Re: FreeBSD5

[Robert Millan]

On Tue, Sep 23, 2003 at 04:22:37AM +0400, Sergey Matveychuk wrote:
> Hello.

Hi Sergey. Thanks for your interest on GRUB, we really need help from *BSD
hackers.

> FYI. Grub can't download FreeBSD 5.x because it doesn't support UFS2.

We are aware of this. Chris Reichow <chris at reichow dot net> was working
on that but he hasn't reported any results so far (I'm CCing him).

His initial post has some UFS2 info you might find useful:
  http://mail.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-grub/2003-07/msg00040.html

Unfortunately he didn't release any patches we could use. If you can help with
UFS2, that'd be much appreciated.

> I tried to write support for it, but I don't know how to debug it.
>
> When I use printf in ufs2_mount for debugging it damage booter and it 
> reboot continuously.

I suggest you use Bochs (http://bochs.sf.net), the i386/PC emulator. Bochs
has a built-in debugger but you can also attach a GDB stub to it (see the user
documentation). I haven't tried the GDB/Bochs/GRUB combo myself but you should
be able to debug GRUB with symbols through GDB.

> Can somebody write ufs2 support or may be consult me strongly?

I'm afraid I don't have time currently to work on this, but if you have
questions on GRUB internals just ask, probably someone in the list will help.

Do you have any unfinished patches? If you do please send them to the list I'd
like to have a look.

-- 
Robert Millan

"[..] but the delight and pride of Aule is in the deed of making, and in the
thing made, and neither in possession nor in his own mastery; wherefore he
gives and hoards not, and is free from care, passing ever on to some new work."

 -- J.R.R.T, Ainulindale (Silmarillion)