From owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Dec 2 23:23:21 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E913416A4CE for ; Thu, 2 Dec 2004 23:23:21 +0000 (GMT) Received: from smtp1.pacifier.net (smtp1.pacifier.net [64.255.237.171]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7485343D46 for ; Thu, 2 Dec 2004 23:23:21 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from rlb@subako.org) Received: from suna.subako.org (h-67-100-223-253.sttnwaho.covad.net [67.100.223.253]) by smtp1.pacifier.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id C00E170581 for ; Thu, 2 Dec 2004 15:23:13 -0800 (PST) Received: from suna.subako.org (localhost.subako.org [127.0.0.1]) by suna.subako.org (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id iB2NN5q5097053; Thu, 2 Dec 2004 15:23:05 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from beeman@suna.subako.org) Received: (from beeman@localhost) by suna.subako.org (8.13.1/8.13.1/Submit) id iB2NN4rV097050; Thu, 2 Dec 2004 15:23:04 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from beeman) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 15:23:04 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: <200412022323.iB2NN4rV097050@suna.subako.org> From: "Roger L. Beeman" To: freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.org In-reply-to: <20041128223837.H40277@carver.gumbysoft.com> (message from Doug White on Sun, 28 Nov 2004 22:40:59 -0800 (PST)) References: <200411162242.iAGMg32e014547@koishi.subako.org> <20041128223837.H40277@carver.gumbysoft.com> Subject: Re: 5.3 Loader Too Fragile X-BeenThere: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Production branch of FreeBSD source code List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 23:23:22 -0000 First, thanks for your reply. My complaint about fragility was actually directed at the Loader's inability to usefully indicate what it was unable to deal with. I realize that there is precious little code space for elaborate error messages, but it's inability to keep the console directed at the serial port, thus preventing capture of the error messages that were generated, seemed worthy of attention. > Yes, at first glance it appears your BIOS is completely braindead. Yet no so braindead that FreeBSD 4.10 fails to find it serviceable. + BIOS 509kB/130048kB available memory > Those memory numbers don't make sense. How much physical RAM is in > the system? They're exactly the same numbers reported for memory when booting FreeBSD 4.10. There is one stick of 128MB memory on the system. > Dunno. Either the BIOS in that machine is completely whacked out or > you have more serious hardware problems. Based on the age of the > machine and the fact that DEC is dead I'd probably give up on this. Pretty much any other 440LX based mother board would be around the same age. There is no indication that the 440LX chipset has been deliberately desupported. The fact that DEC was acquired, twofold, also seems irrelevant as HP has the same level of support, i.e., old BIOS files and manuals available on their web site, that can be found for 440LX based motherboards whose manufacturer has managed keep the same name. The machine is quite functional with respect to FreeBSD 4.10 and ran March 25th 5-Current fine as well. I was unfortunately over optimistic and wrote over that installation but hope to recover to that state. I guess I'll have to embark on a binary search to find what lines of code raised the BIOS requirements for FreeBSD 5. Here is the serial console capture for a FreeBSD 4.10 boot: Console: serial port BIOS drive A: is disk0 BIOS drive C: is disk1 BIOS 509kB/130048kB available memory FreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 0.8 (root@perseus.cse.buffalo.edu, Tue May 25 21:22:31 GMT 2004) Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf /kernel text=0x338df5 data=0x4b7a4+0x34a50 syms=[0x4+0x46970+0x4+0x4f611 ] Hit [Enter] to boot immediately, or any other key for command prompt. ^MBooting [kernel] in 9 seconds... ^MBooting [kernel] in 8 seconds... ^M Booting [kernel] in 7 seconds... ^MBooting [kernel] in 6 seconds... ^MBo oting [kernel] in 5 seconds... ^MBooting [kernel] in 4 seconds... ^MBoot ing [kernel] in 3 seconds... ^MBooting [kernel] in 2 seconds... ^MBootin g [kernel] in 1 second... ^MBooting [kernel]... Copyright (c) 1992-2004 The FreeBSD Project. Copyright (c) 1979, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved . FreeBSD 4.10-RELEASE #0: Tue May 25 22:47:12 GMT 2004 root@perseus.cse.buffalo.edu:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC Timecounter "i8254" frequency 1193182 Hz CPU: Pentium II/Pentium II Xeon/Celeron (333.05-MHz 686-class CPU) Origin = "GenuineIntel" Id = 0x650 Stepping = 0 Features=0x183fbff real memory = 134217728 (131072K bytes) config> di bt0 config> di aic0 config> di aha0 config> di adv0 config> q avail memory = 125054976 (122124K bytes) Preloaded elf kernel "kernel" at 0xc0551000. Preloaded userconfig_script "/boot/kernel.conf" at 0xc055109c. Pentium Pro MTRR support enabled md0: Malloc disk Using $PIR table, 13 entries at 0xc00fdef0 npx0: on motherboard npx0: INT 16 interface pcib0: on motherboard pci0: on pcib0 agp0: mem 0xf4000000-0xf7fff fff at device 0.0 on pci0 pcib1: at device 1.0 on pc i0 pci1: on pcib1 pci1: at 0.0 irq 9 isab0: at device 7.0 on pci0 isa0: on isab0 atapci0: port 0xecd0-0xecdf at device 7.1 on pci0 ata0: at 0x1f0 irq 14 on atapci0 ata1: at 0x170 irq 15 on atapci0 uhci0: port 0xece0-0xecff irq 11 at device 7.2 on pci0 usb0: on uhci0 usb0: USB revision 1.0 uhub0: Intel UHCI root hub, class 9/0, rev 1.00/1.00, addr 1 uhub0: 2 ports with 2 removable, self powered chip0: port 0x9000-0x900f at device 7.3 on pci0 ahc0: port 0xe800-0xe8ff mem 0xfedff0 00-0xfedfffff irq 9 at device 11.0 on pci0 aic7890/91: Ultra2 Wide Channel A, SCSI Id=7, 32/253 SCBs pcib2: at device 13.0 on pci0 pci2: on pcib2 dc0: port 0x7c00-0x7c7f mem 0xfbfff800-0xfbff f87f irq 10 at device 7.0 on pci2 dc0: Ethernet address: 00:00:f8:7a:6c:af miibus0: on dc0 dcphy0: on miibus0 dcphy0: 10baseT, 10baseT-FDX, auto pcib3: at device 14.0 on pci0 pci3: on pcib3 orm0: