Subject: Re: ARC Firmware?
To: Tom Linden <tom@thirdmillenium.com>
From: Curt Sampson <cjs@portal.ca>
List: port-alpha
Date: 10/06/1997 14:10:28
On Mon, 6 Oct 1997, Tom Linden wrote:

> 	The problem with THAT palcode is that it doesn't fir into all
> 	machines.  I have an XL266.  The flash rom is 500KB.  To load
> 	the pal code that has both ARC and SRM you need 1 MB flash.
> 	Moreover, if you have the SRM console, booting netbsd is not
> 	a problem (I think).

This is not a major problem because, as you point out, the only
time you really need to use the ARC loader and the LILO PALcode is
when you don't have SRM console available.

>       You can get the info from Digital that
> 	will allow you to build a bootstrap loader, but it is subject
> 	to a non-disclosure agreement that precludes you from shipping
> 	source based on this info.

This is only true of the ARC console. The SRM console information
is easily available in the _Alpha AXP Architecture Reference Manual_,
which can be ordered from any decent computer bookshop. (I got my
copy from www.clbooks.com.)

cjs

Curt Sampson    cjs@portal.ca	   Info at http://www.portal.ca/
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