* Jakob Praher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [041102 12:38]: > I'd like to do some embedded systems and cluster research and would like > to use linuxbios as the building block. > > Has anybody tried to use linuxbios as the bios in a vm like bochs or > vmware, so that one can "play" with linuxbios in software only? I started a build for qemu, a free x86 (plus a lot of other cpus/architectures) emulator, see http://fabrice.bellard.free.fr/qemu/
there's a target emulation/qemu-i386 but it needs some fixing since the last major restructure... > Additionally I'd like to know, whether you prefere the LinuxBiosKernel > (I mean that there is no "real" linux kernel in the bios) over the > LinuxKernel in Bios approach. If you are using LinuxBiosKernel are you > using a standard ATA flash disk, or are there better ways to boot the > LinuxKernel..... There is no such thing as a LinuxBIOS-Kernel. Basically LinuxBIOS initializes the machine just far enough so a Linux (or any other) kernel can be started from flash or IDE(disk/cf/...) This kernel or application is reffered to as "payload" in LinuxBIOS contect. Since most flash devices are too small to fit in a standard linux kernel, other payloads are used that allow loading a Linux kernel or other operating system from a file system or over network. Examples for payloads are: OpenBIOS, etherboot, filo (See mailinglist archive for more information). > * in todays boards: is the flash bios big enough for the LinuxBiosKernel If you load a Linux kernel from an IDE device, it fits easily in every common flash device out there. Otherwise you will at least need 512k or more of flash.. I don't think that Linux in flash is a good solution, but others on this list have a different opinion and proofed that it works fine. > * if not, which flash chips would you prefer? You always need something that is compatible to the already available flash device (LPC/parallel/3V,5V,12V...) > * what board would you choose for clustering testing purposes (it should > have state of the art peripheral stuff and modern chipsets, etc). Clearly AMD64 boards with AMD8111/8151/8131 chipset. They are best supported so far. Many boards from Tyan come with this chipset, but there are machines/boards available from other vendors as well.. Stefan _______________________________________________ Linuxbios mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.clustermatic.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxbios
