future co-existence with Linux?

future co-existence with Linux?

[Arnold]

To tackle issue of coexistence from a different angle, is anyone looking at

a) making plan9 bootable from LILO (the Linux loader)?

b) writing an e2fs server for plan 9?

I could see wanting to have both Linux and Plan 9 on the same box. Me
personally, I'd probably do most of my work from Linux, but I'd want to
be able to share files back and forth with Plan 9. An e2fs server would
probably do the trick...

Thanks,

Arnold Robbins -- The Basement Computer		| Laundry increases
Internet: arnold@skeeve.ATL.GA.US		| exponentially in the
UUCP:	emory!skeeve!arnold			| number of children.
Bitnet:	Forget it. Get on a real network.	|    -- Miriam Robbins

future co-existence with Linux?

[Frank]

jmk@plan9.ATt.COM wrote:
: 	> a) making plan9 bootable from LILO (the Linux loader)?
: I don't know what LILO does, in fact I know very little about Linux.
: The Plan 9 kernel has to be loaded into memory at 0x100020 and jumped to
: in protected mode. It also expects some configuration data to be left
: around in low memory. These two things are usually done by the boot
: programme 'b.com' which can be started either from MS-DOS or directly
: from the boot sector on a floppy.

As b.com can be installed on a floppy boot sector, it should also install to
the boot sector of your plan 9 partition. If this works, you might well
add it to any boot menu type program for selecting different OS. LILO for
example will execute the boot program found in the boot sector of the specified
partition (if it's *not* the linux partition). So does the OS/2 bootmanager
(if you install LILO on your root partition's boot sector, the bootmanager
is able to boot linux).
I think it should be possible to write b.com to the bootsector of the plan9
partition in two ways:

1. Use DOS DEBUG (would anyone else give the exact procedure ?)
2. Use LILO. By editing the LILO config file by hand, you might specify
   any binary file to write to any partition's bootsector.

I admit - this *should* work theoretically. I cannot test it before I return
home (end september). If I'm successful, I'll post a summary.

If someone can try this before, please mail me if it worked.

Bye !

Frank

future co-existence with Linux?

[Tor]

>When LILO boots a Linux partition, it reads the kernel from the partition 
>into memory and executes it (when LILO is installed, the locations of the
>disk sectors containing the kernel are stored in the boot record with it).

Actually, the boot record contains the disk sectors of a file containing
the disk sectors of the kernel.  In that way it is not necessary to
update the boot record when a new kernel is to be installed, you just
have to update the information in that file.

[The loader can be very small (it fits on the boot record, as mentioned)
 because it doesn't have to know about the file system layout.  A separate,
 user-level program is used instead, its job is just to find the sector
 numbers of the kernel and update the file mentioned above.  In this way
 LILO can be installed on the boot record just once]
-- 
Tor Arntsen (tor@spacetec.no)                       Standard disclaimers apply.
WWW kills the Internet

future co-existence with Linux?

[Bill]

"JLP" == Jerry L Pearson <jpearson@jlc.net> writes:

  JLP> The dos executable loadlin will load Linux from DOS...
  JLP> At a functional level, loadlin would be equivalent to b.com ???

   Yes. Here is a note that illustrates what I think is a sensible way
to manage multiple operating systems on a PC hardware platform.
		-----*-----
>From ez023169@monet.ucdavis.edu Sat Apr 15 20:15:19 1995
Path: rahul.net!a2i!infoseek.com!uunet!salliemae!europa.chnt.gtegsc.com!cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!nntp.club.cc.cmu.edu!hudson.lm.com!newsfeed.pitt.edu!gatech!swrinde!hookup!olivea!charnel.ecst.csuchico.edu!csusac!csus.edu!news.ucdavis.edu!monet.ucdavis.edu!ez023169
From: ez023169@monet.ucdavis.edu (Blade)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: Boot Manager using DOS6.2 Multi-Config Menu!!!!!
Date: 14 Apr 1995 21:44:51 GMT
Organization: University of California, Davis
Lines: 64
Message-ID: <3mmqcj$nsk@mark.ucdavis.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: monet.ucdavis.edu
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]

