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1This is ../../docs/multiboot.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.7
2from ../../docs/multiboot.texi.
3
4INFO-DIR-SECTION Kernel
5START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
6* Multiboot Specification: (multiboot).		Multiboot Specification.
7END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
8
9   Copyright (C) 1995, 96 Bryan Ford <baford@cs.utah.edu> Copyright (C)
101995, 96 Erich Stefan Boleyn <erich@uruk.org> Copyright (C) 1999, 2000,
112001, 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
12
13   Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
14manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
15preserved on all copies.
16
17   Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
18this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
19that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms
20of a permission notice identical to this one.
21
22   Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
23manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
24versions.
25
26
27File: multiboot.info,  Node: Top,  Next: Overview,  Up: (dir)
28
29Multiboot Specification
30***********************
31
32This file documents Multiboot Specification, the proposal for the boot
33sequence standard. This edition documents version 0.6.93.
34
35* Menu:
36
37* Overview::
38* Terminology::
39* Specification::
40* Examples::
41* History::
42* Index::
43
44
45File: multiboot.info,  Node: Overview,  Next: Terminology,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top
46
471 Introduction to Multiboot Specification
48*****************************************
49
50This chapter describes some rough information on the Multiboot
51Specification. Note that this is not a part of the specification itself.
52
53* Menu:
54
55* Motivation::
56* Architecture::
57* Operating systems::
58* Boot sources::
59* Boot-time configuration::
60* Convenience to operating systems::
61* Boot modules::
62
63
64File: multiboot.info,  Node: Motivation,  Next: Architecture,  Up: Overview
65
661.1 The background of Multiboot Specification
67=============================================
68
69Every operating system ever created tends to have its own boot loader.
70Installing a new operating system on a machine generally involves
71installing a whole new set of boot mechanisms, each with completely
72different install-time and boot-time user interfaces. Getting multiple
73operating systems to coexist reliably on one machine through typical
74"chaining" mechanisms can be a nightmare. There is little or no choice
75of boot loaders for a particular operating system -- if the one that
76comes with the operating system doesn't do exactly what you want, or
77doesn't work on your machine, you're screwed.
78
79   While we may not be able to fix this problem in existing commercial
80operating systems, it shouldn't be too difficult for a few people in the
81free operating system communities to put their heads together and solve
82this problem for the popular free operating systems. That's what this
83specification aims for. Basically, it specifies an interface between a
84boot loader and a operating system, such that any complying boot loader
85should be able to load any complying operating system. This
86specification does _not_ specify how boot loaders should work -- only
87how they must interface with the operating system being loaded.
88
89
90File: multiboot.info,  Node: Architecture,  Next: Operating systems,  Prev: Motivation,  Up: Overview
91
921.2 The target architecture
93===========================
94
95This specification is primarily targeted at PC, since they are the most
96common and have the largest variety of operating systems and boot
97loaders. However, to the extent that certain other architectures may
98need a boot specification and do not have one already, a variation of
99this specification, stripped of the x86-specific details, could be
100adopted for them as well.
101
102
103File: multiboot.info,  Node: Operating systems,  Next: Boot sources,  Prev: Architecture,  Up: Overview
104
1051.3 The target operating systems
106================================
107
108This specification is targeted toward free 32-bit operating systems
109that can be fairly easily modified to support the specification without
110going through lots of bureaucratic rigmarole. The particular free
111operating systems that this specification is being primarily designed
112for are Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Mach, and VSTa. It is hoped that other
113emerging free operating systems will adopt it from the start, and thus
114immediately be able to take advantage of existing boot loaders. It would
115be nice if commercial operating system vendors eventually adopted this
116specification as well, but that's probably a pipe dream.
117
118
119File: multiboot.info,  Node: Boot sources,  Next: Boot-time configuration,  Prev: Operating systems,  Up: Overview
120
1211.4 Boot sources
122================
123
124It should be possible to write compliant boot loaders that load the OS
125image from a variety of sources, including floppy disk, hard disk, and
126across a network.
