Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 00:23:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Julian Elischer <julian@elischer.org> To: Peter Wemm <peter@wemm.org> Cc: cvs-committers@FreeBSD.org, cvs-all@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: cvs commit: src/sys/boot/i386/loader Makefile Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0108220014360.45760-100000@InterJet.elischer.org> In-Reply-To: <20010822065555.9C46138FD@overcee.netplex.com.au>
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Whistle's oldest custommers have machines which were originally installed with 2.2.5 The bootblocks are threfore 2.2.5 bootblocks from /sys/i386/boot with the NEXTBOOT option (as that is critical to how the machines operate) they cannot upgrade to /sys/boot/i386 bootblocks because equivalent functionality to NEXTBOOT is not present. At present they load a kernel called kernel.elf and have the boot loader called 'kernel' so that the oldest machines can be upgraded. On upgrade, the systems replace the entire root partition (they have 2 root partitions and they newfs and then rewrite the one that is not in use). However they do not replace the bootblocks from the upgrade. It is possible that they can draw a line in the sand and say that they will never upgrade past 4.x. So the point is moot, however. (It is also possible that if they ever do a 5.x release it would only be reachable from a specific "other" release which could replace the bootblocks. They would have to add the Nextboot support themselves, or get elf loading working in the old bootblocks. Having said all that I doubt a 5.x release will ever happen at whistle. On Tue, 21 Aug 2001, Peter Wemm wrote: > Julian Elischer wrote: > > I think whistle just lost their upgrade path.. > > they were loading the loader with the old a.out bootblocks > > (4.x based) > > assuming nothing changed between then and now it should have worked for > > them.. > > Which bootblocks? sys/i386/boot/biosboot? Or sys/boot/i386/boot2? > > sys/i386/boot/biosboot is not even in -current. > > sys/boot/i386/boot2 does both a.out and elf. > > IMHO, if Whistle are going to go out on a limb with a 5.x release with old > bootblocks that are no longer in the tree, I'm sure they can figure out how > to change "btxld -f elf" back to "btxld -f aout". > > I tried this about two weeks ago, on old bootblocks (pre-4.x) and at the > boot prompt, "wd(0,a)/boot/loader" was rewarded with "Invalid kernel". > Installing /boot/boot2 solved it. I dont know which 2.x bootblocks they > were, but they were *not* happy. > > 3.x and beyond shipped with a.out+elf aware bootblocks. > > > On Tue, 21 Aug 2001, Peter Wemm wrote: > > > > > peter 2001/08/21 22:29:25 PDT > > > > > > Modified files: > > > sys/boot/i386/loader Makefile > > > Log: > > > Generate an ELF /boot/loader instead of fake a.out. The fake a.out wrapp > er > > > did not work with old a.out-only bootblocks anyway. :-( > > Cheers, > -Peter > -- > Peter Wemm - peter@FreeBSD.org; peter@yahoo-inc.com; peter@netplex.com.au > "All of this is for nothing if we don't go to the stars" - JMS/B5 > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe cvs-all" in the body of the message
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