gentoo-overlay/sys-boot/milo/files/README-gentoo

# Copyright 1999-2004 Gentoo Foundation
# Distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License v2
# $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo-x86/sys-boot/milo/files/README-gentoo,v 1.2 2004/07/15 00:54:10 agriffis Exp $
#
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# Gentoo Linux MILO images.
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#
# What is MILO?
# 
###

MILO is an AlphaLinux bootloader, which is usually used to load the Linux
Operating System on Alpha machines that dont have SRM. 

There are two families of firmware on Alpha, ARC and SRM. ARC was developed
for use with Windows NT, and cannot support Linux. Some Alpha's were 
distributed with only ARC firmware, for use specifically with Windows NT, 
these machines would not be able to run any OS except for Windows NT without 
MILO.

If you do have SRM, or the option of using SRM, you should be using the aboot
bootloader, unless you really know what you are doing.

NOTE:	if you have srm, but would like to dual boot with Windows NT, or use ARC
		firmware, you might find MILO more useful than aboot. There are other 
		reasons also, booting a kernel from a reiserfs partition, for example.

NOTE:	The Gentoo MILO images are slightly different to the standard 
		MILO images, they have been patched to compile with gcc3 and 
		work with the latest linux-2.2 kernel and drivers. You can 
		also optimise your MILO image, to maximise the performance of the 
		MILO pager! woooo!
		
FIXME:	will there be a boot speed improvement from optimising MILO?
FIXME:	what about performance of the call_pal routines (or at least the
		overhead of calling them, as they are hand coded asm), will 
		that improve system performance?
		
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# How do i use these images to boot?
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NOTE:	Read the MILO-HOWTO in this directory now!
		There is an explanation and description of all the ways you can 
		start MILO, including SRM, Floppy, Flash and Debug Monitor.

In this directory you will find the MILO images, you can use these to
make MILO boot floppies, or install them to a FAT partition.

There are instructions below for making a MILO boot floppy.


1.	insert the disk you would like to make a MILO floppy.

2.	fdformat /dev/fd0
	
	Obviously, if the disk is already formatted you can skip 
	this step.

3.	mformat a:
	
	this will create a MSDOS file system (FAT) on the floppy.
	
4. mcopy milo-2.4.18-gentoo-<your alpha> a:\milo

	install the milo image for your machine onto the new floppy.
	
5.	mcopy linload.exe a:\linload.exe
		_OR_ if you have a Ruffian machine:
	mcopy ldmilo.exe a:\ldmilo.exe

	install the milo loader, note that ruffians dont use ldlinux.exe
	by default, if your system expects ldlinux.exe, just copy that file 
	instead. the ldmilo included in this ebuild contains the fixes by Jay
	Eastabrook, sometimes called "Jay's Hacked Version".
	
6. echo -ne '\125\252' | dd of=/dev/fd0 bs=1 seek=510 count=2 conv=notrunc

	this might not be nescessary on all machines, but some ARCs expect the
	floppy to be marked bootable, this fakes the magic.
	
7. reboot, and set ARCs to boot your shiny new MILO floppy!

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#
# BUGS
#
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These MILO images are not extensively tested, if you use one
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me! i need to know which systems 
it works on and which ones it doesnt.

if you dont want to enter a bug in http://bugs.gentoo.org/

you can just email me a quick note to taviso@gentoo.org