[U-Boot-Users] uploading OS over network instead of u-boot do wnloading it from a server.

[Woodruff, Richard]

If system requirements allow for it, adding in a simple zeroconf ip address
assignment would seem to be ideal in a lot of situations.  All you need to
do is a hash on a mac, some arp broadcasts, and you up :)  www.zeroconf.org
.  There also is some service discovery stuff but I've not looked to deeply
at that aspect of it.  Linux has a patch for it, microsoft and apple have
been using it for a while. Next time you see a 169.x.x.x address you know
where it came from. :)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brian S. Park [mailto:brian at corelis.com] 
> Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 4:20 PM
> To: Wolfgang Denk
> Cc: 'u-boot-users at lists.sourceforge.net'; Wells, Charles
> Subject: Re: [U-Boot-Users] uploading OS over network instead 
> of u-boot do wnloading it from a server. 
> 
> 
> Dear Wolfgang,
> 
> > > The advantage I see is this.
> > > 1. You ship 1 less piece of software. Less number of application 
> > > that
> > needs
> > > to be installed/started is always better, IMHO, when it comes to 
> > > support.
> >
> >Don't you have to ship a (proprietary?) upload client instead of  the
> >(standard) TFTP server?
> 
> It could be integrated to our PC side application which can 
> upload it the 
> first time it connects to the target. Integrating TFTP server to our 
> application would require it to start before the user 
> powering up the target.
> 
> 
> > > 2. It makes the network configuration a bit simpler. If 
> you do not 
> > > have a dedicated TFTP server, you must use serial console 
> to setup 
> > > the  server IP before you can boot if you change the tftp server. 
> > > Users only have to
> > worry
> > > about 1 IP instead of 2 when setting up our product. Since large 
> > > number of our users are not very network savvy, things like this 
> > > make a difference when it comes to support.
> >
> >As mentioned before, the TFTP server which is  used  for  
> example  by 
> >Abatron does not require any special setup on the host.
> >
> >In any case you will have to setup both the network 
> interfaces on the 
> >host and the target.
> 
> With TFTP client approach, I need to set the serverip environmental 
> variable to IP of PC with the TFTP server. If I move the 
> controller to 
> another room, and found out that the PC with TFTP server is 
> not powered up, 
> I need to either change the serverip variable to the new PC I 
> intended to 
> use or go back to the other room and power up the PC. :)
> 
> I think it's easiest for the user and the developer if the 
> firmware is 
> entirely stored on the flash. If we can upload the OS, we can 
> make it work 
> as if the firmware is on the target (i.e. hide TFTP stuff 
> from the user).
> 
> > > I have no idea how complicated it will be to implement server 
> > > feature.
> >
> >It is not complicated. But IMHO not worth the effort.
> 
> I always appreciate your comments and opinion.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Brian
> 
> 
> ===============================================================
> Brian S. Park  brian at corelis.com  (562) 926-6727 x143
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