127
128   Disk-based boot loaders may use a variety of techniques to find the
129relevant OS image and boot module data on disk, such as by
130interpretation of specific file systems (e.g. the BSD/Mach boot loader),
131using precalculated "block lists" (e.g. LILO), loading from a special
132"boot partition" (e.g. OS/2), or even loading from within another
133operating system (e.g. the VSTa boot code, which loads from DOS).
134Similarly, network-based boot loaders could use a variety of network
135hardware and protocols.
136
137   It is hoped that boot loaders will be created that support multiple
138loading mechanisms, increasing their portability, robustness, and
139user-friendliness.
140
141
142File: multiboot.info,  Node: Boot-time configuration,  Next: Convenience to operating systems,  Prev: Boot sources,  Up: Overview
143
1441.5 Configure an operating system at boot-time
145==============================================
146
147It is often necessary for one reason or another for the user to be able
148to provide some configuration information to an operating system
149dynamically at boot time. While this specification should not dictate
150how this configuration information is obtained by the boot loader, it
151should provide a standard means for the boot loader to pass such
152information to the operating system.
153
154
155File: multiboot.info,  Node: Convenience to operating systems,  Next: Boot modules,  Prev: Boot-time configuration,  Up: Overview
156
1571.6 How to make OS development easier
158=====================================
159
160OS images should be easy to generate. Ideally, an OS image should simply
161be an ordinary 32-bit executable file in whatever file format the
162operating system normally uses. It should be possible to `nm' or
163disassemble OS images just like normal executables. Specialized tools
164should not be required to create OS images in a _special_ file format.
165If this means shifting some work from the operating system to a boot
166loader, that is probably appropriate, because all the memory consumed
167by the boot loader will typically be made available again after the
168boot process is created, whereas every bit of code in the OS image
169typically has to remain in memory forever. The operating system should
170not have to worry about getting into 32-bit mode initially, because mode
171switching code generally needs to be in the boot loader anyway in order
172to load operating system data above the 1MB boundary, and forcing the
173operating system to do this makes creation of OS images much more
174difficult.
175
176   Unfortunately, there is a horrendous variety of executable file
177formats even among free Unix-like PC-based operating systems --
178generally a different format for each operating system. Most of the
179relevant free operating systems use some variant of a.out format, but
180some are moving to ELF. It is highly desirable for boot loaders not to
181have to be able to interpret all the different types of executable file
182formats in existence in order to load the OS image -- otherwise the
183boot loader effectively becomes operating system specific again.
184
185   This specification adopts a compromise solution to this problem.
186Multiboot-compliant OS images always contain a magic "Multiboot header"
187(*note OS image format::), which allows the boot loader to load the
188image without having to understand numerous a.out variants or other
189executable formats. This magic header does not need to be at the very
190beginning of the executable file, so kernel images can still conform to
191the local a.out format variant in addition to being Multiboot-compliant.
192
193
194File: multiboot.info,  Node: Boot modules,  Prev: Convenience to operating systems,  Up: Overview
195
1961.7 Boot modules
197================
198
199Many modern operating system kernels, such as those of VSTa and Mach, do
200not by themselves contain enough mechanism to get the system fully
201operational: they require the presence of additional software modules at
202boot time in order to access devices, mount file systems, etc. While
203these additional modules could be embedded in the main OS image along
204with the kernel itself, and the resulting image be split apart manually
205by the operating system when it receives control, it is often more
206flexible, more space-efficient, and more convenient to the operating
207system and user if the boot loader can load these additional modules
208independently in the first place.
209
210   Thus, this specification should provide a standard method for a boot
211loader to indicate to the operating system what auxiliary boot modules
212were loaded, and where they can be found. Boot loaders don't have to
213support multiple boot modules, but they are strongly encouraged to,
214because some operating systems will be unable to boot without them.
