Subject: Re: IP26
To: Matt Miller <idiot@slack.net>
From: Rafal Boni <rafal.boni@eDial.com>
List: port-sgimips
Date: 07/23/2001 14:36:40
--==_Exmh_845766288P
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

In message <20010723142514.B21894@slack.net>, you write: 

-> Is there any work being done on a port for IP26 (POWER Indigo2)?  I was 
-> so excited to check in today and see Indigo2 that I didn't notice it was
-> for IP22 til after my happy dance.

An IP26 port will be Real Hard, for the following reasons:
	(1) I believe between the ARCS PROM and the CPU, a 64-bit kernel
	    is required to boot on the IP26.  Although I think there has
	    been some thought given to a full 64-bit MIPS port, the current
	    NetBSD kernel code only runs in 32-bit mode, and I doubt that
	    this will change soon.

	(2) The R8000 CPU is quite different from any of the preceding
	    or following MIPS CPUs.  It has a different TLB, different
	    cache interface, ... and the killer:

	(3) There is no manual for the R8000 currently available, as 
	    it was (AFAIK) only used in various SGI-internal projects
	    like the Power Indigo2 and Power Challenge boxes.

That said, I have an R8000 box as well (picked it up today, actually!),
and it'd be a neat thing to get NetBSD running on from the hack value
POV, but I wouldn't expect it anytime soon, if at all.

--rafal

----
Rafal Boni                                              rafal.boni@eDial.com
 PGP key C7D3024C, print EA49 160D F5E4 C46A 9E91  524E 11E0 7133 C7D3 024C
    Need to get a hold of me?  http://800.edial.com/rafal.boni@eDial.com


--==_Exmh_845766288P
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Exmh version 2.4 06/23/2000

iD8DBQE7XG63EeBxM8fTAkwRAjo+AJwI04U1bKWswe86PzOwOqHogR5D+wCePh4l
O4bAfSTlKydd4Tbzm+psBU8=
=1Rb7
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--==_Exmh_845766288P--