[syslinux] Location and name of configuration files

[H. Peter Anvin]

Kim Mik wrote:
> It would also be nice, that syslinux and derivates, will look for a config file at the directory where syslinux is installed.
> 
> syslinux -d /some/directory/ /dev/sda1
> 
> will try to find /some/directory/syslinux.cfg first.
> 

This is surprisingly difficult given the structure of (V)FAT.

> Also a new keyword CD can be handy when you want to make a multiboot CD/USB/... from different distro's.
> 
> The CD keyword will make the directory that is given after it, the new main directory, so you don't need to adapt all relative paths.

The infamous "change directory" problem.  It's a lot harder than you
think, because doing it the obvious way loses track of the config file.

Making it a directive (as opposed to an option to the CONFIG statement)
makes is almost impossible to do (because filenames are stored, and you
just changed the meaning of them all.)  Doing it together with CONFIG is
probably doable, but I have been way too busy to do it right.  Gene Cumm
(I believe) did a patch doing the straightforward bit, but the
subtleties never got dealt with.

At this point I'm inclined to let any of that wait until liu's rewrite
of the filesystem code in C is done.

	-hpa

-- 
H. Peter Anvin, Intel Open Source Technology Center
I work for Intel.  I don't speak on their behalf.