View and manage the system while the loader and kernel initialize

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To view and manage the system while the loader and kernel initialize

  • Ensure that Emergency Management Services is enabled on the remote computer.

  • If the remote computer's operating system fails to initialize, note whether an error message appears. If you do not receive an error message, use the D command in either Special Administration Console (SAC) or !Special Administration Console (!SAC) to view the log.

  • Restart the remote computer using SAC or !SAC and correct the problem.

Notes

  • You can use both firmware console redirection and Emergency Management Services console redirection to monitor the remote system's startup as if you were at a local console. It is preferred that the remote computer's firmware be able to pass the configuration settings of the out-of-band port to the operating system using the Serial Port Console Redirection (SPCR) table. If your system uses Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI), Windows reads the boot settings from the SPCR table. If your system does not use EFI, Windows reads the boot settings from the boot.ini file.

  • For more information, see "Verifying that Emergency Management Services is configured" in Related Topics.

  • For more information about how to restart the remote computer, see "Startup options" in Related Topics.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

System-state diagram
Special Administration Console (SAC) and SAC commands
Emergency Management Services Resources
Startup options