        Booting linux can be very troublesome at times.  A floppy works fine
but takes a bit longer.  Writing lilo to the MBR can be deadly to new users.
Ofcourse, OS/2 boot manager works fine but not everyone has it.  However, for
users with DOS 6.2, we can use the Multi-Configuration Menu (for config.sys
and autoexec.bat) as a boot manager.
        To do that, one needs to install the LOADLIN package.  Loadlin allows
us to boot linux directly from dos.  Loadlin also takes command line parameters
such as "aha152x=0x340,11,7,1" for Sound Blaster SCSII CDROM Adaptec Controller.        Once LOADLIN is set up, we need to configure CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT so that when we choose "linux" it executes the batch file to boot 
linux.  Look at DOCS for Loadlin for more info.
        Hope this helps all those who wants a boot manger that works better
than lilo.
	Here are my files:
======================config.sys=======================================
[menu]
menuitem = dos
menuitem = linux

[dos]
DEVICE=C:\SCSI\ASPI2DOS.SYS /D /Z
DEVICE=C:\SCSI\ASPICD.SYS /D:ASPICD0
LASTDRIVE = F
DEVICE=C:\MAIN\SB16\DRV\CTSB16.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220 I:5 D:1 H:5
DEVICE=C:\MAIN\SB16\DRV\CTMMSYS.SYS
FILES=40
DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH
REM ** FILES=30
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\  /p
STACKS=9,256

[linux]

=======================autoexec.bat======================================
goto %config%
:dos
C:\SCSI\MSCDEX.EXE /D:ASPICD0 /M:12 /L:F
SET SOUND=C:\MAIN\SB16
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E
C:\MAIN\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S
C:\MAIN\SB16\MIXERSET /P /Q
C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $p$g
PATH C:\WINWORD;C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS
SET TEMP=C:\DOS
goto end

:linux
linux.bat
goto end

:end
 
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_|    _|  _|  _|    _|  _|    _|  _|        
_|_|_|    _|    _|_|_|    _|_|_|    _|_|_|  
                                            
                                            

future co-existence with Linux?

[jmk]

It is functionally equivalent if it can boot over the ethernet, which is the most
common boot method for Plan 9 when PCs are used as terminals instead of little computer
centres.

------ original message follows ------

>From cse.psu.edu!9fans-outgoing-owner Mon Aug 28 23:00:20 EDT 1995
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To:	9fans@cse.psu.edu
From:	jpearson@jlc.net (Jerry L. Pearson)
Subject: Re: future co-existence with Linux?
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The dos executable loadlin will load Linux from DOS...

At a functional level, loadlin would be equivalent to b.com ???

future co-existence with Linux?

[Jerry]

The dos executable loadlin will load Linux from DOS...

At a functional level, loadlin would be equivalent to b.com ???

future co-existence with Linux?

[Andrew]

[dhog@plan9.cs.su.oz.au]
> 
> >	> a) making plan9 bootable from LILO (the Linux loader)?
> >I don't know what LILO does, in fact I know very little about Linux.
> >The Plan 9 kernel has to be loaded into memory at 0x100020 and jumped to
> >in protected mode. It also expects some configuration data to be left
> >around in low memory. These two things are usually done by the boot
> >programme 'b.com' which can be started either from MS-DOS or directly
> >from the boot sector on a floppy.
> 
> I believe that LILO is a boot sector program that comes with Linux,
> which allows you to choose which operating system to run.  Alternatively,
> you can elect to run DOS :-)
> 
> Perhaps there is some way to make LILO load b.com?  (either directly, or
> by loading a copy of /sys/src/boot/pc/bb from a fake dos partition?).  I
> don't know if there is, I am not a Linux guru either...

I haven't played much with Plan 9 (yet), but I have used Linux a lot, and
whilst not a guru on LILO, this is what I know:

When LILO boots a Linux partition, it reads the kernel from the partition 
into memory and executes it (when LILO is installed, the locations of the
disk sectors containing the kernel are stored in the boot record with it).
When it boots DOS, it follows a similar procedure, only instead of loading
the kernel, it loads a file named chain.b which then boots the appropriate
non-master boot record.

