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From: gary@dragon.dsh.org (Gary D. Duzan)
Subject: Re: PALcode
Organization: Delaware State Hospital
References: <2700niINN8fr@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu> <CD9HsC.EIH.1@cs.cmu.edu> <id.H4M21.B7J@nmti.com>
Message-ID: <CDI2pr.2Du@dragon.dsh.org>
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1993 13:27:25 GMT
Lines: 28
In article <id.H4M21.B7J@nmti.com> peter@nmti.com (peter da silva) writes:
=>In article <CD9HsC.EIH.1@cs.cmu.edu> lindsay+@cs.cmu.edu (Donald Lindsay) writes:
=>> In practice, the extra instructions are for manipulating low-level
=>> grunge, such as powerup and TLB refill. They have access to registers
=>> which are otherwise invisible, and which are not defined in the Alpha
=>> spec.
=>
=>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?
It has been a bit since I have looked at my Alpha Architecture
Reference Manual, but I believe there should be enough information
between it and the chip-specific manual to write a new set of PALcode
routines. I saw a PostScript document on the 21064 when I was on
axposf.pa.dec.com, and from what I managed to get from it, I think it
would be enough. The new 20166 and 20168 chips should be quite similar,
if not the same, as far as PALcode is concerned. Other incarnations of
the Alpha architecture may be quite different, though. If I had NetBSD
for the AlphaPC, I would probably buy one tomorrow.
Gary D. Duzan
Network Administrator
Delaware State Hospital