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diff --git a/sys/contrib/dev/fla/README b/sys/contrib/dev/fla/README deleted file mode 100644 index 78433de..0000000 --- a/sys/contrib/dev/fla/README +++ /dev/null @@ -1,198 +0,0 @@ - README and FAQ for the fla driver. - ================================== - - -[0] COPYRIGHT & LICENSE - - Please read the COPYRIGHT file carefully. If you cannot - agree to be bound by the terms of this license, please - contact M-systems and make arrangements with them. - -[1] What does this driver do ? - - This driver supports up to eight M-systems DiskOnChip - devices. - - The driver has been tested with the following devices: - - DiskOnChip2000 (8, 12, 24, 32, 40, 72, 144 MB) - DiskOnChipMillenium (8 MB) - DiskOnChipMillenium TSOP (8 MB) - - You can find full details, specs etc on M-systems homepage: - http://www.m-sys.com - -[2] Which firmware version ? - - The driver has only been tested with version 1.21. - -[3] How many devices ? - - The driver supports up to 8 devices but have been tested only - with 5 due to hardware limitations in my test setup. - -[4] Which FreeBSD versions ? - - The driver is tested for 4.0-CURRENT and 3.3-RELEASE. - - Porting to earlier versions of FreeBSD should be a simple - matter of modifying the fla.c file. [patches are welcome] - -[5] Can I install FreeBSD with sysinstall ? - - Yes, it has been tested in FreeBSD-4.0-CURRENT and it works. - You will need to build a kernel with the fla driver since - the default "GENERIC" kernel doesn't contain the fla driver. - -[6] How to boot from a fla device ? - - FreeBSD 4.0 and forward find their root device by reading - the /etc/fstab, so the DiskOnChip devices will work just - like any other device. - - Earlier FreeBSD kernels recognizes the root device using - various hacks. These hacks doesn't recognize the fla device - so some "real" hacks are needed to boot from your fla - device. - - In pre 4.0 versions specifying the boot device in the kernel - config file this way is the easiest way to do it: - - config kernel root on major 28 minor 65538 - -[7] How to disklabel a fla device ? - - Look at the script in prep.fla.sh, it will do the job for you. - -[8] Who to contact ? - - doc2k@phk.freebsd.dk will offer limited best-effort help - to the extent time permits. Further support for special - projects or configurations available at reasonable hourly - rates. - -[9] Getting detailed - - The DiskOnChip product gets out in some odd corners of the - PC-architecture, and chances are that things don't do what - you expect. Here are some hints and random observations - I've made during my work with these devices. - -[9a] Choosing an address for the DOC - - Each DOC needs a 8K memory window starting on an 8K boundary. - The lowest possible address is C000:0, the highest is DE00:0 - - If your hardware puts the DOC another place, you will need - to modify the doc2k_probe() call in fla.c. - - It is important that you set the BIOS to not do "fancy things" - with this window, in particular no kind of cache or shadowing - can be enabled. - - Be aware that some hardware will decode a 32k memory window - for the DOC device. - - If everything is OK, the DOC will print a message during - the BIOS startup. - - For large devices it can take some time to check the flash - data structures, but if it takes more than 3 minutes - something is wrong. - - If you boot a MSDOS floppy and run FDISK you should be able - to see the DOC device. - - If it doesnt work: - - If you machine never gets to the point where it will boot, - but just hangs it could be because you have a BIOS which - need the "slightly special" DOC firmware. Obviously you - will need to put the DOC in another machine to load this - firmware. You can download the firmware and utilities - from M-systems website http://www.m-sys.com - - If the machine boots, but the device isn't visible it can - be because some other device uses the same memory window, - or because the BIOS prevents it from being used. If you - boot MSDOS and enter DEBUG, you should be able to find a - BIOS extension signature at the address using the 'd' - command, for instance 'd d800:0'. - - A special case is when the DOC prints the BIOS message - but disappears afterwards, this can happen because another - card (NCR SCSI controllers for instance) steal the memory - window later in the boot process. In such a case the - above check with DEBUG will not show the BIOS signature. - -[9b] So just who is drive 'C' here anyway ? - - Using the DUPDATE program you can choose to have the DOC - add itself at the front or the back of the device list. - - This is, unfortunately not the only thing affecting the - drive order, the above mentioned NCR SCSI controllers also - have some builtin AI, and the result can be very confusing - because the DOC will come before even the floppy as a result. - - There is no simple solution for this case, only variuos - work-arounds. But chances are good that most users will - not use both a DOC and a SCSI in the same system, except - maybe for initial programming. - -[9c] MBR/fdisk - - The boot firmware in the DOC and/or the FreeBSD bootblocks - mandate that the first MBR slice/(partition in FDISK lingo) - start exactly at "sector #1, head #1, cylinder #0." You - will have problems booting from the fla if you don't get this - right. The prep.fla.sh script will do this for you. - - DO NOT WRITE JUNK IN THE MBR! The DOC firmware relies on - various fields and can get utterly confused if they don't - make sense. - -[9d] Getting the FreeBSD kernel to use the fla as root - - Please see above under item 6. - -[9e] I turned the machine off while it was running and now my - DOC hangs during boot/panics the machine/does weird things. - - If a write operation to the DOC gets interrupted by reset - or power-failure, it can happen that the flash data structures - are left in a state the sofware cannot cope with. - - Your best chance is to DUPDATE, DFORMAT the device again. - - If it hangs during boot, you can use this particular dirty - trick ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK! DO NOT COMPLAIN IF THIS - DOESN'T WORK FOR YOU OR IF YOU DESTROY YOUR COMPUTER OR - DOC DEVICE DOING IT! - - Jumper the DOC for an address which will not work, but which - will not interfere with the system either, C000:0 seems to - work pretty universally for this. - - Boot MSDOS and rejumper the DOC for its real (working) address. - - Run DUPDATE and use the /win:xxxx argument to point it at the - DOC device. - -[9f] Apart from that... - - ...the DOC is just like any other disk, but it is silent, - has better MTBF and doesn't take up a lot of space. - - -[10] History - - The fla driver was written by Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@FreeBSD.org> - under contract for M-systems, and using their "OSAK" - development kit. - -Good Luck, - -Poul-Henning - -$FreeBSD$ |
