I have a server (i386, Slackware 9.0, 2.4.22) that will be without video out, and as such I would like to control it via a serial console if needed locally (ssh is configured, but in case of a network issue I would like to be able to access the console via a serial cable).

The problem I'm experiencing is that I can only -view- the bootup and shutdown processes through minicom on my laptop, once the system has booted I cannot log in or anything, ie keyboard input doesn't seem to be functioning.
Minicom says the connection is offline all the way, even during bootup/shutdown.
The laptop (Armada M700, Slackware 9, 2.4.22) that I'm trying to connect with does not have any problem connecting to an OpenBSD box using the same cable and port (the hardware is identical on the Slackware and OpenBSD boxes).
I tried connecting with another Armada using XP and HyperTerminal, but the same issue - bootup/shutdown, but no keyboard input response.

I've made the following configuration changes on the Slackware server when trying to get this to work:

1. 'serial = 0,9600n8' added to global section of lilo.conf
2. 'append = "console=tty console=ttyS0,9600n8"' added to image section of lilo.conf.
3. 'ttyS0' uncommented in /etc/securetty
4. 's1:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -L ttyS0 9600 vt100' uncommented in /etc/inittab

The Slackware sever can successfully communicate with the OpenBSD server through ttyS0, using the same settings that works for the laptop (i use 9600N81 all round).

Any ideas as to what could be causing this problem, and how I can fix it?