I am not sure about b.com (if it requires any MS-DOS interrupt services, it
would not boot without modification); however it would be possible to either
write an assembly-language program which does b.com's work and interfaces 
with LILO, or to actually configure LILO to load the Plan 9 kernel as it
does the Linux kernel.


-- 
/d/def/s/scale/u/dup/f/forall{load def}{loop}stopped pop/r{u 1 lt{-1 0 moveto 1
1 lineto stroke}{[[(ha_a0\211)(db\\h\(~)(eVhdOj)(jd_dbd)(dh\\bT\200)(f_ab^\211)
(c]ffe\201)(`@h`x\200)(cZhd#h)(hb^d0v)(`Lh`8t)(eVhd\223~)(gj^a\230j)(h_ab\210a)
(gd^c\211\205)]{[exch{96 sub}f]}f]{gsave 1 64 div u s concat u 1 sub r grestore
}f}ifelse pop}d 240 u s 1.25 1 translate 4 r showpage% - acb@cs.monash.edu.au -
 

future co-existence with Linux?

[Will]

In article <95Aug27.005132edt.45490@colossus.cse.psu.edu> you wrote:
: 	> a) making plan9 bootable from LILO (the Linux loader)?
: I don't know what LILO does, in fact I know very little about Linux.
: The Plan 9 kernel has to be loaded into memory at 0x100020 and jumped to
: in protected mode. It also expects some configuration data to be left
: around in low memory. These two things are usually done by the boot
: programme 'b.com' which can be started either from MS-DOS or directly
: from the boot sector on a floppy.

: The linkage between b.com and the kernel is likely to change at some
: point, there's a lot of duplication of effort and the current plan9.ini
: configuration scheme needs looked at.

If you are messing with boot loaders, take a look at bootmon at
ftp.cs.vu.nl, pub/minix - it's one of the best ones going, and 
the most versatile, and the best documented.  It was written
by kjb@cs.vu.nl, if you need permission to use it.

(I thought I'd just mention this, so you don't have to re-invent
the wheel as you did with rawrite).

Will
cwr@crash.cts.com

future co-existence with Linux?

[dhog]

>	> a) making plan9 bootable from LILO (the Linux loader)?
>I don't know what LILO does, in fact I know very little about Linux.
>The Plan 9 kernel has to be loaded into memory at 0x100020 and jumped to
>in protected mode. It also expects some configuration data to be left
>around in low memory. These two things are usually done by the boot
>programme 'b.com' which can be started either from MS-DOS or directly
>from the boot sector on a floppy.

I believe that LILO is a boot sector program that comes with Linux,
which allows you to choose which operating system to run.  Alternatively,
you can elect to run DOS :-)

Perhaps there is some way to make LILO load b.com?  (either directly, or
by loading a copy of /sys/src/boot/pc/bb from a fake dos partition?).  I
don't know if there is, I am not a Linux guru either...

future co-existence with Linux?

[Markus]

> b) writing an e2fs server for plan 9?

this shouldn't be to hard: someone has already written an readonly
e2fs-server for VSTa
	(ftp://ophelia.phil.uni-erlangen.de/pub/VSTa/e2fs)
starting with libext2fs by Theodore Y. Ts'o and Remy Card (the lib is in
ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/packages/ext2fse/2fsprogs-0.5b.tar.gz)

ciao
--markus

future co-existence with Linux?

[jmk]

	> a) making plan9 bootable from LILO (the Linux loader)?
I don't know what LILO does, in fact I know very little about Linux.
The Plan 9 kernel has to be loaded into memory at 0x100020 and jumped to
in protected mode. It also expects some configuration data to be left
around in low memory. These two things are usually done by the boot
programme 'b.com' which can be started either from MS-DOS or directly
from the boot sector on a floppy.

The linkage between b.com and the kernel is likely to change at some
point, there's a lot of duplication of effort and the current plan9.ini
configuration scheme needs looked at.

	> b) writing an e2fs server for plan 9?
Writing a server should not be hard given a description of the filesystem
and an existing example to test it on (I don't have either).