Re: Invalid symbol table on NetBSD boot

["Grégoire Sutre" <gregoire.sutre@labri.fr>]

Robert Millan wrote:

> I suggest you test if GRUB Legacy's Multiboot loader supports this
> properly, as the code I used derives from that.

Yes, the problem disappears with GRUB Legacy's multiboot.  Moreover, I 
noticed another issue: the command line is stripped (first word missing) 
with GRUB 2's multiboot. Here are the logs.  After setting the root 
variable appropriately, I get:

--- With GRUB Legacy ---------------------------------------------------

grub> kernel /netbsd.generic -z root=wd0a
    [Multiboot-elf, ...]
grub> boot

And everything works as expected: silent boot (-z), root device not 
asked by the kernel, /dev/ksyms working.  The kernel says (dmesg):

multiboot: Information structure flags: 0x000003e7
multiboot: Boot loader: GNU GRUB 0.97
multiboot: Command line: /netbsd.generic -z root=wd0a
multiboot: 638 KB lower memory, 1562048 KB upper memory
multiboot: Symbol table at 0xc0b980d4, length 519152 bytes
multiboot: String table at 0xc0c16cc4, length 505776 bytes

--- With GRUB 2 -------------------------------------------------------

grub> multiboot /netbsd.generic -z root=wd0a
grub> boot

And the kernel here does not boot silently, but takes into account 
`root=wd0a'.  As reported before, /dev/ksyms does not work.  The kernel 
says (dmesg):

multiboot: Information structure flags: 0x00000247
multiboot: Boot loader: GRUB 1.97
multiboot: Command line: -z root=wd0a
multiboot: 638 KB lower memory, 1562048 KB upper memory

Nothing regarding symbol or string tables.  See also how the command 
line seen by the kernel is missing `/netbsd.generic' w.r.t. GRUB Legacy. 
  If I use

grub> multiboot /netbsd.generic dummy -z root=wd0a

then the kernel boots silently (-z), and command line reported by the 
kernel is `dummy -z root=wd0a'.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


> I believe NetBSD kernel developers (that'd be jmmv) implemented Multiboot
> support in order to avoid duplication of efforts.

AFAICS, it's implemented only for i386 in NetBSD stable.

> I think it's appropiate
> to consider knetbsd loader as "legacy" and resolve this problem in our
> multiboot loader.

Ok.

Grégoire