Return to BSD News archive
Xref: sserve comp.arch:35840 comp.os.386bsd.questions:5122 Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.os.386bsd.questions Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!agate!doc.ic.ac.uk!uknet!pavo.csi.cam.ac.uk!rf From: rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns) Subject: Re: PALcode Message-ID: <1993Sep15.082006.19001@infodev.cam.ac.uk> Sender: news@infodev.cam.ac.uk (USENET news) Nntp-Posting-Host: dorceus.cl.cam.ac.uk Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK References: <GRUNWALD.93Sep12113432@foobar.cs.colorado.edu> <2700niINN8fr@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu> <CD9HsC.EIH.1@cs.cmu.edu> <id.H4M21.B7J@nmti.com> <CDDJq5.FMF@mv.mv.com> Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1993 08:20:06 GMT Lines: 31 In article <CDDJq5.FMF@mv.mv.com>, cherkus@fastball.unimaster.com (Dave Cherkus) writes: |> In article <id.H4M21.B7J@nmti.com>, peter@nmti.com (peter da silva) writes: |> |> What happens if someone wants to port a third-party operating system (like |> |> NetBSD, for example) to the Alpha? Do you have to make do with the published |> |> PALcode traps, or can you get documentation on the underlying architecture? |> |> After reading the Arch Ref, I think you could port other operating |> systems using the published PALcode traps, and that you'd be darn |> glad DEC wrote the stuff for you. There is a set of PALcode tools that come with the EB64 (and presumably with the new EB66/68 [or whatever it's called]). They include a complete set of PALcode for the board, implementing the AXP OSF/1 calling conventions, and words to the effect "if we were you, we'ld start from here...". On the whole (having looked at the lot) I agree. How this relates to providing PALcode for a Workstation is another matter. (PALcode is different per platform as well as per implementation of the architecture.) While DEC are definitely in the business of selling silicon (and hence _have_ to provide some means of writing PALcode for `bare' stuff), they haven't that I can detect defined a policy about supporting writers of PALcode DEC workstations. Our local DEC tech support guy has, however, been extremely supportive; you could do worse than to talk to yours. Unfortunately, the contact has to be made via the sales-droid. -- Robin (Campaign for Real Radio 3) Fairbairns rf@cl.cam.ac.uk U of Cambridge Computer Lab, Pembroke St, Cambridge CB2 3QG, UK