[SOLVED] How to view installation logging output (switch between consoles) when installing a VM managed via VNC session

Shaggy1 · 04-14-2021, 03:16 AM

System info
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Server on which VNC is running:

Code:

CentOS Linux release 7.6.1810 (Core)

$ uname -a
Linux lb-cam-bca-12 3.10.0-1062.1.1.el7.x86_64 #1 SMP Fri Sep 13 22:55:44 UTC 2019 x86_64 GNU/Linux

ESXi version:

Code:

6.7.0 Update 2 (Build 13006603)

(Attempting to install Centos release 6.9(Final) on VM)
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Hi

I am running a VNC session on a centos 7 machine and connect to it from my windows client
From my vnc server I run firefox and connect to the ESXi web host and from there I manage the virtual machines

I currently have a problem where the kickstart install of centos 6 on my created VM (via pxe boot) is hanging - just stops at a certain point in the install.
Usually (on a bare metal install), in a situation like this I would try to get more information by looking at the console output by pressing Alt-2/3/4.

However I cannot do this using my VNC server/ESXi setup. Simply pressing Alt-2/3/4 results in the event being caught and processed (I think) by the VNC session. All I can see is a progress box with a percentage on it.
Note:
I have also tried Shift-Alt-2/3/4, but that does not seem to do anything
This same install works fine on a bare metal machine, so I need to debug this particular problem from the VM

Does anyone know how I can look at the installation logging/output when installing an OS on a VM when using ESXi web host from a vnc session ?
Possibly I can somehow configure VNC to ignore Atl-2/3/4 or forward them to the application ?
Or is there a different way to do this when using a virtual machine ?

Shaggy1 · 04-14-2021, 03:39 AM

Realised I had not included the vnc server version:

Code:

$ rpm -qf /usr/bin/vncserver
tigervnc-server-1.8.0-13.el7.x86_64

Shaggy1 · 06-08-2021, 10:29 AM

I finally managed to do this by disabling Alt-F1,F2 etc. keyboard shortcuts in Gnome:

Activities, search for "keyboard", click on "Keyboard" found by search (it is a sub-item of "Settings")

Look for Alt-Fx (in my case Alt-F4 was set to close window and the others were set to got to workspace) in the keyboard shortcut list on the right, double click, press Backspace, then 'Set' without entering any key strokes.

This stops the Alt-Fx keystrokes being captured before they reach the VM.