215
216
217File: multiboot.info,  Node: Terminology,  Next: Specification,  Prev: Overview,  Up: Top
218
2192 The definitions of terms used through the specification
220*********************************************************
221
222"must"
223     We use the term "must", when any boot loader or OS image needs to
224     follow a rule -- otherwise, the boot loader or OS image is _not_
225     Multiboot-compliant.
226
227"should"
228     We use the term "should", when any boot loader or OS image is
229     recommended to follow a rule, but it doesn't need to follow the
230     rule.
231
232"may"
233     We use the term "may", when any boot loader or OS image is allowed
234     to follow a rule.
235
236"boot loader"
237     Whatever program or set of programs loads the image of the final
238     operating system to be run on the machine. The boot loader may
239     itself consist of several stages, but that is an implementation
240     detail not relevant to this specification. Only the _final_ stage
241     of the boot loader -- the stage that eventually transfers control
242     to an operating system -- must follow the rules specified in this
243     document in order to be "Multiboot-compliant"; earlier boot loader
244     stages may be designed in whatever way is most convenient.
245
246"OS image"
247     The initial binary image that a boot loader loads into memory and
248     transfers control to start an operating system. The OS image is
249     typically an executable containing the operating system kernel.
250
251"boot module"
252     Other auxiliary files that a boot loader loads into memory along
253     with an OS image, but does not interpret in any way other than
254     passing their locations to the operating system when it is invoked.
255
256"Multiboot-compliant"
257     A boot loader or an OS image which follows the rules defined as
258     "must" is Multiboot-compliant. When this specification specifies a
259     rule as "should" or "may", a Multiboot-complaint boot loader/OS
260     image doesn't need to follow the rule.
261
262"u8"
263     The type of unsigned 8-bit data.
264
265"u16"
266     The type of unsigned 16-bit data. Because the target architecture
267     is little-endian, u16 is coded in little-endian.
268
269"u32"
270     The type of unsigned 32-bit data. Because the target architecture
271     is little-endian, u32 is coded in little-endian.
272
273"u64"
274     The type of unsigned 64-bit data. Because the target architecture
275     is little-endian, u64 is coded in little-endian.
276
277
278File: multiboot.info,  Node: Specification,  Next: Examples,  Prev: Terminology,  Up: Top
279
2803 The exact definitions of Multiboot Specification
281**************************************************
282
283There are three main aspects of a boot loader/OS image interface:
284
285  1. The format of an OS image as seen by a boot loader.
286
287  2. The state of a machine when a boot loader starts an operating
288     system.
289
290  3. The format of information passed by a boot loader to an operating
291     system.
292
293* Menu:
294
295* OS image format::
296* Machine state::
297* Boot information format::
298
299
300File: multiboot.info,  Node: OS image format,  Next: Machine state,  Up: Specification
301
3023.1 OS image format
303===================
304
305An OS image may be an ordinary 32-bit executable file in the standard
306format for that particular operating system, except that it may be
307linked at a non-default load address to avoid loading on top of the
308PC's I/O region or other reserved areas, and of course it should not
309use shared libraries or other fancy features.
310
311   An OS image must contain an additional header called "Multiboot
312header", besides the headers of the format used by the OS image. The
313Multiboot header must be contained completely within the first 8192
314bytes of the OS image, and must be longword (32-bit) aligned. In
315general, it should come _as early as possible_, and may be embedded in
316the beginning of the text segment after the _real_ executable header.
