Bytemark Console Shell

When you rent a machine from Bytemark (dedicated or virtual), we provide a login to our Console Shell. This provides three functions that we think are essential to remotely manage a host:

• Serial console access (i.e. a backdoor route for your machine).
• Control of the power port (so you can reboot it without having to ask).
• A network boot environment (so you can examine the machine even without booting it fully).

Additionally you can use the console shell interface to set up the watchdog, and reinstall your host if you need to start from sratch.

When we deliver a host to you, we email instructions on how to connect to
the console shell for that host. You may want to follow these instructions.

Console Shell Operation

When you connect to the console shell you’ll immediately be presented with the serial console of your machine.

The serial console will allow you to login, exactly as you would when connecting remotely via the network. (This access is very useful if you’ve locked yourself out via a bad firewall rule, for example.)

A typical serial console would look something similar to this:

Using the Console Shell

If you’re not interested in interacting with your machine via the serial console you may bring up the actions menu by pressing ctrl-p ctrl+o – this will always work unless you’re in scrollback mode.

The action menu will allow you to carry out a number of common tasks:

• Change your kernel.
• Reboot your machine.
• Reinstall your machine.
• Manipulate your watchdog rules.
• Exit the actions menu.

These actions are more fully described upon the actions menu page.