Bios post null modem capture


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Thread: Bios post null modem capture

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    33

    Bios post null modem capture

    Hello everyone,

    I tried "Googling" my way around but I'm not sure I'm looking in the right place because nothing I'm doing is working.

    I have a server I'm building for cheap and I've run into what appears to be a known issue, and is quite common.

    The issue I have is that the motherboard I have doesn't support my CPU out of the box. I have the SuperMico H8DAE-2 I'm trying to use with 2 AMD Opteron 2435 "Istanbul" Hex-Core processors.

    While this motherboard is stated to support the processors I bought it for, it doesn't do so out of the box, and none of the marketing information stated this. It wasn't until I checked out BIOS updates with a system that wouldn't even POST that I found out.

    I ordered a used AMD Opteron 2210 - that will work in the board without a BIOS update - from eBay. While I wait for this I would like to advance my learning. In the manual for the motherboard I have, they list a bunch of POST checkpoints that are available to be read via IO port 0080h. From what I can tell, this is a serial port, and a common port for this type of information. What I'm looking to do is read this information.

    I tried my best to connect to the machine using a null modem cable and read the data but I'm not getting anything. I've never done this type of work and I can't really find any information as to how to actually connect to IO port 0080h.

    From what I can find on this subject, a diagnostic device - IE host system, lom card, console terminal - is connected and listens to logical port 0080h. I'm not exactly sure how to go about this. I've found some vague details regareding a USB connection but no specifics are mentioned, such as software or other methods.

    Both the host and target system have a serial port I can use and I have a null modem cable to connect the two systems. I did this once like 10 years ago using a Sun Microsystems Sparc Ultra 10, but I've forgotten how to do it.

    Can someone point me in the right direction to find the information I'm looking for?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    33
    Last edited by WrinkledCheese; 05-10-2012 at 12:23 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    1,254
    Not really promising at all..

    It isn't a serial port. The diagnostic device you are describing is probably a logic analyzer. The easiest solution would be to purchase a PCI diagnostic card. These read the code off the port and display it typically using a couple of LEDs located on the board. It has been awhile since I've played with one.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POST_card
    http://www.intel.com/support/motherb.../CS-025434.htm
    Last edited by michaelk; 05-10-2012 at 12:19 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    33
    My bad, google changed the way they do URLs. If you change the query they add a new q option to the end of the URL. I updated my post with the correct query.

    What was promising was this page which is the first hit of the Google search I meant to post.

    http://www.intel.com/support/motherb.../CS-025434.htm

    I used the PC Sentry PCI card and it just gave me error code 00, which isn't right because that means it passed the memory test and there is no memory, or CPU installed.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    1,254
    Did you see any numbers besides 00?
    Its been awhile not sure it will work without a CPU.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    33
    Nope, just 00. From what the PC Sentry PCI slot says is that this is the first code of a cold boot. I guess I need to wait for my CPU to see if it is just a BIOS issue stopping me from using my processors.

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