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 K?nig.
PS: Sorry for my poor English.
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
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 K?nig.
PS: Sorry for my poor English.
Followup to: <[email protected]>
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
--
<[email protected]> at work, <[email protected]> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."
http://www.zytor.com/~hpa/puzzle.txt <[email protected]>