From 74a4d8c26dd3c1e9febcb717cfd6cb6512991a7a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Charles.Forsyth" Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:39:35 +0000 Subject: 20060303 --- os/boot/README | 33 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 33 insertions(+) create mode 100644 os/boot/README (limited to 'os/boot/README') diff --git a/os/boot/README b/os/boot/README new file mode 100644 index 00000000..c208a2ee --- /dev/null +++ b/os/boot/README @@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ +Often the devices we use now come with some +form of bootstrap (often annoyingly complicated, +which gets in the way). Older boards were sometimes +bare, and we had to provide something (often annoyingly +complicated...). On the PC it's currently helpful to +have something that can boot from disc or ether; +since it's a thankless task to write such a thing, we +use Plan 9's, and thank its authors. + +The current scheme on newer devices is to have a simple +program that can put a stripped-down Inferno kernel into +flash, and use that to boot from other devices (including over the net) +as required during development. + +There are two distinct models for bootstrap in this directory. + + Model I + +Each member of the first model is represented by a self-contained directory. +They are derived from various ages of Plan 9's /sys/src/boot/pc. + +arm1110 arm a prefix to a gzip'd kernel to decompress it (runs after basic bootloader) +pc 386 pc-specific bootstrap essentially identical to current Plan 9 + and covered by the Lucent Public License; it uses +libflate - zlib-style inflate/deflate library +mpc power PowerPC bootstrap for FADS board derived from an older version + of Plan 9 but covered by our Inferno licence (because it came with Inferno) +puma arm SA110 bootstrap for Teralogics Puma, also covered by the Inferno licence + + Model II +omap purpose-built bootstrap for the OMAP processor + +Not all of these are being distributed. -- cgit v1.2.3