[LinuxBIOS] Fast path resume, high-level design

[Peter Stuge]

On Thu, May 03, 2007 at 09:01:05PM -0600, Jordan Crouse wrote:
> > Perhaps I just reinvented OpenFirmware? And the v3 dts.
> 
> ding!

=)


On Thu, May 03, 2007 at 08:17:57PM -0700, ron minnich wrote:
> > Perhaps all chip init would best be written in some macro
> > language? (one specific for the task?)
> 
> We've talked about this. It only really works on OLPC because OLPC
> is so incredibly simple.

Yep.


> Add an opteron of the type that stefan used to port to -- variable
> number of CPUs, 31 PCI busses, etc. etc. -- and it's a bit harder.

Yes, but it's still register writes. The functions are just more
complex.. Hm. VHDL could work.

I'm thinking out loud while rebalancing the high level design tree.
Sorry about the noise.

A netlist and BOM is really all that is needed, right?
It would indeed be awesome to generate a BIOS that way.

It's not a BIOS anymore. It's hardware init with an OS starter;
the HIOS. Remember where you heard it first. ;)


> Also, let's pretend that someday there is an OLPC with SPD. The
> problem starts to get ugly again as you add back in SMBUS support,
> etc. etc. -- all that stuff that linuxbios can do pretty well.

There would be high level SPD functions.


> I also still believe, having watched how things played out, that I
> want linux as my bios. Nothing in what I have seen on OLPC changes
> my belief, and some things that have happened on OLPC strongly
> confirm it.

Oh yes, it's overkill but it's the best HAL I know.


> And, as Jordan pointed out, things can fall apart when some of
> these constants change.

Yes, for that macro thing to work only chip constants would be
constant. :)


> There's no clear answer yet.

Nope, but it sure is an interesting problem.


//Peter