AF:
NF:0
PS:10
SRH:1
SFN:
DSR:
MID:<20070816105241.7aace3c4@ripper.onstor.net>
CFG:
PT:0
S:andy.sharp@onstor.com
RQ:
SSV:onstor-exch02.onstor.net
NSV:
SSH:
R:<brian.stark@onstor.com>,<warren.gale@onstor.com>
MAID:1
X-Sylpheed-Privacy-System:
X-Sylpheed-Sign:0
SCF:#mh/Mailbox/sent
RMID:#imap/andys@onstor.net@onstor-exch02.onstor.net/INBOX	0	BB375AF679D4A34E9CA8DFA650E2B04E0507D932@onstor-exch02.onstor.net
X-Sylpheed-End-Special-Headers: 1
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:54:43 -0700
From: Andrew Sharp <andy.sharp@onstor.com>
To: "Brian Stark" <brian.stark@onstor.com>
Cc: "Warren Gale" <warren.gale@onstor.com>
Subject: Re: PROM requirements for cougar 1125 (pseudo resend)
Message-ID: <20070816105443.1730616a@ripper.onstor.net>
In-Reply-To: <BB375AF679D4A34E9CA8DFA650E2B04E0507D932@onstor-exch02.onstor.net>
References: <20070228112724.65ee97d0@ripper.onstor.net>
	<20070815142103.24e5cded@ripper.onstor.net>
	<BB375AF679D4A34E9CA8DFA650E2B04E0507D932@onstor-exch02.onstor.net>
Organization: Onstor
X-Mailer: Sylpheed-Claws 2.6.0 (GTK+ 2.8.20; x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:27:27 -0700 "Brian Stark"
<brian.stark@onstor.com> wrote:

> Andy,
> 
> Before we go dumping our 'crappy' PROM, let's consider that we haven't
> needed an upgrade to the boot code in quite a while.  Compare that to
> the number of times CFE has changed.  Plus, we have a wealth of
> scripts that rely on PMON commands, and I don't think it's worth
> changing all of these.

Well, I apologize for my insensitive characterization.  Also, I didn't
know about the scripts, so obviously that changes things.

> As for the other stuff you mentioned, we already knew about all of
> them except for the last one (up-arrow, etc.).  We will look at doing
> this.

Yeah, the arrow keys is obviously seriously on the "wish list" side of
the  line, but I do get a lot of beeps and squiggles when I use the
prom every time I hit an arrow key, which is a lot.

One thing I forgot to put on the list:

+ allow the kernel to load at a lower address to utilize more memory.
  ie., don't reserve 48MB when only 8MB or so it actually needed.
  so the kernel load address is first non-used whole factor of 8MB,
  so 0x80800000 or 0x81000000, etc.

Or even 1MB, so 0x80100000.  But my recollection is the prom takes
close to 6MB or so for real right away.

I realize there is probably some reason why 48MB is reserved right now,
but last time I talked to Warren about it he wasn't sure what that
reason was exactly.  My impression is that it is used by the prom when
it is doing certain kinds of tests and exercises.  But it doesn't need
to be reserved like that, the prom can just use it, because it isn't
booting the OS when it is doing those things.

> 
> 
> Brian
>  
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Andy Sharp 
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 2:21 PM
> > To: Brian Stark
> > Cc: Warren Gale
> > Subject: PROM requirements for cougar 1125 (pseudo resend)
> > 
> > Some but not necessarily all, of 1125 PROM requirements:
> > 
> > Sure would be nice if we could dump our crappy prom and just 
> > use a slightly modified but otherwise standard CFE.
> > 
> > + Boot ELF kernels (we currently only boot "bin" kernels)
> > 
> > + kernel command line support (already in bobcat prom)
> > 
> > + access to PROM vectors, printf at the least (already in bobcat)
> > 
> > + ext3 file system support
> > 
> > + arbitrary boot file support (ie, kernel file specifiable as
> > opposed to hard coded like it is now)
> > 
> > + support for up-arrow, down-arrow, left and right arrow cmd line
> >   editing.  sheesh, welcome to the 90s.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > On Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:27:24 -0800 Andrew Sharp 
> > <andy.sharp@onstor.com>
> > wrote:
> > 
> > > Hi Guys,
> > > 
> > > PROM time, and I'm your date.  Hah.  I kill myself.
> > > 
> > > Here's the list of q's and todo's:
> > > 
> > > Why are we reserving 48MB for the PROM at the beginning of memory?
> > > Seems like a way huge amount and I'd like to cut it back by, oh,
> > > 40 MB.  Makes more of a difference on Bobcat than Cougar, but we
> > > can always make use of memory.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Booting off CF:
> > > 	* addition of ext3 support (libext3)
> > > 	* DOS partition support: linux uses regular DOS partitions
> > > 	  with no funny stuff.  Maybe already is in there.
> > > Cougar:
> > > 	* ELF64 loader for Cougar would be nice but not required.
> > > 	* CFE API support for Cougar: memory layout
> > > 
> > > We have to decide who is going to do what.
> > > 
> > > Thanks,
> > > 
> > > a
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > 
