Can I execute a linuxbios image from linux?

[Svante Signell]

Hello,

I'm trying to upgrade the CPU on a 440BX dual board MSI-6210 from dual
Celerons (Mendocino) to a single Celeron2 (Tualatin) using a socket 370
to slot 1 adapter, SLOT-T from Upgradeware. On other 440BX based
motherboards, this works perfectly. Two computers I have upgraded are a
QDI BrillianX 1 based box and the Compaq 5670. The lates BIOS for the
6120 does not support Coppermine or Tualatin processors.

With the 6120, I get a successful boot too, but the effective speed is 7
MHz as compared to expected 1.3GHz (measured with lmbench). I have made
a small kernel module testing the level 2 cache activation code, without
any improvements. Also mtrr seems to be set up correctly. Now I would
like to execute a full linuxbios image after boot to linux, in order to
avoid the problem of re-flashing the BIOS. Is this possible?

The Upgradeware support pages mentions that the IO chips have to be of
correct type for a similar single CPU board, the MSI-6119 to uork with
the SLOT-T adapter. What function does the IO chip have, and how can in
be tested? 

Thanks,
Svante

[ron minnich]

I'm not sure you're going to get much help here, as your question is kind 
of off topic for this list, but we'll see.

ron

[Svante Signell]

OK, maybe my question is OT, but not completely OT. Maybe I can try to
move the L440BX stuff from V1 to V2, and when it compiles get help from
the list after that?

Is there a way to try out a new BIOS without risking to end up with an
unbootable main-board, ethernet, serial port, some special card
connected to the south-bridge (PIIX4) e.g. a special PCI/ISA card, etc?
Other solutions including soldering, EEPROM programming devices, etc?

What is the function of th IO chip?
Thanks,
Svante

On Wed, 2004-03-31 at 16:39, ron minnich wrote:
  I'm not sure you're going to get much help
here, as your question is kind 
 of off topic for this list, but we'll see.
 
 ron
 
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[Kevin O'Connor]

On Wed, Mar 31, 2004 at 09:30:16PM +0200, Svante Signell wrote:
  Is there a way to try out a new BIOS without risking
to end up with an
 unbootable main-board, ethernet, serial port, some special card
 connected to the south-bridge (PIIX4) e.g. a special PCI/ISA card, etc?
 Other solutions including soldering, EEPROM programming devices, etc?
A number of people are using the "BIOS Savior" product with success.  See:
http://www.ioss.com.tw/eg/rd1/index.html

Depending on which part you need, you can mail order it from mwave.com,
pcmods.com, or probably a bunch of other places.

-Kevin

-- 
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 | Kevin O'Connor                  "BTW, IMHO we need a FAQ for      |
 | kevin(a)koconnor.net               'IMHO', 'FAQ', 'BTW', etc.
!"    |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------

[Svante Signell]

Kevin,

Thank you for the information. I'll check if this equipment is usable
for my hardware. The crucial thing is whether the BIOS chip is socketed
or not. We'll see, at least I know the size is 2Mbit, since the latest
BIOS binary (A6120IMS.200) supported by MSI is 261144kbyte. Does anybody
have experience with removing a soldered chip on a motherboard without
destroying anything?

I sent in an update enquiry about my BIOS version (AMI) to
www.esupport.com and they offered me to purchase a new one, supporting
modern CPUs and up to Windows XP, for around the same price as the "BIOS
saviour" board costs. Since I'm only running Linux on this computer, I'm
not interested in booting other OSes. I'm mostly interested to be able
to upgrade the box with faster (dual) processors.    

However, according to the answers obtained so far there seems to be no
interest at all to make LinuxBIOS(V2) work with older motherboards, such
as the widely spread 440BX-based ones. As mentioned in earlier postings,
I'm willing to be a test pilot for this port, but I cannot do it without
help from the LinuxBIOS developers.

Thanks,
Svante

On Thu, 2004-04-01 at 02:46, Kevin O'Connor wrote:
  On Wed, Mar 31, 2004 at 09:30:16PM +0200, Svante
Signell wrote:
  Is there a way to try out a new BIOS without
risking to end up with an
 unbootable main-board, ethernet, serial port, some special card
 connected to the south-bridge (PIIX4) e.g. a special PCI/ISA card, etc?
 Other solutions including soldering, EEPROM programming devices, etc?
 
 A number of people are using the "BIOS Savior" product with success.  See:
 http://www.ioss.com.tw/eg/rd1/index.html
 
 Depending on which part you need, you can mail order it from mwave.com,
 pcmods.com, or probably a bunch of other places.
 