317
318* Menu:
319
320* Header layout::               The layout of Multiboot header
321* Header magic fields::         The magic fields of Multiboot header
322* Header address fields::
323* Header graphics fields::
324
325
326File: multiboot.info,  Node: Header layout,  Next: Header magic fields,  Up: OS image format
327
3283.1.1 The layout of Multiboot header
329------------------------------------
330
331The layout of the Multiboot header must be as follows:
332
333Offset  Type    Field Name     Note
3340       u32     magic          required
3354       u32     flags          required
3368       u32     checksum       required
33712      u32     header_addr    if flags[16] is set
33816      u32     load_addr      if flags[16] is set
33920      u32     load_end_addr  if flags[16] is set
34024      u32     bss_end_addr   if flags[16] is set
34128      u32     entry_addr     if flags[16] is set
34232      u32     mode_type      if flags[2] is set
34336      u32     width          if flags[2] is set
34440      u32     height         if flags[2] is set
34544      u32     depth          if flags[2] is set
346
347   The fields `magic', `flags' and `checksum' are defined in *Note
348Header magic fields::, the fields `header_addr', `load_addr',
349`load_end_addr', `bss_end_addr' and `entry_addr' are defined in *Note
350Header address fields::, and the fields `mode_type', `width', `height'
351and `depth' are defind in *Note Header graphics fields::.
352
353
354File: multiboot.info,  Node: Header magic fields,  Next: Header address fields,  Prev: Header layout,  Up: OS image format
355
3563.1.2 The magic fields of Multiboot header
357------------------------------------------
358
359`magic'
360     The field `magic' is the magic number identifying the header,
361     which must be the hexadecimal value `0x1BADB002'.
362
363`flags'
364     The field `flags' specifies features that the OS image requests or
365     requires of an boot loader. Bits 0-15 indicate requirements; if the
366     boot loader sees any of these bits set but doesn't understand the
367     flag or can't fulfill the requirements it indicates for some
368     reason, it must notify the user and fail to load the OS image.
369     Bits 16-31 indicate optional features; if any bits in this range
370     are set but the boot loader doesn't understand them, it may simply
371     ignore them and proceed as usual. Naturally, all as-yet-undefined
372     bits in the `flags' word must be set to zero in OS images. This
373     way, the `flags' fields serves for version control as well as
374     simple feature selection.
375
376     If bit 0 in the `flags' word is set, then all boot modules loaded
377     along with the operating system must be aligned on page (4KB)
378     boundaries. Some operating systems expect to be able to map the
379     pages containing boot modules directly into a paged address space
380     during startup, and thus need the boot modules to be page-aligned.
381
382     If bit 1 in the `flags' word is set, then information on available
383     memory via at least the `mem_*' fields of the Multiboot information
384     structure (*note Boot information format::) must be included. If
385     the boot loader is capable of passing a memory map (the `mmap_*'
386     fields) and one exists, then it may be included as well.
387
388     If bit 2 in the `flags' word is set, information about the video
389     mode table (*note Boot information format::) must be available to
390     the kernel.
391
392     If bit 16 in the `flags' word is set, then the fields at offsets
393     8-24 in the Multiboot header are valid, and the boot loader should
394     use them instead of the fields in the actual executable header to
395     calculate where to load the OS image. This information does not
396     need to be provided if the kernel image is in ELF format, but it
397     _must_ be provided if the images is in a.out format or in some
398     other format. Compliant boot loaders must be able to load images
399     that either are in ELF format or contain the load address
400     information embedded in the Multiboot header; they may also
401     directly support other executable formats, such as particular
402     a.out variants, but are not required to.
403
404`checksum'
405     The field `checksum' is a 32-bit unsigned value which, when added
406     to the other magic fields (i.e. `magic' and `flags'), must have a
407     32-bit unsigned sum of zero.
408
409
410File: multiboot.info,  Node: Header address fields,  Next: Header graphics fields,  Prev: Header magic fields,  Up: OS image format
411
4123.1.3 The address fields of Multiboot header
413--------------------------------------------
414
415All of the address fields enabled by flag bit 16 are physical addresses.
416The meaning of each is as follows:
417
418`header_addr'
419     Contains the address corresponding to the beginning of the
420     Multiboot header -- the physical memory location at which the
421     magic value is supposed to be loaded. This field serves to
422     "synchronize" the mapping between OS image offsets and physical
423     memory addresses.
