Re: [Etherboot-developers] [COMMIT] 5.1.2+ boot from disk.

[Michael B. <mb...@fe...>]

On Sat, 31 Aug 2002, Ken Yap wrote:
> >In this case the first 512 bytes was being placed at 0x92200.  One segment
> >of the NBI file had image from 0x90200 to 0x91600 and BSS from 91600 to
> >9A000, so the BSS overlapped the 0x92200 region reserved for the
> >directory.
> I think I understand what happened.  There is a misapprehension here
> that the difference between the image length and the memory length is
> the BSS.  There is no preassigned meaning such as BSS to this gap or to
> any area.  The loaded areas are just areas, not necessarily code, could
> be data, disk images, ramdisk, whatever.  Etherboot is just a memory
> loader + a start address, not a program loader like an OS. It's not even
> a Linux specific loader.  Etherboot does not zero any areas.  If in the
> rare case that a segment is to zeroed before use, it should be arranged
> by running code.  Disk loaders don't zero memory before loading and
> neither should Etherboot.

OK, so is the consensus that the gap area should never be zeroed?

Michael Brown
http://www.fensystems.co.uk