Re: Support for serial console on legacy free machines

["Randy.Dunlap" <rddunlap@osdlab.org>]

Khalid Aziz wrote:
> 
> We are moving slightly off of my original question which still stands.
> For machines that do have serial ports but not at legacy addresses
> (COM1, COM2,....), is it acceptable to use the description of these
> ports as provided by SPCR and DBGP tables even though Microsoft claims
> copyright on these tables and retains the option to modify these tables
> at any time? Would it be preferable to use a table defined as part of a
> standard like ACPI 2.0 or DIG64 (such a table does not exist at this
> time but with enough votes for it, it may be added)?

We already use other MS-defined tables and specs, like the
$PIR interrupt routing table.

Alan implemented the Simple Boot Flag Protocol in 2.4.5(?)-ac,
which is also from www.microsoft.com.

There are other ACPI-like tables that probably need to be
used for NUMA machines that are defined/specified only at
microsoft.com.

IOW, these represent "de facto" industry specs (I hesitate
to say "standards"), so use them.

-- 
~Randy