Subject: Bootloader saga continues again .... new version !
To: None <port-arm32@netbsd.org>
From: Reinoud Zandijk <imago@kabel065011.kabel.utwente.nl>
List: port-arm32
Date: 01/30/2001 17:38:01
Hi hi All,

Good news from the new RiscPC/RC7500/NC/Imago (hopefully) bootloader front
.... Its loading debugged kernels now !! ... All was needed was a one line
patch *snif*.

Oh well... I also managed to get the amount of Kernel VM from 48Mb to 80Mb
bij moving the video memory up from 0xf4000000 to 0xf7000000 where nothing
seemed to have been mapped. There is more memory to gain but i'd rather do
that when i have a nice overview of the addresses instead of the current
list.

The distro is (as was before) obtainable for testing at the /pub directory
of ftp://130.89.65.13 . This time it's the new updated bootloader, the new
updated rpc_machdep.c and a patch against ../sys/arch/arm32 that modifies
the amount of VM and moves the video memory up.

A slight warning : it might be nessisary to build from scratch; i.e.
delete the compile directory and rerun config .... I had some strange
problems a few times with compiling after I changed the VM setting...
maybe the dependencies aren't allways that well :( ... maybe related to
the .s vs .S ?

The only 2 small things next to a command line prompt for parameters like
the i386 f.e. is the fact that the text on the screen is still red until
you switch virt consoles and a very wierd one ONLY with kernels with the
in kernel debugger build in : the text displayed before the kernel
switches to its pagetables is drawn VERY SLOW... this is nothing to worry
about but it puzzles me still ! After the switch everything is OK.

I'll focus now on making the interface a bit user friendlier and on the
two small issues mentioned above.... 

For testers :  I would really appreciate feedback on operating on
different memory configurations... esp. the Kinetic machines.

Cheers!,
Reinoud