Re: [9fans] factotum.hack -> factotum and ... no more CMOS as nvram

Re: [9fans] factotum.hack -> factotum and ... no more CMOS as nvram

[ron minnich]

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003, David Presotto wrote:

> I used to use it for config info when I first started playing with
> PC's.  I stopped because most of the BIOSes complained when I changed
> it, even when I used a part that they weren't using.

yes, you have to redo the checksum or they bioses get upset.


> ALso, there didn't seem to be any consistency in how the different
> BIOSes used the area except for the initial few bytes so I never knew
> what part was available to me.

yes.


> Is there any way to tell if its a Linux BIOS and only look then?

I can look for that. I'll try to see if there's a way to make that go.

For now, since I'm on deadline, I'm going to go with sdC0/nvram.

ron

Re: [9fans] factotum.hack -> factotum and ... no more CMOS as nvram

[ron minnich]

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003, Russ Cox wrote:

> But if you've got a system where you have forgotten to create a disk
> nvram partition, it is usually _not_ okay to start scribbling on
> #r/nvram.  I think we only want to use #r/nvram if directed, and we can
> do that by setting nvram= in plan9.ini.

yeah, that occured to me after sending that note :-)

Stupid BIOSes. I hate 'em.

ron

Re: [9fans] factotum.hack -> factotum and ... no more CMOS as nvram

[Russ Cox]

> > yes, it will break every system we have.
>
> Well, it's hard to argue with that reason. I have no desire to break all
> the systems, but, why would this break them? On normal systems the sdC0
> nvram would be found first.
>
> Anyway I may not need this, as I can just set up the compact flash with an
> nvram partition, and give up on the CMOS anyway.

Okay, well if you put it last in the list then it won't
break all the current systems.

But if you've got a system where you have forgotten
to create a disk nvram partition, it is usually _not_
okay to start scribbling on #r/nvram.  I think we only
want to use #r/nvram if directed, and we can do that
by setting nvram= in plan9.ini.

Russ

[9fans] factotum.hack -> factotum and ... no more CMOS as nvram

[ron minnich]

OK, on the older kernel I built for the geodes, I got it to the point that
I could use #r/nvram (i.e. CMOS) as the nvram for the key. On the newer
kernels, I can't get this to work. I've checked the data in CMOS (a.k.a.
nvram) and it is correct - - checksum is right, data is right, etc.

But I keep getting this 'bad authentication id' message. It's as though
the factotum is not looking the desired nvram, or not reading it
correctly. I have hardwired these variables in the kernel:

nvram is #r/nvram
nvroff is 0
nvrlen is 112

One thing that has changed is that the line:
factotum.hack factotum
in my old pccpu has changed to:
/386/bin/auth/factotum factotum
in the new pccpu. Could this have any bearing on my problem? What was
factotum.hack?

Is there some other nvram or other variable I should set? Will factotum
pick up these environment variables and "do the right thing", or is
something else needed?

thanks

ron