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Date:      Thu, 19 Nov 1998 11:47:24 -0500 (EST)
From:      Andrew Gallatin <gallatin@cs.duke.edu>
To:        Robert Nordier <rnordier@nordier.com>
Cc:        freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG, adrian@ubergeeks.com
Subject:   Re: /boot/loader & comconsole
Message-ID:  <13908.18678.322099.46359@grasshopper.cs.duke.edu>
In-Reply-To: <199811190902.LAA03790@ceia.nordier.com>
References:  <13907.20799.296610.678439@grasshopper.cs.duke.edu> <199811190902.LAA03790@ceia.nordier.com>

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Robert Nordier writes:
 > [I see Adrian has already responded to this, so I've added him to the
 > cc list.]
 > 
 > Andrew Gallatin wrote:

 > There seem to be two separate, and possibly unrelated issues, here.
 > 
 > The first is that the *old* boot blocks are still being used, as shown
 > by the actual messages displayed:
 >  
 > > I see the following on console before it hangs:
 > > 
 > > >> FreeBSD BOOT @ 0x10000: 638/65532 k of memory, serial console
 > [ ... ]
 > 
 > The corresponding line, for the new boot blocks, is simply
 > 
 >     >> FreeBSD/i386 BOOT
 > 
 > Installing the new boot blocks at this stage is probably a good idea
 > (and I think this was your intention), so you'll need to do a
 > 
 >     disklabel -B -b /boot/boot1 -s /boot/boot2 <slice>
 > 
 > (as disklabel still installs from /usr/mdec rather than /boot by
 > default).

Thanks for reminding me.  My install script read 'disklabel -B $slice' 
I've just fixed it to install the real new bootbocks from /boot.

<...>

 > One difference between boot loader and the old/new boot blocks, is
 > that boot loader uses PC BIOS services (int 0x14) for comms; both
 > lots of boot blocks do direct port I/O, instead.
 > 
 > The trouble with using the BIOS is that the int 0x14 services (which
 > tend to be used only to talk to serial printers under DOS) expect to
 > do hardware handshaking.
 > 
 > They therefore impose fussier cabling requirements than the boot
 > blocks or the kernel have.  (They don't work with the sloppy 2-wire,
 > 9-pin null modem cables I have here, for instance.)

That was it!  Well, sort of.  The cabling was OK, but the terminal
server (AlphaServer w/a Digiboard) was slightly misconfigured on the
port that failed. Everything's working great now!

Thanks!

Drew

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Gallatin, Sr Systems Programmer	http://www.cs.duke.edu/~gallatin
Duke University				Email: gallatin@cs.duke.edu
Department of Computer Science		Phone: (919) 660-6590

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