installboot(8) - NetBSD Manual Pages

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INSTALLBOOT(8)       NetBSD/atari System Manager's Manual       INSTALLBOOT(8)


NAME

     installboot -- install a bootstrap on an FFS filesystem partition


SYNOPSIS

     /usr/mdec/installboot [-Nmtuv] device


DESCRIPTION

     installboot prepares the (physically) first partition on a device for
     boot-strapping from the TOS-ROM.  The bootstrap is written into the boot-
     block area on the partition, right in front of the disk pack label, and
     hence limited in size to LABELOFFSET bytes.  A disk pack label should be
     created (see disklabel(8)) before installing the bootstrap.

     The bootstrap is split into three parts: a small first-stage program that
     resides in the (physically) first 512 bytes on the device (as specified
     by Atari Corp.), a second-stage program that immediately follows the
     first-stage program, and a third-stage program that resides on the root
     filesystem.  The first-stage program is loaded into memory by the ROM.
     After receiving control, it loads the second-stage program and the disk
     label.  The second-stage boot program uses the stand-alone filesystem
     code in ``libsa.a'' to load the third-stage boot program from the root-
     filesystem on the device.  The third-stage boot program then loads the
     kernel.  The prototype code for the first-stage boot program can be found
     in /usr/mdec/std/fdboot (floppy disk code), /usr/mdec/std/sdboot (SCSI
     disk code) and /usr/mdec/std/wdboot (IDE disk code).  The second-stage
     boot program is stored in /usr/mdec/std/bootxx.  and the third-stage boot
     program is stored in /usr/mdec/std/boot.atari.  The boot code for Milan
     machines is different from the other machines and the files for the Milan
     can be found in the directory /usr/mdec/milan.  Note that the Milan uses
     the SCSI disk code for both SCSI and IDE disks.

     For backwards compatibility with the vendor specific AHDI disk label,
     a special first-stage boot program is provided in
     /usr/mdec/std/xxboot.ahdi.  Together with the general second-stage boot
     program, it is installed in the AHDI partition where the NetBSD disk
     label lives.  Furthermore, the AHDI specifications require an additional
     bootstrap, which is written into the AHDI root sector (disk block zero).
     The prototype code for this AHDI compliant bootstrap can be found in
     /usr/mdec/std/sdb00t.ahdi and /usr/mdec/std/wdb00t.ahdi, or the equiva-
     lents in /usr/mdec/milan.

     Perform the following steps to make a file system bootable:

     1.   Copy the secondary bootstrap (either /usr/mdec/std/boot.atari or
          /usr/mdec/milan/boot.atari) to the root directory of the target file
          system.

     2.   Use installboot to install the primary and secondary bootstrap pro-
          grams (from /usr/mdec/std or /usr/mdec/milan) into the filesystem.

     The options are as follows:

     -N    Do not actually write anything on the disk.

     -m    Use Milan boot code.

     -t    Number of tracks per cylinder (IDE disk).

     -u    Number of sectors per track (IDE disk).

     -v    Verbose mode.

     The arguments are:

     device  The name of the device on which the bootstrap is to be installed.


EXAMPLES

     The following command will install the first-stage and second-stage boot
     programs in the bootblock area on ``sd0c'':

           installboot sd0


SEE ALSO

     bootpref(8), disklabel(8)


HISTORY

     The installboot command first appeared in NetBSD 1.1


BUGS

     installboot knows too much about kernel internal details, forcing it to
     check the running kernel's release and revision.

     Because neither the floppy disk driver nor disklabel(8) are capable of
     creating a disk pack label on a floppy disk, installboot has to create
     a fictitious label, that is not used by the kernel.

     Except for installation of the bootcode on floppy, installboot automati-
     cally sets the boot preference in NVRAM to NetBSD.

NetBSD 5.2                       March 9, 2004                      NetBSD 5.2