424
425`load_addr'
426     Contains the physical address of the beginning of the text
427     segment. The offset in the OS image file at which to start loading
428     is defined by the offset at which the header was found, minus
429     (header_addr - load_addr). load_addr must be less than or equal to
430     header_addr.
431
432`load_end_addr'
433     Contains the physical address of the end of the data segment.
434     (load_end_addr - load_addr) specifies how much data to load.  This
435     implies that the text and data segments must be consecutive in the
436     OS image; this is true for existing a.out executable formats.  If
437     this field is zero, the boot loader assumes that the text and data
438     segments occupy the whole OS image file.
439
440`bss_end_addr'
441     Contains the physical address of the end of the bss segment. The
442     boot loader initializes this area to zero, and reserves the memory
443     it occupies to avoid placing boot modules and other data relevant
444     to the operating system in that area. If this field is zero, the
445     boot loader assumes that no bss segment is present.
446
447`entry_addr'
448     The physical address to which the boot loader should jump in order
449     to start running the operating system.
450
451
452File: multiboot.info,  Node: Header graphics fields,  Prev: Header address fields,  Up: OS image format
453
4543.1.4 The graphics fields of Multiboot header
455---------------------------------------------
456
457All of the graphics fields are enabled by flag bit 2. They specify the
458preferred graphics mode. Note that that is only a _recommended_ mode by
459the OS image. If the mode exists, the boot loader should set it, when
460the user doesn't specify a mode explicitly. Otherwise, the boot loader
461should fall back to a similar mode, if available.
462
463   The meaning of each is as follows:
464
465`mode_type'
466     Contains `0' for linear graphics mode or `1' for EGA-standard text
467     mode. Everything else is reserved for future expansion. Note that
468     the boot loader may set a text mode, even if this field contains
469     `0'.
470
471`width'
472     Contains the number of the columns. This is specified in pixels in
473     a graphics mode, and in characters in a text mode. The value zero
474     indicates that the OS image has no preference.
475
476`height'
477     Contains the number of the lines. This is specified in pixels in a
478     graphics mode, and in characters in a text mode. The value zero
479     indicates that the OS image has no preference.
480
481`depth'
482     Contains the number of bits per pixel in a graphics mode, and zero
483     in a text mode. The value zero indicates that the OS image has no
484     preference.
485
486
487File: multiboot.info,  Node: Machine state,  Next: Boot information format,  Prev: OS image format,  Up: Specification
488
4893.2 Machine state
490=================
491
492When the boot loader invokes the 32-bit operating system, the machine
493must have the following state:
494
495`EAX'
496     Must contain the magic value `0x2BADB002'; the presence of this
497     value indicates to the operating system that it was loaded by a
498     Multiboot-compliant boot loader (e.g. as opposed to another type of
499     boot loader that the operating system can also be loaded from).
500
501`EBX'
502     Must contain the 32-bit physical address of the Multiboot
503     information structure provided by the boot loader (*note Boot
504     information format::).
505
506`CS'
507     Must be a 32-bit read/execute code segment with an offset of `0'
508     and a limit of `0xFFFFFFFF'. The exact value is undefined.
509
510`DS'
511`ES'
512`FS'
513`GS'
514`SS'
515     Must be a 32-bit read/write data segment with an offset of `0' and
516     a limit of `0xFFFFFFFF'. The exact values are all undefined.
517
518`A20 gate'
519     Must be enabled.
520
521`CR0'
522     Bit 31 (PG) must be cleared. Bit 0 (PE) must be set. Other bits are
523     all undefined.
524
525`EFLAGS'
526     Bit 17 (VM) must be cleared. Bit 9 (IF) must be cleared. Other bits
527     are all undefined.
528
529   All other processor registers and flag bits are undefined. This
530includes, in particular:
531
532`ESP'
533     The OS image must create its own stack as soon as it needs one.
534
535`GDTR'
536     Even though the segment registers are set up as described above,
537     the `GDTR' may be invalid, so the OS image must not load any
538     segment registers (even just reloading the same values!) until it
539     sets up its own `GDT'.
