0(PciBus0,Dev26,Func0])
Resolution [80x24]
Redirect After Post. [Always Enable]
Serial Port for Out-of-Managmenet/
Windows Emergency Management Services (EMS)
Console Redirection [Enabled]
Console Redirection Settings
Terminal Type [ANSI]
Bits per second [115200]
Flow Control [None]
Data Bits 8
Parity None
Stop Bits 1
To configure OPNSense, in Systems: Settings: Administration, disable "Use the virtual terminal driver (vt), select "Serial Console" as primary console, and disable USB-based serial ports.
The RJ-45 serial port is a standard "Cisco" style port, and so far, various "Cisco" RJ45->USB cables worked for me. I do use an old ACS terminal server, and a "rolled over" cable works fine with it.
Note that it can take a bit of time for the boot screen to appear, depending on the system configuration.
A couple of other issues with this system:
- One of the SFP+ cages is not usable (consistently across different devices)
- The system and/or OPNsense are picky with SFP modules. I had no issues with various SFP+ fiber modules, but copper appears to be trickier.
Also see https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=41589.0
The key issue, in my opinion, is that the "Windows Emergency Management Services" console redirection must be enabled. In "Legacy Console Redirection Settings", select "Always Enable" for "Redirect After Post".
Here are the BIOS Settings in Advanced->Serial Port
COM0(Pci Bus0,Dev26,Func0)
Console Redirection [Enabled]
Console Redirection Settings
Terminal Type [ANSI]
Bits per second [115200]
Data Bits [8]
Parity [None]
Stop Bits [1]
Flow Control. [None]
VT-UTF8 Combo Key [Enabled]
Recorder Mode. [Disabled]
Resolution 100x31. [Disabled]
Putty KeyPad [VT100]
Legacy Console Redirection
Legacy Console Redirection Settings
Redirection Com Port [Com0(PciBus0,Dev26,Func0])
Resolution [80x24]
Redirect After Post. [Always Enable]
Serial Port for Out-of-Managmenet/
Windows Emergency Management Services (EMS)
Console Redirection [Enabled]
Console Redirection Settings
Terminal Type [ANSI]
Bits per second [115200]
Flow Control [None]
Data Bits 8
Parity None
Stop Bits 1
To configure OPNSense, in Systems: Settings: Administration, disable "Use the virtual terminal driver (vt), select "Serial Console" as primary console, and disable USB-based serial ports.
The RJ-45 serial port is a standard "Cisco" style port, and so far, various "Cisco" RJ45->USB cables worked for me. I do use an old ACS terminal server, and a "rolled over" cable works fine with it.
Note that it can take a bit of time for the boot screen to appear, depending on the system configuration.
A couple of other issues with this system:
- One of the SFP+ cages is not usable (consistently across different devices)
- The system and/or OPNsense are picky with SFP modules. I had no issues with various SFP+ fiber modules, but copper appears to be trickier.
Also see https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=41589.0
