Re: [Q]booting kaffe-on-linux

To: oskit-users@cs.utah.edu, wchkang@caelantra.kaist.ac.kr
Subject: Re: [Q]booting kaffe-on-linux
From: Kevin Van Maren <vanmaren@fast.cs.utah.edu>
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 11:14:18 -0700 (MST)

> booting kaffe-on-linux with lilo has some problems...
> 
> kaffe-on-linux boot image made by mklinuximage is
> 
> bigger than 512k (about 900k)

Yes, boot images can get very large (even without Kaffe),
especially with debugging symbols or boot modules.

> so, lilo complains 'Kernel boot image XXX too big'
> 
> how can i boot kaffe-on-linux with lilo?

Sorry, you can't boot that image under Linux.  The problem is
with the Linux boot loader (LILO) not being able to boot large
kernels.  It is a fundumental limitation with LILO, and is what
drove the loadable module support in Linux, and is also partly
solved by the use of "bZ"Images under Linux, which, unfortunatly,
are not yet supported by the OSKit.

This boot loader limitation is one reason (of many) we do
development primarially under FreeBSD.

I recommend that you install Grub on a floppy, and use that to
load your large kernels.  Or, if you have a network, you may
try the netboot kernel and use that to load a large kernel over
the network.  [I'm not going to tell you to run FreeBSD, but
that would also fix the problem. ;-)]

Or, if you have a lot of free time, you can look at the bZimage
support in Linux and see about adding that to the OSKit.
Alternativly, you can look at making Kaffe fit into 500kB
(compressed) by stripping out stuff you don't need.

> thanks in advance.

Good luck.

Kevin Van Maren,
University of Utah, CSL

Follow-Ups:

Re: [Q]booting kaffe-on-linux

From: Mike Ashley <jashley@eecs.ukans.edu>