Dave
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New Linux Alpha Miniloader Images and Code
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Well, nearly, gatekeeper.dec.com ~ftp/pub/Linux-Alpha should be updated
soon. The ./Miniloader area has been rearranged into ./images which
contain pre-built Miniloader (aka MILO) images for the AXPPCI33 (Noname),
EB66+ and AlphaPC64 systems. Now there's a ./src directory which contains
the source. I've just added miniboot-1.3.27.tar.gz and miniboot-1.3.27-diff.gz
which builds *against* the 1.3.27 release. Basically, I've followed
David Mosberger-Tang's line and removed the Miniloader from within the
kernel (it used to sit in ./arch/alpha/miniboot) and now you build it
using "make KSRC=/usr/src/blah". There are instructions and notes around
this. It should build against later baselevels until/unless some internal
data structures change. I'll track releases as and when I have time.
Meanwhile, you don't need a 1.3.x Miniloader to load a 1.3.x Linux kernel.
It does not contain David's BIOS emulation code, but it does now contain
an "ls" command (thanks to Jim Paradis). I'm working on loading via the
WNT ARC console and that will be the next big functional piece to the
Miniloader. BIOS emulation is in the pot as there's work going on within
Digital to release objects+API within freely releasable code pool. However,
David M-T's excellent work is well needed.
By the by, would anyone using the Miniloader on a platform other than Noname,
EB66+ or AlphaPC64 let me know? I'd like to keep a registry. Plus, if
anyone's thinking of porting it, again please let me know. I know that it
runs happily on clones of the above 3 boards.
Cheers Dave
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David A Rusling david.rusling@reo.mts.dec.com
Principal Engineer Digital Equipment Co. Limited
European Semiconductor P.O. BOX 121
Applications Engineering Imperial Way,
Worton Grange
Reading RG2 0TU
UK
UK-(0)1734-204380
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