Re: Can 164SX with AlphaBIOS boot from network?

[Jay Estabrook <Jay Estabrook compaq com>]

On Tue, Feb 12, 2002 at 05:08:28PM -0700, Donald White wrote:
> 
> Yes, of course, I don't have a real boot file, but you suspected that. 
> I just gave it a name to see what would happen as I could find no
> documentation, a bit of experimental computer science.  I am working on
> a research OS called Sombrero.  See http://www.eas.asu.edu/~sasos.  I am
> looking for a way to load an AlphaBIOS application over the network
> rather than from the run maintenance program menu selection.
> 
> Does AlphaBIOS provide an API to the NIC?  The ADK shows one for the
> SCSI adapter.  I was hoping to develop some AlphaBIOS applications to do
> prototyping for future Sombrero device drivers.

I think that the netboot capability of AlphaBIOS was never intended
for generic applications.

At one time, I got a buddy to hack up an AlphaBIOS that could netboot
MILO; it was tricky because you are really netbooting 2 things, ie the
pre-booter and then MILO, and the normal console behavior is to close
the NIC interface after the first image comes across.

Is there any reason you are avoiding the use of SRM?

--Jay++

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Jay A Estabrook                            Alpha Engineering - LINUX Project
Compaq Computer Corp. - MRO1-2/K15         (508) 467-2080
200 Forest Street, Marlboro MA 01752       Jay.Estabrook@compaq.com
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