From owner-freebsd-alpha Thu Dec 7 23:22: 1 2000 From owner-freebsd-alpha@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Dec 7 23:21:56 2000 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-alpha@freebsd.org Received: from post.mail.nl.demon.net (post-11.mail.nl.demon.net [194.159.73.21]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B2C9637B401; Thu, 7 Dec 2000 23:21:55 -0800 (PST) Received: from [212.238.54.101] (helo=freebie.demon.nl) by post.mail.nl.demon.net with smtp (Exim 3.14 #4) id 144Hqr-000B77-00; Fri, 08 Dec 2000 07:21:53 +0000 Received: (from wkb@localhost) by freebie.demon.nl (8.11.1/8.11.0) id eB87LVb05160; Fri, 8 Dec 2000 08:21:31 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from wkb) Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 08:21:31 +0100 From: Wilko Bulte To: Terry Lambert Cc: Andrew Gallatin , Mike Smith , freebsd-alpha@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Lynx test / 2nd attempt Message-ID: <20001208082131.C4410@freebie.demon.nl> References: <14894.58877.158848.243199@grasshopper.cs.duke.edu> <200012080253.TAA01946@usr08.primenet.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.2i In-Reply-To: <200012080253.TAA01946@usr08.primenet.com>; from tlambert@primenet.com on Fri, Dec 08, 2000 at 02:53:08AM +0000 X-OS: FreeBSD 4.2-STABLE X-PGP: finger wilko@freebsd.org Sender: owner-freebsd-alpha@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org On Fri, Dec 08, 2000 at 02:53:08AM +0000, Terry Lambert wrote: > > > I *think* SRM zeros the RAM for you. And in most cases you have to > > > > The SRM does not zero memory across warm reboots, at least. > > > > This gives us opportunities to screw things up royally, like the > > problem that jb was seeing with newly installed bootblocks working > > until a cold boot. > > > > Not zeroing also allows all sorts of opportunities for cool hacks. > > Like leaving the buffer cache warm in ram, rebooting a box, and not > > needing to read the data from back from disk. Have a look at > > http://www.eecs.umich.edu/Rio/papers/rioFileCacheTech.ps > > Well, since MILO is capable of replacing the firmware after it > has been loaded by whatever loader... > > I guess the question is whether or not the SRM firmware can be > loaded and replace the AlphaBIOS or ARC firmware, assuming that > it's loaded onto the machine, but inactive. SRM is machine model dependent. For some machines SRM simply does not exist (like the XL and XLT alphas). So you are stuck there anyway. > given that the controller is known to FreeBSD, work as we > would expect it to work. > > Not as cool as booting an entirely non-SRM system, but certainly > a step forward... > > Who has an Alpha that can recognize their controller in AlphaBIOS > or ARC, but not in SRM? Next to everybody: Adaptec 29xx come to mind. -- Wilko Bulte Arnhem, the Netherlands wilko@freebsd.org http://www.freebsd.org http://www.nlfug.nl To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-alpha" in the body of the message