540
541`IDTR'
542     The OS image must leave interrupts disabled until it sets up its
543     own `IDT'.
544
545   However, other machine state should be left by the boot loader in
546"normal working order", i.e. as initialized by the BIOS (or DOS, if
547that's what the boot loader runs from). In other words, the operating
548system should be able to make BIOS calls and such after being loaded,
549as long as it does not overwrite the BIOS data structures before doing
550so. Also, the boot loader must leave the PIC programmed with the normal
551BIOS/DOS values, even if it changed them during the switch to 32-bit
552mode.
553
554
555File: multiboot.info,  Node: Boot information format,  Prev: Machine state,  Up: Specification
556
5573.3 Boot information format
558===========================
559
560FIXME: Split this chapter like the chapter "OS image format".
561
562   Upon entry to the operating system, the `EBX' register contains the
563physical address of a "Multiboot information" data structure, through
564which the boot loader communicates vital information to the operating
565system. The operating system can use or ignore any parts of the
566structure as it chooses; all information passed by the boot loader is
567advisory only.
568
569   The Multiboot information structure and its related substructures
570may be placed anywhere in memory by the boot loader (with the exception
571of the memory reserved for the kernel and boot modules, of course). It
572is the operating system's responsibility to avoid overwriting this
573memory until it is done using it.
574
575   The format of the Multiboot information structure (as defined so far)
576follows:
577
578             +-------------------+
579     0       | flags             |    (required)
580             +-------------------+
581     4       | mem_lower         |    (present if flags[0] is set)
582     8       | mem_upper         |    (present if flags[0] is set)
583             +-------------------+
584     12      | boot_device       |    (present if flags[1] is set)
585             +-------------------+
586     16      | cmdline           |    (present if flags[2] is set)
587             +-------------------+
588     20      | mods_count        |    (present if flags[3] is set)
589     24      | mods_addr         |    (present if flags[3] is set)
590             +-------------------+
591     28 - 40 | syms              |    (present if flags[4] or
592             |                   |                flags[5] is set)
593             +-------------------+
594     44      | mmap_length       |    (present if flags[6] is set)
595     48      | mmap_addr         |    (present if flags[6] is set)
596             +-------------------+
597     52      | drives_length     |    (present if flags[7] is set)
598     56      | drives_addr       |    (present if flags[7] is set)
599             +-------------------+
600     60      | config_table      |    (present if flags[8] is set)
601             +-------------------+
602     64      | boot_loader_name  |    (present if flags[9] is set)
603             +-------------------+
604     68      | apm_table         |    (present if flags[10] is set)
605             +-------------------+
606     72      | vbe_control_info  |    (present if flags[11] is set)
607     76      | vbe_mode_info     |
608     80      | vbe_mode          |
609     82      | vbe_interface_seg |
610     84      | vbe_interface_off |
611     86      | vbe_interface_len |
612             +-------------------+
613
614   The first longword indicates the presence and validity of other
615fields in the Multiboot information structure. All as-yet-undefined
616bits must be set to zero by the boot loader. Any set bits that the
617operating system does not understand should be ignored. Thus, the
618`flags' field also functions as a version indicator, allowing the
619Multiboot information structure to be expanded in the future without
620breaking anything.
621
622   If bit 0 in the `flags' word is set, then the `mem_*' fields are
623valid. `mem_lower' and `mem_upper' indicate the amount of lower and
624upper memory, respectively, in kilobytes. Lower memory starts at
625address 0, and upper memory starts at address 1 megabyte. The maximum
626possible value for lower memory is 640 kilobytes. The value returned for
627upper memory is maximally the address of the first upper memory hole
628minus 1 megabyte. It is not guaranteed to be this value.
