Re: [Freedos-kernel] FreeDOS kernel UPX'ing and versionning chaos

[cm]

 Most FreeDOS kernels released so far were UPX'ed and not un-UPX'able.

 The kernel almost-2040 included on 1.1test3 CD distro is NOT UPX'ed.

 Problem: with UPX'ed kernel, you can't check the version without
 booting the kernel.

 Suggestion: at the beginning or end of the file, add a string allowing to
 identify the kernel with compile date and other crucial info:

 K2040D2011-07-31C32F16B
 K2041D2011-08-31C16F28W

 C is CPU (16 aka 8086 or 32 AKA 80386)

 F is FAT (16 or 28)

 W and B are compilers (or is Boreland now dead ?).

+1

Extend that CONFIG area at the beginning of the file, that's left
uncompressed anyway.

Providing the build and version information on an exclusive API for the
currently running kernel would be useful too. Currently, there's a string
with some 21.33Fx (.33FD ?) API, but that's just a string (difficult to
parse; format changes happen), and then, 21.3000 returns the (low byte of
the?) version number in cx or bx or somewhere, but that's unreliable
because 21.30 is often intercepted and modified by version faking
software.

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Re: [Freedos-kernel] FreeDOS kernel UPX'ing and versionning chaos

[e . auer]

Hi Bernd,

general question: How much do we want to know about a kernel
without booting it? Because a lot of the information below is
available AFTER booting the kernel, be it by human reading of
the version description string (21.33xx) or by querying some
int 21 functions to check FAT32 support or revision number.

I agree that it would be good to have some thing visible in
an easy to access area. Because we would probably use tools
like SYS CONFIG to show it,  the uncompressed CONFIG kernel
data area is a nice place, but we do not have to use text.

Instead of K 2040 D 2011-07-31 C 32 F 16 B or the shorter
K 40 11-07-31 0 6 W, the encoded data could be for example
byte:40 dosdateword:2011-07-31 and one byte-of-bits: FAT32
no, 386+ no, upx yes, cross-compile no, borland no, other
reserved features no (actually I think only the first two
feature flags are REALLY interesting at the moment).

This encoding only needs FOUR bytes (1 byte, 1 word and
some bits) to encode a machine readable binary form :-)

We can offer a simple Perl script or similar for those who
want to know which kernel binary they have but who cannot
run SYS /SHOW-ME-THE-VERSION-OF X:SOMEKERNEL because SYS
does not run in their operating system.

I think we should not try to put a version string in the
config area which would be visible in a text editor. All
suggestions shown below use cryptic text anyway and they
are even MEANT to be more machine- than human-readable.

In short, I suggest a small, binary version encoding :-)

Eric

 K2040D2011-07-31C32F16B
 K2041D2011-08-31C16F28W

 C is CPU (16 aka 8086 or 32 AKA 80386)
 F is FAT (16 or 28)
 W and B are compilers (or is Boreland now dead ?).

...

 In typical pre-Y2K-style I'd suggest:
 K4011073106W

 K  -- kernel
 40 -- kernel 2040 (to 2099)
 11 -- year (to 99 so 2099)
 07 -- month (01..12)
 31 -- day (01..29/30/31)
   0 -- 086+ (valid options [0,3] for 086+/386+)
   6 -- FAT12/FAT16 (valid options [6,7] for filesystems that MSDOS 
 6/7
 understand)
 W -- Watcom


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