Re: [RFC PATCH] x86/boot: make ELF kernel multiboot-able

[Chao Peng]

> > Just something to consider, provided the issues with multiboot get
> > resolved:
> > 
> > If you want to boot Xen you actually use the multiboot protocol, the
> > last PVH
> > boot patches had borrowed ideas from Multiboot to add an entry to
> > Linux, only
> > it was Xen'ified. What would be Multiboot 2 seemed flexible enough to
> > allow all
> > sorts of custom semantics and information stacked into a boot image.
> > The last
> > thought I had over this topic (before giving up)ÂÂwas-- if we're going
> > to add
> > yet-another-entry (TM) why not add extend Mulitiboot 2 protocol with
> > the
> > semantics we need to boot any virtual environment and then add
> > Multiboot 2
> > support entry on Linux? We could redirect any custom boot mechanism
> > then to
> > just use that given its flexibility.
> > 
> > ÂLuis
> 
> Multiboot has a fundamentally broken assumption, which is to do certain work for the kernel in the
> bootloader.ÂÂThis is fundamentally a bad idea, because you always want to do things in the latest
> step possible during the boot process, being the most upgradeable, and have the interface as
> narrow as possible.
> 
> Therefore, using Multiboot is actively a negative step.ÂÂIt is declared an "Open Standard" but
> anything can be such declared; it really is a claim that "everything should work like Grub."

Thanks Peter and Luis for comments.

Chao