Re: [patch] improved multiboot support in kernel and boot(8)

[Thor Lancelot Simon <tls%panix.com@localhost>]

On Wed, Feb 03, 2010 at 08:57:20PM +0000, rjs%fdy2.demon.co.uk@localhost wrote:
> tls%panix.com@localhost wrote:
> > On Wed, Feb 03, 2010 at 05:45:00PM +0000, rjs%fdy2.demon.co.uk@localhost 
> > wrote:
> > > 
> > > The existing multiboot code was only intended to be enough to load Xen,
> > > the expectation was that native kernels would still be loaded using
> > > the old method.
> > > 
> > > What is the benefit of adding your patch ?
> > 
> > Kernel modules will work in NetBSD kernels loaded by multiboot.  That
> > seems quite valuable to me.
> 
> I agree that would be useful if it works from grub.
> 
> I'm not sure I see the benefit of the boot(8) side of the patch, don't
> we still have space constraints for it ?

Not really -- that's why we have a two-stage boot loader.  The other thing
is, we can't predict what multiboot features Xen might rely on in the
future.  I think our implemenation should be reasonbly robust so that it
is unlikely to suddenly fail with a new version of Xen.


-- 
Thor Lancelot Simon                                    
tls%rek.tjls.com@localhost
  "All of my opinions are consistent, but I cannot present them all
   at once."    -Jean-Jacques Rousseau, On The Social Contract