Messages in this thread | | | From | "Chris Swiedler" <> | Subject | RE: Updated 2.4 TODO List | Date | Thu, 12 Oct 2000 11:02:50 -0400 |
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> On Wed, 11 Oct 2000 18:10:40 -0400, > tytso@mit.edu wrote: > >Are you sure it was compiled with the correct CPU? If you configure the > >CPU incorrectly (686 when you only have a 586, etc.) the kernel *will* > >refuse to boot. > > > >Maybe we should have the kernel print the CPU information it was > >compiled with before it does anything else..... It'll make it easier to > >catch what may be a fairly common set of PEBCAK case.... > > Unfortunately any code like this > if (a) > b = 99; > generates conditional move (cmove) instructions on 686. In vsprintf.c > there are several of these constructs, in particular strnlen generates > it. So printk("%s", text) tends to fault as well. Some people have > argued that critical routines should always be compiled with -i386, > unfortunately that includes all of printk and all console handling > (both serial and screen), not really an option. > > If anything is going to detect the mismatch and complain, it has to be > the boot loader, after uncompressing and before entering the kernel > proper.
But the kernel should be able to write directly to the screen, even if it's extremely minimal information. Something like how LILO does it: test the common hang-on-boot conditions (like wrong CPU type) and print a single character after each test.
chris
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