Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 07:06:36 +0900 From: "Daniel C. Sobral" <dcs@newsguy.com> To: Parag Patel <parag@cgt.com> Cc: Ronald G Minnich <rminnich@lanl.gov>, hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: freebsd bios. Message-ID: <394E996C.EF72B68F@newsguy.com> References: <45138.961391076@pinhead.parag.codegen.com>
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Parag Patel wrote:
>
> It can't, without shitloads of drivers. :)
>
> ("I asked you not to tell me that, Ninety-Nine!")
>
> A new loader would need to be written that would have a way to talk to
> whatever firmware is in the box, Open Firmware, LinuxBIOS, etc.
> (Assuming that the firmware has a proper call-back API, like IEEE-1275.)
>
> Otherwise the loader will be about as complicated as the kernel itself.
> So it may as well *be* the kernel and use the same drivers. But then it
> stills needs a way to bootstrap it from ROM.
>
> Which is why the LinuxBIOS folks are trying to use Linux as the BIOS. :)
And, in the process, they are teaching the firmware about Ext2FS,
Ext3FS, RheiserFS, (in our case) ffs, vinum, etc, so it can find the
kernel in whatever place it is, or resorting to some sort of bootfs
(though any software RAID would still have to be taught), with it's
inherent disadvantages?
If what you describe is accurate... imho, that's the diametrical
oppositve of the right way.
--
Daniel C. Sobral (8-DCS)
dcs@newsguy.com
dcs@freebsd.org
capo@the.great.underground.bsdconpiracy.org
"He is my minion, so he doesn't need a name."
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