Re: port-i386/40752: x86 bootloader panic()/exit() loop

["Jared D. McNeill" <jmcneill%invisible.ca@localhost>]

Matthias Drochner wrote:
> The following reply was made to PR port-i386/40752; it has been noted by GNATS.
>
> From: Matthias Drochner <M.Drochner%fz-juelich.de@localhost>
> To: Andrew Doran <ad%NetBSD.org@localhost>
> Cc: gnats-bugs%NetBSD.org@localhost, port-i386-maintainer%NetBSD.org@localhost,
>         gnats-admin%NetBSD.org@localhost, netbsd-bugs%NetBSD.org@localhost
> Subject: Re: port-i386/40752: x86 bootloader panic()/exit() loop 
> Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:33:47 +0100
>
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>  
>  
>  ad%NetBSD.org@localhost said:
>  > >      for (;;) __asm volatile("hlt");
>  > 'int 0x19' isn't enough? 
>  
>  int 0x18! It is almost there -- formerly, the biosboot start
>  code did define an "exit" entry point. This got lost when
>  it was split into "bootxx" and "boot".
>  The appended patch should fix things and even make the
>  code a couple of bytes smaller.

``Ralf Brown's Interrupt List'' says about int 0x18:

Notes: Very few PCs other than those produced by IBM contain BASIC in 
ROM, so the action is unpredictable on compatibles; this interrupt often 
reboots the system, and often has no effect at all.

Is this typically the case today?

Cheers,
Jared