Again Multiboot-Standard for Linux ?

Again Multiboot-Standard for Linux ?

[Christian Koenig]

Hi,

Is anyone still working on making the Linux Kernel Multiboot compliant ?

I wan't to load my modules from grub(pxegrub) without the need to compile in 
ramdisk / initrd / romfs... (System memory is very low (4MB-6MB)).

I have found some Postings in the Mailing list archive, but they aren't quit 
clear what has happend to this idear.

Mfg. Christian König.
PS: Sorry for my poor English.

Again Multiboot-Standard for Linux ?

[Christian Koenig]

Hi,

Is anyone still working on making the Linux Kernel Multiboot compliant ?

I wan't to load my modules from grub(pxegrub) without the need to compile in 
ramdisk / initrd / romfs... (System memory is very low (4MB-6MB)).

I have found some Postings in the Mailing list archive, but they aren't quit 
clear what has happend to this idear.

Mfg. Christian König.
PS: Sorry for my poor English.

RE: Again Multiboot-Standard for Linux ?

[Grover, Andrew]

Hi,

> From: "ChristianK."@t-online.de [mailto:"ChristianK."@t-online.de]

> Is anyone still working on making the Linux Kernel Multiboot 
> compliant ?

Was someone working on this before? It didn't seem like it.

> I wan't to load my modules from grub(pxegrub) without the 
> need to compile in 
> ramdisk / initrd / romfs... (System memory is very low (4MB-6MB)).

I am tentatively looking at this, but for other reasons. IIRC the initrd's
memory is recycled later on, so I don't know if tight memory is a good
reason for pursuing this.

Regards -- Andy

Re: Again Multiboot-Standard for Linux ?

[Christian Koenig]

Hi,

> > From: "ChristianK."@t-online.de [mailto:"ChristianK."@t-online.de]
> >
> > Is anyone still working on making the Linux Kernel Multiboot
> > compliant ?
>
> Was someone working on this before? It didn't seem like it.

You can find some references in the unoffical Kernel-Mailing list Archive, 
and there was a Patch for the 1.2.x Kernel series to make it Multiboot 
compliant, but I don't know what has happend to this.

> > I wan't to load my modules from grub(pxegrub) without the
> > need to compile in
> > ramdisk / initrd / romfs... (System memory is very low (4MB-6MB)).
>
> I am tentatively looking at this, but for other reasons. IIRC the initrd's
> memory is recycled later on, so I don't know if tight memory is a good
> reason for pursuing this.

I know that the ramdisk memory is reused, but not the memory needed for the 
ramdisk , and the romfs/minix,ext2... whatever filesystem code.

Beside that, this it is a very nice feature for making an Installation Disk / 
Distributions.
AFAIK the newest RedHat distribution use grub as standard Linux Loader,
if the Linux Kernel is able to load modules before mounting root, you can 
make a Kernel without any block/bus driver compiled in.

All i want to know is if anybody is still working on this, before i start 
coding myselve (I hate doing things twice).

Mfg. Christian König.
PS: Sorry for my poor English.

Re: Again Multiboot-Standard for Linux ?

[H. Peter Anvin]

Followup to:  <166g3I-0ksq00C@fwd06.sul.t-online.com>
By author:    "ChristianK."@t-online.de (Christian Koenig)
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
> 
> Beside that, this it is a very nice feature for making an Installation Disk / 
> Distributions.
> AFAIK the newest RedHat distribution use grub as standard Linux Loader,
> if the Linux Kernel is able to load modules before mounting root, you can 
> make a Kernel without any block/bus driver compiled in.
> 

That's already what initrd does.  What would make this interesting --
and why, at least in my opinion, Multiboot is the wrong solution -- is
to make the bootloader smarter about what it loads.  If the boot
loader can *probe* for the device- and filesystem drivers it needs and
thus dynamically compose the kernel in a dynamic manner, then it is
suddenly a win; not sooner.  Multiboot doesn't do that, although it
might be possible to build on top of it to get there.

	-hpa
-- 
<hpa@transmeta.com> at work, <hpa@zytor.com> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."
http://www.zytor.com/~hpa/puzzle.txt	<amsp@zytor.com>