629
630   If bit 1 in the `flags' word is set, then the `boot_device' field is
631valid, and indicates which BIOS disk device the boot loader loaded the
632OS image from. If the OS image was not loaded from a BIOS disk, then
633this field must not be present (bit 3 must be clear). The operating
634system may use this field as a hint for determining its own "root"
635device, but is not required to. The `boot_device' field is laid out in
636four one-byte subfields as follows:
637
638     +-------+-------+-------+-------+
639     | drive | part1 | part2 | part3 |
640     +-------+-------+-------+-------+
641
642   The first byte contains the BIOS drive number as understood by the
643BIOS INT 0x13 low-level disk interface: e.g. 0x00 for the first floppy
644disk or 0x80 for the first hard disk.
645
646   The three remaining bytes specify the boot partition. `part1'
647specifies the "top-level" partition number, `part2' specifies a
648"sub-partition" in the top-level partition, etc. Partition numbers
649always start from zero. Unused partition bytes must be set to 0xFF. For
650example, if the disk is partitioned using a simple one-level DOS
651partitioning scheme, then `part1' contains the DOS partition number,
652and `part2' and `part3' are both 0xFF. As another example, if a disk is
653partitioned first into DOS partitions, and then one of those DOS
654partitions is subdivided into several BSD partitions using BSD's
655"disklabel" strategy, then `part1' contains the DOS partition number,
656`part2' contains the BSD sub-partition within that DOS partition, and
657`part3' is 0xFF.
658
659   DOS extended partitions are indicated as partition numbers starting
660from 4 and increasing, rather than as nested sub-partitions, even
661though the underlying disk layout of extended partitions is
662hierarchical in nature. For example, if the boot loader boots from the
663second extended partition on a disk partitioned in conventional DOS
664style, then `part1' will be 5, and `part2' and `part3' will both be
6650xFF.
666
667   If bit 2 of the `flags' longword is set, the `cmdline' field is
668valid, and contains the physical address of the command line to be
669passed to the kernel. The command line is a normal C-style
670zero-terminated string.
671
672   If bit 3 of the `flags' is set, then the `mods' fields indicate to
673the kernel what boot modules were loaded along with the kernel image,
674and where they can be found. `mods_count' contains the number of
675modules loaded; `mods_addr' contains the physical address of the first
676module structure. `mods_count' may be zero, indicating no boot modules
677were loaded, even if bit 1 of `flags' is set. Each module structure is
678formatted as follows:
679
680             +-------------------+
681     0       | mod_start         |
682     4       | mod_end           |
683             +-------------------+
684     8       | string            |
685             +-------------------+
686     12      | reserved (0)      |
687             +-------------------+
688
689   The first two fields contain the start and end addresses of the boot
690module itself. The `string' field provides an arbitrary string to be
691associated with that particular boot module; it is a zero-terminated
692ASCII string, just like the kernel command line. The `string' field may
693be 0 if there is no string associated with the module. Typically the
694string might be a command line (e.g. if the operating system treats boot
695modules as executable programs), or a pathname (e.g. if the operating
696system treats boot modules as files in a file system), but its exact use
697is specific to the operating system. The `reserved' field must be set
698to 0 by the boot loader and ignored by the operating system.
699
700   *Caution:* Bits 4 & 5 are mutually exclusive.
701
702   If bit 4 in the `flags' word is set, then the following fields in
703the Multiboot information structure starting at byte 28 are valid:
704
705             +-------------------+
706     28      | tabsize           |
707     32      | strsize           |
708     36      | addr              |
709     40      | reserved (0)      |
710             +-------------------+
711
712   These indicate where the symbol table from an a.out kernel image can
713be found. `addr' is the physical address of the size (4-byte unsigned
714long) of an array of a.out format "nlist" structures, followed
715immediately by the array itself, then the size (4-byte unsigned long) of
716a set of zero-terminated ASCII strings (plus sizeof(unsigned long) in
717this case), and finally the set of strings itself. `tabsize' is equal
718to its size parameter (found at the beginning of the symbol section),
719and `strsize' is equal to its size parameter (found at the beginning of
720the string section) of the following string table to which the symbol
721table refers. Note that `tabsize' may be 0, indicating no symbols, even
722if bit 4 in the `flags' word is set.
