Messages in this thread | | | From | "Strohm Thomas (FV/SLD) *" <> | Subject | Linux/ix86 booting process and BIOS | Date | Mon, 21 Feb 2000 10:51:19 +0100 |
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Linux only uses the 16bit-BIOS when booting while still in real mode (and some parts of the 32bit-BIOS like PCI, APM, ACPI even later when in protected mode, but this is not of interest here). If I understood correctly, the BIOS basically initializes the hardware according to the settings made in the BIOS setup screen and other parameters.
Linux, however, once again does device initilization after decompressing the kernel and before forking init.
My question now is: - To which extent is the initialization stuff performed by the BIOS repeated by Linux kernel? - Which tasks really have to be performed by the BIOS? What does Linux rely on? - Could one imagine a BIOS which (basically) just initializes IDE, loads LILO and jumps to it? (assuming that we boot from hda).
Thomas.
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