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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.hawaii.edu!ames!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!menudo.uh.edu!sugar!karl From: karl@NeoSoft.com (Karl Lehenbauer) Subject: boot string; boot & root floppy set (was Re: Occasional system hangs) Organization: NeoSoft Communications Services -- (713) 684-5900 Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 20:06:27 GMT Message-ID: <Bz9MIu.8A3@NeoSoft.com> References: <1gaclpINN84v@hrd769.brooks.af.mil> <1992Dec11.142822.6314@crash> <1992Dec14.175811.8493@fcom.cc.utah.edu> Lines: 21 In article <1992Dec14.175811.8493@fcom.cc.utah.edu> terry@cs.weber.edu (A Wizard of Earth C) writes: >Another useful approach (that would require full acceptance of Julians >boot blocks -- as in replacing the wdboot code as well) would be to >allow "arguments" on boot to the kernel, like "NOFPU" and "10BITIO" for >people with bad FPU's or single sigma 386's. Of course this would also >require the ability to put these flags in a file somewhere so the >kernel could have them "on" by default. Yeah, SCO has gotten a lot of mileage out of their "boot string" and the ability to type in command options at boot time, like to select the default tape drive, boot into a certain mode, boot a different kernel, and so forth. Another useful thing would be to have a "boot and root" floppy set, where booting would pull the kernel off of one floppy but then pause for you to insert a second floppy with the "real" root filesystem on it. It would free up about 400K on the floppy for more useful programs, if it wouldn't be too hard to do. -- -- Email info@NeoSoft.com for info on getting interactive Internet access. "Turn on your hot tub by email now. Ask me how."