From owner-freebsd-current Fri Oct 30 21:47:30 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id VAA15477 for freebsd-current-outgoing; Fri, 30 Oct 1998 21:47:30 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from spinner.netplex.com.au (spinner.netplex.com.au [202.12.86.3]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id VAA15426 for ; Fri, 30 Oct 1998 21:47:22 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from peter@netplex.com.au) Received: from spinner.netplex.com.au (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by spinner.netplex.com.au (8.9.1/8.9.1/Spinner) with ESMTP id NAA18245; Sat, 31 Oct 1998 13:46:50 +0800 (WST) (envelope-from peter@spinner.netplex.com.au) Message-Id: <199810310546.NAA18245@spinner.netplex.com.au> X-Mailer: exmh version 2.0.2 2/24/98 To: Mike Smith cc: John Polstra , current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: New boot loader and alternate kernels In-reply-to: Your message of "Fri, 30 Oct 1998 10:34:59 PST." <199810301834.KAA01153@dingo.cdrom.com> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 13:46:50 +0800 From: Peter Wemm Sender: owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG Mike Smith wrote: > > > I have a question about the new boot loader. My /boot/boot.conf > > > file looks like this: > > > > > > load /kernel > > > autoboot 10 > > > > > > Now suppose I want to boot an alternate kernel. To do that, it seems > > > I have to interrupt the autoboot sequence by pressing a key, then do > > > "unload /kernel", then do "boot /kernel.alt". Is that right? It's > > > the unload step that I'm wondering about. Can it be avoided? > > > > Unloading is an all or nothing proposition; it throws everything away > > (it doesn't take any arguments). This avoids having holes in the > > loaded region, as well as having to deal with dependancy issues. > > I also forgot to point out that in the more complex case: > > load /kernel > load /modules/foo.ko > ... > autoboot 10 > > you could just add > > unload > > to the end of the script. > > There's probably a call for a 'bootmodules' variable as well; until we > get more people using this and asking for features I'm not sure what's > worth adding and what's just fluff. > > How many people would be interested in labels and conditional branches, > for example? What I'd like is something like this: timeout 10 "Press enter to boot now, any other key to abort" load kernel load foo.ko boot Ie: have an abort-script type capability. It'd save all that loading and unloading. > -- > \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith > \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au > \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org > \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message > Cheers, -Peter -- Peter Wemm Netplex Consulting "No coffee, No workee!" :-) To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message