[syslinux] [syslinux:firmware] load_linux: dynamically calculate the cmdline region

[H. Peter Anvin]

On 07/29/2013 06:28 AM, Matt Fleming wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Jul, at 09:49:28AM, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
>> Hmm... this might constrain the heap excessively if the SMT_TERMINAL
>> cutoff is at the wrong place (because there will be just enough SMT_FREE
>> to fit.)  I'm wondering if we shouldn't use the highest of these two
>> regions.
>  
> Could you give an example memory map where this would be a problem? I
> not sure I understand what you mean. Perhaps something like,
> 
>      start       end      type
>   -----------------------------
>   0x090000  0x090400  SMT_FREE
>   0x090400  0x09f000  SMT_TERMINAL
> 

More like the cutoff at, say, 0x094000, and the size of the


> 
> In which case, irrespective of their type, you're suggesting we just
> want the highest usable address from these two regions?
> 
>> Now, for old kernels, there is an additional constraint, which is that
>> the cmdline needs to be part of the same segment as the real mode code,
>> so the above is incorrect for the case of 2.00 or 2.01 kernels loaded
>> high, when the real mode code is loaded low... if we get an address
>> above real_mode_base + 64K those kernels will fail.  2.02+ kernels do
>> not have that limitation.
> 
> I don't understand the implications of loading the kernel high and real
> mode code low, what does the location of the kernel have to do with the
> cmdline? Allocating the cmdline within the same segment as the real mode
> code makes sense though.

If the kernel is loaded low, the real mode code has to be at 0x90000 by
protocol.

If the kernel is loaded high, for kernel >= 2.00 the real mode code can
be anywhere... but the cmdline needs to lie inside the real-mode segment
(in particular in the range covered by setup_move_size).  However, these
kernels, at least for actual Liux, would then still move stuff up to the
0x90000 segment... in large measure defeating the point of loading low.
 It does it pretty late, though, so one can argue that some amount of
overwrite is probably okay.  Probably.

	-hpa