|
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
|
|
|
----------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. Peter Anvin <hpa@zytor.com>
|
|
|
- Last update 2002-01-01
|
|
|
+ Last update 2005-09-02
|
|
|
|
|
|
On the i386 platform, the Linux kernel uses a rather complicated boot
|
|
|
convention. This has evolved partially due to historical aspects, as
|
|
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ Protocol 2.02: (Kernel 2.4.0-test3-pre3) New command line protocol.
|
|
|
Protocol 2.03: (Kernel 2.4.18-pre1) Explicitly makes the highest possible
|
|
|
initrd address available to the bootloader.
|
|
|
|
|
|
+Protocol 2.04: (Kernel 2.6.14) Extend the syssize field to four bytes.
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** MEMORY LAYOUT
|
|
|
|
|
@@ -103,10 +105,9 @@ The header looks like:
|
|
|
Offset Proto Name Meaning
|
|
|
/Size
|
|
|
|
|
|
-01F1/1 ALL setup_sects The size of the setup in sectors
|
|
|
+01F1/1 ALL(1 setup_sects The size of the setup in sectors
|
|
|
01F2/2 ALL root_flags If set, the root is mounted readonly
|
|
|
-01F4/2 ALL syssize DO NOT USE - for bootsect.S use only
|
|
|
-01F6/2 ALL swap_dev DO NOT USE - obsolete
|
|
|
+01F4/4 2.04+(2 syssize The size of the 32-bit code in 16-byte paras
|
|
|
01F8/2 ALL ram_size DO NOT USE - for bootsect.S use only
|
|
|
01FA/2 ALL vid_mode Video mode control
|
|
|
01FC/2 ALL root_dev Default root device number
|
|
@@ -129,8 +130,12 @@ Offset Proto Name Meaning
|
|
|
0228/4 2.02+ cmd_line_ptr 32-bit pointer to the kernel command line
|
|
|
022C/4 2.03+ initrd_addr_max Highest legal initrd address
|
|
|
|
|
|
-For backwards compatibility, if the setup_sects field contains 0, the
|
|
|
-real value is 4.
|
|
|
+(1) For backwards compatibility, if the setup_sects field contains 0, the
|
|
|
+ real value is 4.
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+(2) For boot protocol prior to 2.04, the upper two bytes of the syssize
|
|
|
+ field are unusable, which means the size of a bzImage kernel
|
|
|
+ cannot be determined.
|
|
|
|
|
|
If the "HdrS" (0x53726448) magic number is not found at offset 0x202,
|
|
|
the boot protocol version is "old". Loading an old kernel, the
|
|
@@ -230,12 +235,16 @@ loader to communicate with the kernel. Some of its options are also
|
|
|
relevant to the boot loader itself, see "special command line options"
|
|
|
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
-The kernel command line is a null-terminated string up to 255
|
|
|
-characters long, plus the final null.
|
|
|
+The kernel command line is a null-terminated string currently up to
|
|
|
+255 characters long, plus the final null. A string that is too long
|
|
|
+will be automatically truncated by the kernel, a boot loader may allow
|
|
|
+a longer command line to be passed to permit future kernels to extend
|
|
|
+this limit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
If the boot protocol version is 2.02 or later, the address of the
|
|
|
kernel command line is given by the header field cmd_line_ptr (see
|
|
|
-above.)
|
|
|
+above.) This address can be anywhere between the end of the setup
|
|
|
+heap and 0xA0000.
|
|
|
|
|
|
If the protocol version is *not* 2.02 or higher, the kernel
|
|
|
command line is entered using the following protocol:
|
|
@@ -255,7 +264,7 @@ command line is entered using the following protocol:
|
|
|
**** SAMPLE BOOT CONFIGURATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
As a sample configuration, assume the following layout of the real
|
|
|
-mode segment:
|
|
|
+mode segment (this is a typical, and recommended layout):
|
|
|
|
|
|
0x0000-0x7FFF Real mode kernel
|
|
|
0x8000-0x8FFF Stack and heap
|
|
@@ -312,9 +321,9 @@ Such a boot loader should enter the following fields in the header:
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** LOADING THE REST OF THE KERNEL
|
|
|
|
|
|
-The non-real-mode kernel starts at offset (setup_sects+1)*512 in the
|
|
|
-kernel file (again, if setup_sects == 0 the real value is 4.) It
|
|
|
-should be loaded at address 0x10000 for Image/zImage kernels and
|
|
|
+The 32-bit (non-real-mode) kernel starts at offset (setup_sects+1)*512
|
|
|
+in the kernel file (again, if setup_sects == 0 the real value is 4.)
|
|
|
+It should be loaded at address 0x10000 for Image/zImage kernels and
|
|
|
0x100000 for bzImage kernels.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The kernel is a bzImage kernel if the protocol >= 2.00 and the 0x01
|