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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!olivea!uunet!quack!mrapple From: mrapple@quack.kfu.com (Nick Sayer) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.development Subject: Boot ROM standardization urged Message-ID: <f0Vqgtl@quack.kfu.com> Date: 22 Mar 93 21:40:17 GMT Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest'. Lines: 17 From reading this group I get the idea that at least one person is developing boot ROMs for 386BSD. Before we come up with a system specific one, wouldn't it be a good idea to come up with a standard one? One that would RARP, then use TFTP to load a file at a standard address, then provide standardized service routines for that TFTP file to use as it sees fit? What I'm suggesting is a setup where the ROMs are card specific (as they must be), and the TFTP file is OS specific (as it must be), but the two can be fit together in a standard way. If we adopt such a standard, I suggest that it won't be long before the OS vendors join us. Won't it be nice being able to switch OSs without switching boot ROMs? -- Nick Sayer <mrapple@quack.kfu.com> | Nick's rule of hardware customizing: N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NOAM | +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest' | The factory settings are never right. PGP 2.1 public key via finger |