This could also be useful for having kernels with very few device
drivers compiled in. You could have some VERY rudimentary (read: ugly)
driver that talks through the PC BIOS (any bootable device has a BIOS on
the PC, don't know how Alpha, etc. work) to get the system booted and
load a module that corresponds to the "good" driver for the root device
(whether it is SCSI, IDE, whatever else). Then, this boot driver could
stick around only to be used again if there is a crash to dump. One
problem is that the kernel would have to be able to put the processor
back in real mode for the BIOS, so maybe this isn't such a good idea
after all, but this IS when the system has crashed!
-- Chris Adams - cadams@HiWAAY.net Simulations Director & Team Leader United States Space Camp/Academy - US Space & Rocket Center Abandon all hope, ye who PRESS ENTER here.