Subject: Re: Using Etherboot ELF/FreeBSD loader to netboot ELF/NetBSD
To: None <bjh21@netbsd.org>
From: None <cgd@broadcom.com>
List: tech-kern
Date: 02/28/2003 14:10:22
At Fri, 28 Feb 2003 19:23:51 +0000 (UTC), "Ben Harris" wrote:
> > 	* One to indicate ${MACHINE_ARCH}
> 
> Is there any circumstance in which this can't be determined from the ELF
> header, i.e. where one ELF architecture/endianness corresponds to multiple
> NetBSD MACHINE_ARCHes?

I _think_ that it can be determined by the ELF arch/endianness right
now, but i can imagine something like:

	* boot block has compiled in MACHINE_ARCH.

	* wants to check kernel's MACHINE_ARCH.

	* if MACHINE_ARCH isn't in the kernel's notes, BB has to
          calculate it.  if not MD checking code could be kinda
          tedious.

Also, I can imagine in the future that it might not be so easy to tell
e.g. between mips and mips64 kernels (esp. if the latter are built
"n32" style, i.e. in 32-bit ELF).


if nothing else:

costs just about nothing, is "pretty" from a "symmetry" perspective.




cgd