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Annotation of researchv8dc/sys/boot/README, revision 1.1.1.1

1.1       root        1: Bootstrap code for VAXes lives here.
                      2: 
                      3: The goal on any type of VAX: somehow load the secondary boot program `boot' into
                      4: memory, and get it to load /unix.
                      5: 
                      6: On the VAX-11/780 and 785, the console BOOT command executes a command file
                      7: according to its arguments: B SDF invokes SDFBOO.CMD from the floppy; B
                      8: without args calls DEFBOO.CMD.  For Unix, the command file typically does
                      9: anything that must be done early (turning on interleaved memory, for
                     10: instance), loads a copy of `boot' from the floppy, puts boot flags in R11
                     11: and perhaps a device type in R10, and starts boot.
                     12: 
                     13: ./floppy contains junk that should be put (verbatim) on the console floppy.
                     14: Other, site-specific junk (like the microcode appropriate to your system)
                     15: should go on the floppy too.
                     16: 
                     17: On the VAX-11/750, the B command causes a tiny ROM program to be called,
                     18: with parameters set from arguments: B XY3 picks a ROM named `XY' and passes
                     19: the unit number 3 in a register.  Standard ROMs read block 0 from some device
                     20: into low memory, and start it at address 0xC.  Some standard registers are
                     21: set up with things like the device unit number and the address of a driver
                     22: subroutine in the ROM, so it's possible to have a device-independent boot
                     23: block.  It's a nice setup, and nobody uses it much.  Unix boot blocks read
                     24: /boot from the root filesystem and start it.
                     25: 
                     26: ./bb contains source to several boot blocks.  1kboot and 4kboot are device-
                     27: independent boot blocks (using the driver provided by the ROM) for 1k and 4k
                     28: filesystems; /boot doesn't know about the device-independent conventions (yet),
                     29: so ?kboot tell /boot that the system device is a UDA50 disk.  upboot is a
                     30: boot block for some kinds of SMD disk on a UNIBUS Emulex controller; hpboot
                     31: is for MASSBUS controllers.  upboot is Emulex-dependent in the way it guesses
                     32: the size of the disk; look for references to the hr register to fix that.
                     33: There are some other boots too; do what you like with them.
                     34: 
                     35: ./stand contains the source for `boot,' and a few other standalone utilities.
                     36: Only boot is thought to work.  Boot assumes that ra disks have 4k filesystems,
                     37: that up/hp disks have 1k filesystems, and probably doesn't work with anything
                     38: else.
                     39: 
                     40: To set things up on an 11/780, add the contents of ./star to the console floppy.
                     41: If you have interleaved memory, de-comment the DEPOSIT lines in all the
                     42: command files first.
                     43: To set things up on an 11/750, install the appropriate boot block as block 0
                     44: of the root filesystem (which should be the first partition on unit 0), and
                     45: make sure you have a working boot ROM as well.  Copy boot to /boot.
                     46: 
                     47: Caveat booter.

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