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Enhance the serial port docs

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Aleksandr Prokudin 2025-05-02 15:39:10 +02:00
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@ -32,17 +32,45 @@ Here are **first steps guides** for each PiKVM device:
A serial console is a convenient and fast way to connect to PiKVM when there is no network, or get boot logs and a console if something goes wrong.
1. Connect to the physical UART console:
1. Connect to the physical universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) console from your host computer:
* On PiKVM V3 or V4, you have a built-in USB-UART adapter in your device. Just disconnect the OTG cable and place the USB-C end into `IOIOI` port on V4 (or `CON` port on V3). Place the USB-A end into the port you want serial to be accessed, typically done on the host. If you have a Windows host, you may need to install this [driver](https://www.silabs.com/developers/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers), other OS's may not need one.
* On PiKVM V3 or V4, you have a built-in USB-UART adapter in your device. Just disconnect the OTG cable and place the USB-C end into `IOIOI` port on V4 (or `CON` port on V3). Place the USB-A end into the port you want serial to be accessed, typically done on the host. If you have a Windows host, you may need to install this [driver](https://www.silabs.com/developers/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers), other operating systems may not need one.
* On DIY PiKVM V1 or V2, you'll need to get the right TTY to USB cable, we recommend the [RPi Debug Probe](https://www.pishop.us/product/raspberry-pi-debug-probe/) and follow existing RPi TTY serial setups.
2. Install GNU Screen on Linux or macOS host, or [Putty](https://www.putty.org/) on Windows.
3. Select the COM port in Putty (you can verify this looking in Device Manager), then select **115200** baud, or use `screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200` for other OS's
3. Identify the port that your operating system exposes for connecting to the PiKVM.
4. You should now be able to see and interact with the Serial Port.
* Windows: look this up in the Device Manager
* Linux: open a terminal program, run `dmesg | grep tty` (this may require using `sudo`), and look for a message like this:
```
[14362.388405] usb 1-2: cp210x converter now attached to ttyUSB0
```
This means you will need to use `/dev/ttyUSB0`.
* macOS: open the terminal and list all USB serial devices with `ls /dev/cu.usbserial-*`. Look for a device that contains `cu.usbserial`, e.g. `/dev/cu.usbserial-FT0RVWSW`.
4. Connect via the serial port:
* Windows: select the COM port in Putty and use the **115200** baud rate, then connect.
* Linux/macOS: open your terminal program and run `screen $USB_SERIAL_DEVICE 115200` where `$USB_SERIAL_DEVICE` is the device you looked up, e.g. `/dev/ttyUSB0` on Linux or `/dev/cu.usbserial-FT0RVWSW` on macOS.
Note that on Linux, you may need to include your unprivileged user into the `dialout` group:
```
usermod -a -G dialout $USERNAME
```
In that case, log out and then log back in for the changes to take effect. After that, you can run `screen` without root privileges on your host computer.
5. After submitting your PiKVM credentials (`root` for username and the corresponding password), you should be able to see and interact with the serial port. All the system tools in PiKVM will be available in the terminal window.
6. `screen` has some advanced features for opening multiple windows and reattaching to existing sessions. See [this guide](https://www.gnu.org/software/screen/manual/screen.html) for more details. However, if you only need one window to troubleshoot the device or install updates, the main command you need to know is to how to close the session. Press **Ctrl+a**, release the buttons, and then immediately press **\\**. This will terminate all sessions without a prompt.
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