freebios-users Mailing List for FreeBIOS

hi,

 I'm trying to boot digitallogic smartcore-p5 board via ide.
 searching the mailing list archive showed me that some people
 used booting via ide before.
 their messages contain references to the option BOOT_IDE,
 which is said to use some of the ide routines.
 
 I somehow failed to use these routines so far.
 
 could someone who did this before send me a comment to help me?
 I suppose answers to the following questions could help me a lot:
 
  
  what is the boot_ide option supposed to do?
      ide routines are built when this option is set,
      but they never seem to be called in the code?
 
 is there another option I have to set to make the
      disk accesible? it doesn't seem to be when I issue
      a call of any ide routine
 
 once the ide access works, how do I get elfboot
      to scan hda1 for an elfheader 
      instead of scanning the rom?
 
 is there a document where I can look up all the options
      for the config file and how they depend on each other
      or exclude each other?
 
 
 
 regards,
 marc
 

Hi there,

I'm just experiencing some trouble building linuxbios
for my digitallogic smartcore-p5 mainboard.

I patched and built linux-2.4.17 kernel successfully
and used the (slightly adjusted) smartcore-p5/example.config file
(which is appended as PS) to configure linuxbios via NLBConfig.py

Configuring seemed to work, but what I get when I do the "make" is:

gcc -nostdlib -nostartfiles -static -o linuxbios -T ldscript.ld linuxbios.o
linuxbios.o: In function `__protected_start':
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0x90): undefined reference to `port'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0x96): undefined reference to `value'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0x9f): undefined reference to `value'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0xa8): undefined reference to `index'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0xbc): undefined reference to `device'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0xc7): undefined reference to `data'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0xcc): undefined reference to `index'
linuxbios.o: In function `secondtime':
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0x493): undefined reference to `addr'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0x498): undefined reference to `byte'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0x4c3): undefined reference to `addr'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0x4c8): undefined reference to `word'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0x4ef): undefined reference to `addr'
linuxbios.o(.rom.text+0x4f4): undefined reference to `dword'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
make: *** [linuxbios] Error 1

Could someone give me a clue what kind of problem this could be, and how it 
can be solved?
Perhaps someone has done this before more successfully.
I'd be really grateful.

Best regards,
Marcus



PS.: the configfile I used:

# Sample config file for Intel 430TX chipset on the Smartcore P5

# This will make a target directory of ./smartcore-p5
target smartcore-p5

# ASUS CUA main board
mainboard digitallogic/smartcore-p5

# option HAVE_PIRQ_TABLE=1
# Enable Serial Console for debugging
option SERIAL_CONSOLE=1
option NO_KEYBOARD
option INBUF_COPY
option DEFAULT_CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL=9
option DEBUG
option USE_GENERIC_ROM=1

# MEMORY TESTING USING MEMTEST
# *****************MODIFIED********************
#option USE_ELF_BOOT=1

# *****************MODIFIED********************
# Path to your kernel (vmlinux)
linux /home/users/wimmer/src/linux/

# Kernel command line parameters
# *******************MODIFIED****************
commandline root=/dev/hda1 console=ttyS0, 115200 floppy=nodma

option RAMTEST

So.. Could anyone help me to install linuxbios on the sis 730?

Where is the code for the 730s? And after compiling, how do I flash the 
bios under linux?
andre
http://usuarios.uninet.com.br/~aod     ICQ 28416638
----------------------------------------------
Linux: Cool computing we can do

On Tue, 14 Aug 2001 ao...@un... wrote:

> If we can (good!) 
> could I recover the original bios booting the manufacturer 
> flash utility floppy, using the flash bios from an identical  
> unmodified motherboard, and just before the flashing, change 
> the chip (in other words, will DOS be using the bios so I can 
> remove the chip and proceed the flashing)?

Provided that the chip is the same you could "hot flash" it, although it
isn't recommended because it's very easy to short out your motherboard
while doing it.  Primitive BIOS savers use this principle with the
exception that you load both of the chips prior to turning on the machine
and swapping of the chips occurs through flipping a switch on usually just
one of the pins.  You can make one of these yourself even if you have only
a passing experience with the soldering iron.


> last but not least, has anyone just tried to disassemble the 
> AMI bios, so we could just get rid of the annoying "CMOS ERROR" 
> halt (like make a "halt on no errors" ?


You can do it yourself if you want to.  Just get a disassembler and get to
work.  The entry point into the BIOS is fairly well documented, see the
Pentium manuals on the Intel site for example.

Tom

On Tue, 14 Aug 2001, Andre Dias wrote:

> Thats it, so if I have a spare, can I use it to boot in DOS then change it
> to restore the one modified? (.. I guess yes)

yes you can hot plug these parts.

> yes, 812 is sis 730 (almost the same as 810 but with AT power connector).
> Would you give me brief steps so I can try linuxbios on it and try to write
> a howto (as you mentioned, howto number 2)?

Steve James has done the most of this  lately. Steve?

ron

> > flash utility floppy, using the flash bios from an identical
> > unmodified motherboard, and just before the flashing, change
> > the chip (in other words, will DOS be using the bios so I can
> > remove the chip and proceed the flashing)?
>
>Once you flash it, the recovery flash is gone gone gone. You need a spare
>flash part.

