> More and more computers do not include serial port anymore. This is > the > case of my laptop. Yes... was the same here when I got that laptop that wouldn't boot from yellowTAB (because of a bug in the ATI IXP chipset) :) > As far as i know, infra-red ports could act as a serial device in > Serial > IR mode (compatibility mode) without requiring an IRDA stack. But, it > seems it does not work "out of the box" : nothing is send through the > port (checked with a webcam !). Maybe my configuration is wrong. > Maybe > this mode need more initialization. > > Is there other solutions to get debug output during boot like > parallel > or infra-red ports ? For IR ports... IrDA is a full protocol stack (the network socket way), so it's a no go, but maybe there is a simpler protocol you can use on top of it, dunno... As for parallel port, I wrote a parallel debug output for Zeta that made use of a laplink cable, and a minimal tty driver for the other end running on BeOS. (no, it wasn't asked for by yT if anyone of you care, so I own it. Actually my contract had enough provision so I own back all I wrote now. Besides ... oh well I know you wouldn't believe me anyway). Like this one: http://www.hardwarebook.info/LapLink/InterLink_Parallel I was meaning to contribute it anyway. (btw Axel: maybe it's time to modularize those or at least provide a framework for debug outputs, to stuff bochs hacks and others... oh, there is also the USB kernel debugging extention someone has to write (stupid USB people (M$) thought it was so great they forced manufacturers to abandon serial ports... then later found they couldn't debug WinNT anymore... so they came up with a standard for USB 2.0 controllers that makes it mandatory to have a kernel debugging mode accessible, but with expensive on-purpose cables)). François.