Subject: Re: TODO list
To: None <port-arm32@netbsd.org>
From: Dave Daniels <dave_daniels@argonet.co.uk>
List: port-arm32
Date: 07/29/2000 10:19:46
In article <E13HuZ6-0001wf-00@chiark.greenend.org.uk>,
   Ben Harris <bjh21@cam.ac.uk> wrote:

> What do you mean by "running under RISC OS"?  My current loader kills
> interrupts before launching the kernel, and the kernel doesn't fault until
> well after it's replaced zero page, so no RISC OS code runs after the first
> instruction of the kernel has run.  Is the arm32 kernel different in this
> regard?

I just dabble with NetBSD and have no understanding of the kernel.
However, looking at the code, the Arm32 bootloader disables
interrupts before branching into the kernel so in theory RISC OS
should be locked out at that point. I am certain that I have seen
boot failures after control has passed to NetBSD which have left
RISC OS running (or, rather, half alive with the only option a
mercy killing via the reset button). By 'running under RISC OS' I
mean that NetBSD does not have full control of the machine.
Interrupts are disabled but RISC OS would deal with them if they
were reenabled at that point. As I said, though, I know next to
nothing about the kernel so what I am saying is almost certainly
wrong. 

Dave Daniels

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