[U-Boot] Installing UBoot on X86 architecture with BIOS

[Graeme Russ]

On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 9:00 AM, nima chavooshi <nima0102 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi
> I am newbie on Uboot or other boot loaders context.we intend to
> install our Linux based OS on Portwell (is not Embedded ) appliances
> and want to choose one boot loader with some features.Of course our
> appliances have BIOS. before any argue, one question arises:
> Is it possible to install Uboot on system that has BIOS? if so, Is it

Not yet

> reasonable ?

Not really


> Some features we have need :
> 1- show detail information about hardware before loading kernel,such
> as storage system,ram capacity,CPU family and so on.
> 2- boot over net.
> 3-load kernel from storage.
>
> I have had some search on LILO, but before any decision, I want to
> make sure about other boot loaders.

Have you had a look at GRUB?

Now let me explain a little further...

U-Boot for the x86 architecture is designed to begin execution from the
CPU's reset vector so it essentially replaces the BIOS. That being said,
U-Boot does have a 'warm' entry point which, in theory, means it could be
loaded into memory (by GRUB for example) but by this stage, the CPU has
been put into 'Protected Mode' and the BIOS is no longer available (it
can only be accessed by 'Real Mode' interrupts.

I do intend to make x86 U-Boot loadable from GRUB, but only as an
intermediate step towards porting U-Boot to single-board PCs. So yes,
one day U-Boot will be loadable (via GRUB) on PCs, but it is only ever
going to be a 'development step' towards removing the BIOS completely.

Note that CoreBoot already offers up a PC BIOS replacement for mainstream
PC motherboards - I intend to target U-Boot more towards industrial PC /
Single-Board-Computers

Regards,

Graeme