Thats it, so if I have a spare, can I use it to boot in DOS then change it 
to restore the one modified? (.. I guess yes)

what's the 812? is that sis 730? I have 810 lmr working in the lab but
>they changed the flash socket. We're looking at other mainboards now.

yes, 812 is sis 730 (almost the same as 810 but with AT power connector).
Would you give me brief steps so I can try linuxbios on it and try to write 
a howto (as you mentioned, howto number 2)?

thanks ron




andre
http://usuarios.uninet.com.br/~aod     ICQ 28416638
----------------------------------------------
Linux: Cool computing we can do

On Tue, 14 Aug 2001 ao...@un... wrote:

> First of all I would like to understand why do we have to use
> disk on chip to flash the linux bios as mentioned in the
> howtos?

you don't any more. We now need four HOWTOs
1) Disk on Chip, boot linux
2) flash, boot linux
3) flash, boot standard etherboot
4) flash,  boot Steven James' built-in-to-linuxbios etherboot.

whew!

> Why cant we use just the same flash chips that came
> with the original motherboard (or can we?). If we can (good!)
> could I recover the original bios booting the manufacturer
> flash utility floppy, using the flash bios from an identical
> unmodified motherboard, and just before the flashing, change
> the chip (in other words, will DOS be using the bios so I can
> remove the chip and proceed the flashing)?

Once you flash it, the recovery flash is gone gone gone. You need a spare
flash part.

> I heard one of you guys have managed to make linuxbios work for
> the pcchips810lmr, have you tried the 812lmr (at connector)? If
> so, could you give me brief instructions, so I could try a lot
> and write a howto?

what's the 812? is that sis 730? I have 810 lmr working in the lab but
they changed the flash socket. We're looking at other mainboards now.

> last but not least, has anyone just tried to disassemble the
> AMI bios, so we could just get rid of the annoying "CMOS ERROR"
> halt (like make a "halt on no errors" ?
>

no interest, standard BIOSes are just not very good software.

ron

Hi,

I am a newbie, so please keep the flames down gurus :p

First of all I would like to understand why do we have to use 
disk on chip to flash the linux bios as mentioned in the 
howtos? Why cant we use just the same flash chips that came 
with the original motherboard (or can we?). If we can (good!) 
could I recover the original bios booting the manufacturer 
flash utility floppy, using the flash bios from an identical  
unmodified motherboard, and just before the flashing, change 
the chip (in other words, will DOS be using the bios so I can 
remove the chip and proceed the flashing)?

I heard one of you guys have managed to make linuxbios work for 
the pcchips810lmr, have you tried the 812lmr (at connector)? If 
so, could you give me brief instructions, so I could try a lot 
and write a howto?

last but not least, has anyone just tried to disassemble the 
AMI bios, so we could just get rid of the annoying "CMOS ERROR" 
halt (like make a "halt on no errors" ?


thanks guys

http://unimail.unisys.com.br

confirm 442663

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Hi,

My Sony Vaio laptop BIOS allows the pressing of a key combination to
save the current contents of RAM to a dedicated partition and power-off
the machine;  all in seconds.  On power on the BIOS notes the partition
isn't empty and re-loads it into RAM and the OS carries on where it
left off.  At least that's my `users view' of what's happening.

That left me wondering if this could be exploited to switch between two
OS, say Linux and Win98, without shutting either down.  It would be a
poor man's plex86.org in that I'd only be able to use one at a time,
but since the switching between them would be quick, it would suffice
for many users.

This would need something to switch the contents of the partition
between the Linux and Win98 memory images.  Forgive me, I know little
about PC hardware.  Do Linux and Win98 know about the key combination
being pressed before memory contents are saved?


Ralph.

On Sun, 2 Jul 2000, Ronald G Minnich wrote:

> linuxbios only works (confirmed) with the l440gx+ (non-SMP) and the
> PROCOMM BST1B, if you add the 512KB FLASH wire. We're working on others
> but this is pre-alpha software.

Ollie Lho of SiS has confirmed that the SIS630 version of LINUXBIOS works
with the WINFAST 6300 mainboard. This is great news, and we will try to
confirm it tomorrow.

ron

linuxbios only works (confirmed) with the l440gx+ (non-SMP) and the
PROCOMM BST1B, if you add the 512KB FLASH wire. We're working on others
but this is pre-alpha software.

ron

HI !
 
 got freebios-20000602/linuxbios/
 to compile with linux-2.3.99-pre5 , no problems
 built the romeimage , and droped it to the floppy...

 probably a stubid question now , how do I get this loaded into NVRAM ? 

 are there any additional docs around on how to get started and a littl bit
 of technical background ? recomendation for motherboards that this releas
 works with well etc. 

thx !
hofrat

you can't build freebios at present. You can only build linuxbioses. to
build the linuxbios you need to 
cd freebios/linuxbios/<your-motherboard-here>

and type 'make'. The autoconf stuff has nothing to do with the linuxbios
tree.

ron

HI !

 donwnloaded it all , autogen.sh did fine , but make then gives me


intel_subr.c: In function `intel_conf_writeb':
intel_subr.c:38: `INTEL_CONF_REG_INDEX' undeclared (first use in this function)
intel_subr.c:38: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once
intel_subr.c:38: for each function it appears in.)
intel_subr.c:39: `INTEL_CONF_REG_DATA' undeclared (first use in this function)
intel_subr.c: In function `intel_conf_readb':
intel_subr.c:49: `INTEL_CONF_REG_INDEX' undeclared (first use in this function)
intel_subr.c:50: `INTEL_CONF_REG_DATA' undeclared (first use in this function)
make[2]: *** [intel_subr.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make: *** [all-recursive] Error 1


 looking into inetl_subr.c it includes intel_conf.h wich has

---intel_conf.h-----
#ifdef INTEL_BRIDGE_CONFIG
#define	INTEL_CONF_REG_INDEX	0xcf8
#define	INTEL_CONF_REG_DATA	0xcfc
#endif


 in it , but where is INTEL_BRIDGE_CONFIG defined ???


thx !
hofrat