 -Kevin

[ron minnich]

On Fri, 2 Apr 2004, Svante Signell wrote:

  Thank you for the information. I'll check if this
equipment is usable
 for my hardware. The crucial thing is whether the BIOS chip is socketed
 or not. We'll see, at least I know the size is 2Mbit, since the latest
 BIOS binary (A6120IMS.200) supported by MSI is 261144kbyte. Does anybody
 have experience with removing a soldered chip on a motherboard without
 destroying anything?
2 Mbit == 256K, too small for a kernel. 

I think Bari Ari will tell us if you can get that part off :-)

  However, according to the answers obtained so far
there seems to be no
 interest at all to make LinuxBIOS(V2) work with older motherboards, such
 as the widely spread 440BX-based ones. As mentioned in earlier postings,
 I'm willing to be a test pilot for this port, but I cannot do it without
 help from the LinuxBIOS developers.
LinuxBIOS generally works fine with 440BX boards. 

ron

[Svante Signell]

On Fri, 2004-04-02 at 20:08, ron minnich wrote:
  On Fri, 2 Apr 2004, Svante Signell wrote:
 
 > Thank you for the information. I'll check if this equipment is usable
 > for my hardware. The crucial thing is whether the BIOS chip is socketed
 > or not. We'll see, at least I know the size is 2Mbit, since the latest
 > BIOS binary (A6120IMS.200) supported by MSI is 261144kbyte. Does anybody
Sorry
my mistake: 261.144 kbyte = 256 Kibyte = 2 Mibit = 2.097152 Mbit.
  2 Mbit == 256K, too small for a kernel.
I
thought the LinuxBIOS was parts from of a kernel. What size is needed? 
It seems that the flash sizes are 1,2 and 4 Mibit, at least for older boards.
Have I missed something here?

  I think Bari Ari will tell us if you can get that part
off :-)
Is he on this list?

  However,
according to the answers obtained so far there seems to be no
 interest at all to make LinuxBIOS(V2) work with older motherboards, such
 as the widely spread 440BX-based ones. As mentioned in earlier postings,
 I'm willing to be a test pilot for this port, but I cannot do it without
 help from the LinuxBIOS developers.
 
 LinuxBIOS generally works fine with 440BX boards.
Do you mean the target for 440BX
in freebios version1, 
freebios/util/config/l440bx-test12.config? 
Do the latest kernels,e.g. 2.4.25 still have to be patched with the 2.4.13 patch,
freebios/src/kernel_patches/linux-2.4.13-l440gx.diff?
Is the onboard SCSI and dual CPU supported?

[Antony Stone]

On Saturday 03 April 2004 10:22 am, Svante Signell wrote:

  I thought the LinuxBIOS was parts from of a kernel.
What size is needed?
 It seems that the flash sizes are 1,2 and 4 Mibit, at least for older
 boards. Have I missed something here?
LinuxBIOS is not the Linux kernel.   LinuxBIOS is boot code which gets 
hardware working sufficiently to start a kernel.   Where that kernel is found 
and booted from is your choice.   Some people put it on an IDE device (eg: 
hard disk), some people use Compact Flash (which is basically an IDE 
interface as well), some people use Disk On Chip (which can go in the Bios 
socket on some motherboards), some people download it across a network...

You are correct that you cannot fit a Linux kernel into a BIOS chip.   However 
LinuxBIOS is much smaller than that, and can load a kernel from several 
locations depending on your hardware and your preference.

Regards,

Antony.

-- 
Your work is both good and original.  Unfortunately the parts that are good 
aren't original, and the parts that are original aren't good.

 - Samuel Johnson

                                                     Please reply to the list;
                                                           please don't CC me.

[Peter Stuge]

On Fri, Apr 02, 2004 at 07:36:32PM +0200, Svante Signell wrote:
  for my hardware. The crucial thing is whether the BIOS
chip is socketed
 or not. We'll see, at least I know the size is 2Mbit, since the latest
 BIOS binary (A6120IMS.200) supported by MSI is 261144kbyte. Does anybody
 have experience with removing a soldered chip on a motherboard without
 destroying anything?
Sure, both PLCC and DIL packages can be desoldered without any problems
as long as it's possible/easy to access the chip physically on the board.

(A PLCC ROM tucked in close to e.g. a PCI slot is more problematic..)

After desoldering the ROM, it's quite possible to fit a socket there
instead.

<shameless plug>
If you want professional help with this I'll gladly assist. I'm in Malmö.
</plug>


//Peter