Date: Wed, 03 Jan 1996 16:12:03 +0100 From: Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@critter.tfs.com> To: "Justin T. Gibbs" <gibbs@freefall.freebsd.org> Cc: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com>, obrien@cs.ucdavis.edu (David E. O'Brien), freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org (FreeBSD Hacker's list) Subject: Re: X for install Message-ID: <1492.820681923@critter.tfs.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 03 Jan 1996 07:06:41 PST." <199601031506.HAA12239@freefall.freebsd.org>
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> >> That's how it *should* work, and as far as I can see, much of the > >> "magic" comes from a little utility named `NTDETECT' - It apparently > > > >NTDETECT runs in real mode and probes the HW. > > > >> when probed is a black art. Any black magicians out there interested > >> in starting a `FreeBSD Detect 1.0' project? :-) > > > >We should do this. > > I thought the plan was to define a consistant probe "policy" for drivers > and have a "configuration manager" load lkms one by one to determine the > presence of hardware. I don't think we need to be in real mode for the > configuration manager part although having access to int13 and int15 > via vm86 would be really nice. (int15 is for EISA info). The way NTDETECT does it is a "two way probe", NTDETECT will grep all the info it can lay hands on from the BIOS and otherwise while in real mode and stash it away, then the drivers in their probe can ask for this info and use it as hints/hard info for their further deeds. There are many things that could be done nicely if bios access were availiable. -- Poul-Henning Kamp | phk@FreeBSD.ORG FreeBSD Core-team. http://www.freebsd.org/~phk | phk@login.dknet.dk Private mailbox. whois: [PHK] | phk@ref.tfs.com TRW Financial Systems, Inc. Future will arrive by its own means, progress not so.
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