[U-Boot-Users] [PATCH] make the machid configurable via theenvironment (Was: [PATCH] Changed load address and entrypoint for uImage to ZRELADDR + 6MB)

[Nicolas Pitre]

On Wed, 30 Jan 2008, Ulf Samuelsson wrote:

> Nicolas Pitre wrote:
> > > But does U-Boot properly provide machine information to the kernel these
> > > days?  I have been and still being burned by U-Boot hardcoding the
> > > _wrong_ machine ID, and therefore custom built kernels from k.o simply
> > > won't boot on those boards without hacking the kernel source.
> > With "our" U-Boot you can override the compiled-in machid with an
> > environment variable.  I didn't implement this patch but I think it's
> > not that difficult.  I will check tomorrow if I can easily get a patch
> > out of our scm.
> 
> I proposed this patch for a long time, but it was rejected by Wolfgang.

And may Wolfgang explain just why?

> I am seeing multiple companies implementing small CPU modules
> incorporating CPU + FPGA, and the customers will adopt the FPGA
> code for their own need, and then they need to create a new machine id.
> 
> Having such a patch will allow people in this situation to use the 
> U-Boot on the board without recompilation.

Yes, and it will considerably reduce the grundge against U-Boot from 
kernel people, myself included.

The current situation with U-Boot simply encourage people to put stupid 
hacks in the kernel instead in order to work around this U-Boot 
artificial limitation, which is not bringing any sympathy for better 
U-Boot support in the kernel build system amongst other things.

So I'm asking for Wolfgang to seriously reconsider accepting this patch.


Nicolas