Date: 13 Jul 2001 15:40:08 +0100 From: Rolf Neugebauer <neugebar@dcs.gla.ac.uk> To: <buzzwang@gamersgarrison.com> Cc: <freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.org> Subject: Re: FreeBSD install on AlphaBios equipped DEC Alpha's Message-ID: <ysqelrk51vb.fsf@therese.dcs.gla.ac.uk> In-Reply-To: "Group Captain Buzzwang"'s message of "Fri, 13 Jul 2001 03:48:46 -0500" References: <010601c10b78$a1a65c60$0501010a@gamersgarrison.com>
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"Group Captain Buzzwang" <buzzwang@gamersgarrison.com> writes: > I have 4 DEC Alpha XLT's here (all are 300mhz 256m ram) that I have > wanted to put to use for some time. I really, really wanted to install > FBSD on them but FBSD doesn't support an Alpha that isn't using SRM > firmware. All 4 of mine are equipped with the latest (v5.66) AlphaBIOS > as that is all that is available anymore from Digital/Compaq. I queried > them about it a couple months ago and the reply was rather abrupt: "It's > not available." > > I just finished installing Debian GNU/Linux on one of them. I tried it > because I was told that Debian has a method of using the AlphaBIOS (made > for installing WinNT only) to install and run Linux. > > It seems Debian uses to files: linload.exe and another referred to as > MILO (Mini Loader) to bootstrap the OS into operation. It actually works > out quite well, and I was a little surprised to see things running in a > short time. Problem is that I want to use FBSD, not Linux, on these > boxes. I have nothing against Linux, but I figure that it's better to > run FBSD with Linux support than just straight Linux. That and I find > that I really like FBSD anyway. > > I was wondering if someone was working on a project for FBSD to achieve > this same function for AlphaBIOS-based machines. I'm not a programmer or > anything like that, and though I would like to help create this for > FBSD, I don't know where or how to start. So I thought I would simply > suggest it and hope that some other, more seasoned, programmers could > run with it. I assume that it would be entirely possible since other > Unix-like system already do it, and believe that it would basically come > down to understanding how the Linux folks do it and then to recreate it > for FBSD. If someone is currently or starts to work on this and needs > helps testing it out, contact me. I've still got 3 more Alpha boxes > collecting dust that would be more than happy to help. Alpha based systems use something called PAL code as a low level interface to an OS. AlphaBIOS and SRM provide different PAL code: AlphaBIOS for NT and SRM for OSF^WTru64/VMS. MILO provides a subset of the SRM PAL code just enough to run Linux on. This PAL code was derived from publicly available sample PAL code from DEC/Q as part of their software development kit for alpha and is considered by some as somewhat buggy (and MILO just being a horrible hack). FreeBSD requires more of the SRM PAL code than provided by MILO, thus FreeBSD won't run with MILO. I am not aware of any efforts to add the missing functionality. In fact, I would be highly surprised if such an effort exist as it is a seriously non-trivial undertaking. Rolf To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
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