[U-Boot-Users] fwd: [hpa@zytor.com: A call for boot loader IDs]

[U-Boot-Users] fwd: [hpa@zytor.com: A call for boot loader IDs]

[Robert Schwebel]

Hi, 

Wolfgang, should we provide an ID for U-Boot? 

Robert

----- Forwarded message from "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com> -----

To:	linux-kernel at vger.kernel.org
From:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>
Subject: A call for boot loader IDs
Date:	5 Dec 2003 08:38:13 -0800
Message-ID: <bqqc9l$qo6$1@cesium.transmeta.com>

Hi all,

So far only a small number of boot loaders have actually officially
registered their IDs, this is the list that I have:

  type_of_loader: 
        If your boot loader has an assigned id (see table below),
        enter 0xTV here, where T is an identifier for the boot loader
        and V is a version number.  Otherwise, enter 0xFF here.

        Assigned boot loader ids:
        0  LILO
        1  Loadlin
        2  bootsect-loader
        3  SYSLINUX
        4  EtherBoot
        5  ELILO

        Please contact <hpa@zytor.com> if you need a bootloader ID
        value assigned.

I would really appreciate if other boot loaders -- especially GRUB,
which is widely used -- would let me know (a) what they are currently
doing, and (b) whether or not they need an official allocation.  It's
probably unwise to not do so, at least for the ones which have a
significant user community.

The purpose of this ID is so we can work around individual boot loader
issues if we should have a need to adjust or change the boot
protocol.  Not reporting a unique ID makes this impossible.

	 -hpa
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[U-Boot-Users] Re: A call for boot loader IDs

[Wolfgang Denk]

Hi,

in message <bqqc9l$qo6$1@cesium.transmeta.com> you wrote:
> 
> So far only a small number of boot loaders have actually officially
> registered their IDs, this is the list that I have:

I have to admit that I don't understand why such  a  registration  is
useful, but anyway...

>   type_of_loader: 

What exactly is "type_of_loader" and where does it play  a  role?  We
never ran over it before...

>         If your boot loader has an assigned id (see table below),
>         enter 0xTV here, where T is an identifier for the boot loader
>         and V is a version number.  Otherwise, enter 0xFF here.
> 
>         Assigned boot loader ids:
>         0  LILO
>         1  Loadlin
>         2  bootsect-loader
>         3  SYSLINUX
>         4  EtherBoot
>         5  ELILO
> 
>         Please contact <hpa@zytor.com> if you need a bootloader ID
>         value assigned.

Please assign a bootloader ID for U-Boot, the "universal bootloader".

> I would really appreciate if other boot loaders -- especially GRUB,
> which is widely used -- would let me know (a) what they are currently
> doing, and (b) whether or not they need an official allocation.  It's
> probably unwise to not do so, at least for the ones which have a
> significant user community.

(a) U-Boot supports PowerPC, ARM, MIPS, NIOS, and  x86  systems.  The
    "official"  source  tree (http://sourceforge.net/projects/u-boot)
    has standard configurations for more than  160  boards  (PowerPC:
    MPC5xx,  MPC8xx, MPC5xxx, MPC824x, MPC826x, MPC85xx, PPC4xx, 7xx,
    74xx; StrongARM; ARM7;  ARM9;  Xscale;  MIPS  4kc,  5kc,  au1x00;
    i486).

(b) I have no idea if we need a bootloader ID value assigned;  please
    decide yourself.

> The purpose of this ID is so we can work around individual boot loader
> issues if we should have a need to adjust or change the boot
> protocol.  Not reporting a unique ID makes this impossible.

Please explain what you mean by "adjust or change the boot protocol".
Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions, but all of this  sounds  a  bit
x86-centric  to  me,  while  U-Boot  is  mostly  dealing  with  other
architectures where things are more straight-forward than on x86.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-4596-87  Fax: (+49)-8142-4596-88  Email: wd at denx.de
       There is enough for the need of everyone in this world,
       but not for the greed of everyone.     - Mahatma Gandhi

[U-Boot-Users] Re: A call for boot loader IDs

[H. Peter Anvin]

Wolfgang Denk wrote:
> 
> Please explain what you mean by "adjust or change the boot protocol".
> Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions, but all of this  sounds  a  bit
> x86-centric  to  me,  while  U-Boot  is  mostly  dealing  with  other
> architectures where things are more straight-forward than on x86.
> 

Well, of course it is, since we're dealing with the x86 boot protocol.

The purpose of the registration is so we can deal with issues specific 
to one boot loader if they crop up.

	-hpa

[U-Boot-Users] Re: A call for boot loader IDs

[Wolfgang Denk]

In message <3FD36D0A.40405@zytor.com> you wrote:
>
> > x86-centric  to  me,  while  U-Boot  is  mostly  dealing  with  other
> > architectures where things are more straight-forward than on x86.
> 
> Well, of course it is, since we're dealing with the x86 boot protocol.

Sorry, but this was not clear from the subject or message.

> The purpose of the registration is so we can deal with issues specific 
> to one boot loader if they crop up.

So will you assign an ID for U-Boot?

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-4596-87  Fax: (+49)-8142-4596-88  Email: wd at denx.de
When a program is being  tested,  it  is  too  late  to  make  design
changes.                  -- Geoffrey James, "The Tao of Programming"

[U-Boot-Users] Re: A call for boot loader IDs

[H. Peter Anvin]

Wolfgang Denk wrote:
> 
>>The purpose of the registration is so we can deal with issues specific 
>>to one boot loader if they crop up.
> 
> So will you assign an ID for U-Boot?
> 

I will... I'm hanging on for a few weeks to see if there are any
"unofficial" IDs being used, e.g. by GRUB, but then I will.

	-hpa