In message <20050205191110.GD3071@mail.robertmichel.de> you wrote:
>
> Kexec is written for x86 (yet) - but the (my) question is if
> this would be possible with MIPS, too.
Other, smilar solutions exist for other architectures, like Magnus
Damm's "relf" tool for PowerPC and x86 (relf - reload elf: a driver
to load and start a new elf file from within Linux). Adaptions for
other processors are more or less trivial.
> Does GRUB run on MIPS? Does GRUB support SSH2? Does most MIPS
> bootlaoders support USB-sticks or booting via VPNs?
Use U-Boot :-)
> LinuxBios is a "nice" project, but for most boards/boxes Linuxer
> could be happy to be able to boot it - to develop a nice boadloader
> is depended from the hard/firmware of the systems.
Use U-Boot :-)
> A kernel with a kexec like patch could be used into the bootchain
> for several reasons:
...
> - booting from original not supported devices (usb, network)
...
> - for upgrades lower downtimes (Router, Firewalls....)
These are IMHO the only valid reasons for such an approach.
> IMHO would be the most powerfull and flexible way
> to boot a linux kernel,
> to boot it just from an other linux kernel.
We've been using "relf" in some projects (x86 - where we were stuck
with really dumb BIOSes), but I cannot see many situations where
kexec is actually better or more powerful than a decent bootloader
line U-Boot. OK, I'm obviously biased.
Best regards,
Wolfgang Denk
--
Software Engineering: Embedded and Realtime Systems, Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd@denx.de
In an organization, each person rises to the level of his own incom-
petency - The Peter Principle
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