[Coco] [Color Computer] Nitros9 Boot file

[Gene Heskett]

On Thursday 23 November 2006 07:46, Boisy Pitre wrote:
>On Nov 23, 2006, at 6:27 AM, Mark Marlette wrote:
>> Jim,
>>
>> Good work. Raises a question....
>>
>> Boisy - Is the bootfile allowed to be fragmented. I know we talked
>> about it.????
>
>NitrOS-9 V3.2.6 allows for fragmented bootfiles on the disk, but it
>will load in memory as one contiguous blob.  There is no restriction
>about modules needing to start on a block or page boundary, but $8200
>seems to be the limit for reasons I'll have to research.  Good work Jim.

I answered before I read your reply, Boisy.  I wasn't aware there was 
enough room in the boot module to actually do filesystem lookups in the 
case of fragmentation of the file.  Nice touch.

This limit may have crept in un-noticed as I believe I have some working 
floppy disks that have an $8300+ filesize to them from about 10 years 
ago.  But my hardware has changed so they won't boot to anything usefull 
now.

>> Mark
>> www.cloud9tech.com
>>
>> Quoting Jim Hickle <jlhickle at yahoo.com>:
>>> Tonight I made 10 bootfiles -- started with one that
>>> worked, added a bunch of modules, then removed them
>>> until it would successfully boot.  So far, i've found
>>> that os9boot of $8200 or less will allow a successful
>>> boot.  And it will not boot if os9boot is $822F.
>>>
>>> I'm wondering whether the modules once in memory are
>>> contiguous or there may be some gaps. Does the start
>>> of a module have to be on a block or page boundary?
>>>
>>> I'll continue the experiment tomorrow. (The Lord
>>> willing, of course.)
>>>
>>> -jim
>>>
>>> --- Boisy Pitre <boisy at boisypitre.com> wrote:
>>>> I think Jim is hitting the size limitation of a
>>>> bootfile.  I don't
>>>> know the exact size, but once your bootfile gets
>>>> beyond a certain
>>>> point there is an issue.
>>>>
>>>> Jim, try removing your RS-232 module and pear down
>>>> your bootfile down
>>>> a bit.  Better yet, report the size in bytes of the
>>>> bootfiles that
>>>> are working and failing.  That will give us some
>>>> clue as to the range
>>>> of the size limit.
>>>> --
>>>> Boisy G. Pitre
>>>> 337.781.3570 mobile
>>>> email: boisy at boisypitre.com
>>>> Website: www.boisypitre.com
>>>>
>>>> "If there is truth to the proposition that knowing
>>>> the past helps us
>>>> to understand the present, I believe there is at
>>>> least as much truth
>>>> to the proposition that what we know of the present
>>>> is crucial to our
>>>> understanding of the past.  What we have not
>>>> ourselves experienced or
>>>> observed we can at most only partially and
>>>> imperfectly comprehend;
>>>> and I suspect that there is much in history that is
>>>> so remote from
>>>> our own experiences or observations as to be largely
>>>> beyond our
>>>> understanding." - Kenneth M. Stamp
>>>>
>>>> On Nov 22, 2006, at 8:15 AM, Robert Gault wrote:
>>>>> Jim Hickle wrote:
>>>>>> I use the scripts from the current distribution.
>>>>>> I made working boot disks in this order:
>>>>>> 1. unmodified boot
>>>>>> <snip>  We really need the actual bootlist not "I
>>>>
>>>> did this and
>>>>
>>>>>> then that" to
>>>>>
>>>>> debug a boot order list problem. In fact, I'm
>>>>
>>>> surprised that you have
>>>>
>>>>> one as I thought that was confined to the floppy
>>>>
>>>> disk system modules.
>>>>
>>>>>> 8. tried adding CDF modules. Tried moving RAM
>>>>
>>>> disk modules then
>>>>
>>>>>> took them out.
>>>>>> Last item reported on boot is: i2xo
>>>>>
>>>>> Now that is exactly the type of info we need. i2xo
>>>>
>>>> means that the Init
>>>>
>>>>> module was found, entered os9p2 (krnl2), and tried
>>>>
>>>> to open the default
>>>>
>>>>> Init device. There actually should then follow an
>>>>
>>>> error code but if
>>>>
>>>>> the
>>>>> system hung at this point, it suggests a problem
>>>>
>>>> with the type of
>>>>
>>>>> screen
>>>>> used for /term.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is this on a real Coco or emulator? How much
>>>>
>>>> memory is available? Is
>>>>
>>>>> your /term a 32, 40, or 80 width screen? Are the
>>>>
>>>> matching drivers for
>>>>
>>>>> /term part of the boot file? If 40 or 80 width
>>>>
>>>> type /term, is
>>>>
>>>>> grfdrv in
>>>>> the CMDS directory? The latter is a typical cause
>>>>
>>>> for failure at
>>>>
>>>>> i2xo in
>>>>> the boot process.
>>>>>
>>>>>> Six attempts to reboot:
>>>>>> 1. no furthur activity
>>>>>> 2. screen goes blank
>>>>>> 3. black & white checkerboard with green border
>>>>>> 4. "Failed" message
>>>>>> 5 & 6. screen filled with random text
>>>>>> 7. screen of random text, then black border,
>>>>
>>>> white screen with a
>>>>
>>>>>> few blue & black vertical stripes and loss of
>>>>
>>>> vertical sync.
>>>>
>>>>>> Have to run off to work now, but will get ident
>>>>
>>>> of working and not
>>>>
>>>>>> working os9boot files.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thank you!
>>>>>> jim hickle
>>>>>
>>>>> --
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>>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>>>
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>>
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-- 
Cheers, Gene
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