> I'd like to use the linux kernel as a bootloader too. But there are > problems with that. > A lot of people who want to use LinuxBIOS are not thinking about clusters. > They have desktops and servers and want to replace their BIOS and still > proceed in desktop and server functionality. > The Linux kernel isn't fitting in 256k anytime soon. It's a tight fit in > 512k. Commodity consumer motherboards aren't shipping with 1Mbyte eeproms > any time soon. > People don't want to swap out their prom for a disk on chip. They don't > want to patch or compile a kernel. They don't want installing LinuxBIOS to > take all day. They want simple functionality in a small amount of time. > The linux booting linux scheme isn't delivering that for the > desktop/server user right now. > > Linux booting linux works great for cluster nodes. The admittadly small > but annoying investment on a DiskOnChip for every node is worth it. > Spending a day getting just the right functionality out of the linux > kernel is worth it. People running clusters are experianced and > knowledgable so it's not a big deal. > > But when some system administrator wants to use LinuxBIOS I want to be > able to point him to our rom-o-matic type web site, a place to download a > working bootloader, and a nice little utility to make it all come together > so he never has to think about it again. LinuxBIOS gains popularity more > quickly and maybe some chipset makers or motherboard manufacturers take > notice and start to make our lives easier. > > I like the leaving everything to linux philosophy too. And if all > motherboards shipped with big generous eeproms we wouldn't even be having > this discussion. What can I say? I need a way to boot LinuxBIOS on 256k > for desktop and server machines.
I am building appliance type devices, and servers, rather than clusters. Big eeproms would be nice, but perhaps another solution would be to use a usb flash dongle as the secondary boot device. I know a lot of people who would like to use this, as they have to carry them around with crypto keys anyway, so having your root fs too would be nice. Justin
