i am currently investigating a hardware-based solution to our problem.
it seems as if it would be possible to load the kernel into ram and
execute it from a rom rather than from disk. this is essentially how we
boot strap our diskless machines, but the rom in that case is small and
read directly by the bios, with the kernel remote...
the problem is that the ibm pc (in big blue's infinite wisdom) allows for
at max a 128k rom to be scanned in bios-space. i dont see a 128k kernel
unless the micro-kernel/exo-kernel idea catches on.
so- this device (i see an isa card or a parallel port dongle) will have to
have a small
bios-adressed rom with a primary boot-loader, and access to a larger, non
addressed rom, perhaps through a standard hardware address/int combo.
anyone interested in such a concept? i can see that we have a need for
this, esp in the linux ha realm.
i see the following:
1.get bootloader (i am calling it halo) into ram, either from rom on
device, rom on network card, or the system rom (go openbios project!) (the
latter is similar to what one of the beowulfs use)
2. this bootloader is aware of how to access the kernel from the device's
hardware address. reads requested kernelinto ram (i figure bz and higher
ram location) jumps to kernel and executes.
3. device can be updated by software in linux. it contains the map, etc,
so the actuall bootloader that is in the initial rom is never changed.
comments, suggestions?
i really guess i should try this on an alpha first, i think they can
handle larger roms from the bios.....
allan noah
lin/net admin/webmaster
pfeiffer u
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism
by those who have not got it" - g b shaw
