retrieve linux kernel messages?
 

Can you retrieve the messages that fly by on bootup?

If there isn't anything spamming your logs try dmesg.

Regards,

Alunduil

Not sure if that is "all" of them.

True, there are a few messages that are too early in the boot process to capture in any normal way, and I don't remember how to capture those messages. Somewhere in the kernel it mentions this.

Regards,

Alunduil

If there is something happening in bootup that you absolutely must see, and if it isn't going to dmesg, you'll have to resort to setting up a "serial console" (google is your friend) and capture the boot sequence on whatever machine you use for a console. I have to refer you to google (or search here at LQ) because I've never actually done it, though I know it's the standard answer to this question.

Since i dont have a null modem cable, i will have to think this over.

If it's critical to you, you can cut a serial cable in half and strip and twist all the same-colored wires back together except swap the TXD and RXD wires.

I have nothing with a serial end on it.

You can also do this by firewire, or using a USB-Debug device. Both methods require a second PC though, as well as the software that listens on the other end (on the other PC). The firewire method of course assumes you *have* a firewire port on both machines, and the USB method requires a USB Host Controller with "Debug port" functionality. Plus, the USB debug cable is about $80.00

Barring all this, you're pretty much limited to /var/log/dmesg and /var/log/messages for the most complete report.

Sasha

You could try this, serial consoles are nice. We use serial in the embedded linux world to debrick devices often, give it a try.