[U-Boot-Users] My first embedded project

[Wolfgang Denk]

In message <OF148F35BA.97D68C7A-ON07256FA4.007D54A4 at mck.us.ray.com> you wrote:
> 
> 1. Is there a way to use U-boot without an EEPROM. Can we use U-b oot with

U-Boot does not need any EEPROM at all.

Ummm... maybe you meant flash memory when you wrote EEPROM?

Even then, U-Boot does not need any flash at all,  either.  [Although
it makes some things much easier.]

> its environmental variables on the Compactflash card?

Short answer: no, this is not possible.

In the current code there is no support for storing  the  environment
in  CF;  adding this feature is non trivial and not possible withouit
major reorganization of the U-Boot code.

Remember that the environment must be  accessable  very  early,  even
before  the  system  RAM  has  been  initialized,  i.  e.  in  a very
restricted environment with just a minimal stack,  no  writable  data
segment,  etc.  Compact  Flash  (or  more  generally: IDE) support is
enabled much, much later in the boot sequence.


> 2. Is there a doc that details the boot processes of the boot loader  and
> the linux kernel?

You mean additionally to the README and the manual and the sources? No.

> 3. Is there a doc detailing the process of downloading, configuring and
> porting an open source kernel to the VII Pro?

Dunno.


Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
Business is like a wheelbarrow. Nothing ever happens until you  start
pushing.