723
724   If bit 5 in the `flags' word is set, then the following fields in
725the Multiboot information structure starting at byte 28 are valid:
726
727             +-------------------+
728     28      | num               |
729     32      | size              |
730     36      | addr              |
731     40      | shndx             |
732             +-------------------+
733
734   These indicate where the section header table from an ELF kernel is,
735the size of each entry, number of entries, and the string table used as
736the index of names. They correspond to the `shdr_*' entries
737(`shdr_num', etc.) in the Executable and Linkable Format (ELF)
738specification in the program header. All sections are loaded, and the
739physical address fields of the ELF section header then refer to where
740the sections are in memory (refer to the i386 ELF documentation for
741details as to how to read the section header(s)). Note that `shdr_num'
742may be 0, indicating no symbols, even if bit 5 in the `flags' word is
743set.
744
745   If bit 6 in the `flags' word is set, then the `mmap_*' fields are
746valid, and indicate the address and length of a buffer containing a
747memory map of the machine provided by the BIOS. `mmap_addr' is the
748address, and `mmap_length' is the total size of the buffer. The buffer
749consists of one or more of the following size/structure pairs (`size'
750is really used for skipping to the next pair):
751
752             +-------------------+
753     -4      | size              |
754             +-------------------+
755     0       | base_addr_low     |
756     4       | base_addr_high    |
757     8       | length_low        |
758     12      | length_high       |
759     16      | type              |
760             +-------------------+
761
762   where `size' is the size of the associated structure in bytes, which
763can be greater than the minimum of 20 bytes. `base_addr_low' is the
764lower 32 bits of the starting address, and `base_addr_high' is the
765upper 32 bits, for a total of a 64-bit starting address. `length_low'
766is the lower 32 bits of the size of the memory region in bytes, and
767`length_high' is the upper 32 bits, for a total of a 64-bit length.
768`type' is the variety of address range represented, where a value of 1
769indicates available RAM, and all other values currently indicated a
770reserved area.
771
772   The map provided is guaranteed to list all standard RAM that should
773be available for normal use.
774
775   If bit 7 in the `flags' is set, then the `drives_*' fields are
776valid, and indicate the address of the physical address of the first
777drive structure and the size of drive structures. `drives_addr' is the
778address, and `drives_length' is the total size of drive structures.
779Note that `drives_length' may be zero. Each drive structure is
780formatted as follows:
781
782             +-------------------+
783     0       | size              |
784             +-------------------+
785     4       | drive_number      |
786             +-------------------+
787     5       | drive_mode        |
788             +-------------------+
789     6       | drive_cylinders   |
790     8       | drive_heads       |
791     9       | drive_sectors     |
792             +-------------------+
793     10 - xx | drive_ports       |
794             +-------------------+
795
796   The `size' field specifies the size of this structure. The size
797varies, depending on the number of ports. Note that the size may not be
798equal to (10 + 2 * the number of ports), because of an alignment.
799
800   The `drive_number' field contains the BIOS drive number. The
801`drive_mode' field represents the access mode used by the boot loader.
802Currently, the following modes are defined:
803
804`0'
805     CHS mode (traditional cylinder/head/sector addressing mode).
806
807`1'
808     LBA mode (Logical Block Addressing mode).
809
810   The three fields, `drive_cylinders', `drive_heads' and
811`drive_sectors', indicate the geometry of the drive detected by the
812BIOS. `drive_cylinders' contains the number of the cylinders.
813`drive_heads' contains the number of the heads. `drive_sectors'
814contains the number of the sectors per track.
815
816   The `drive_ports' field contains the array of the I/O ports used for
817the drive in the BIOS code. The array consists of zero or more unsigned
818two-bytes integers, and is terminated with zero. Note that the array
819may contain any number of I/O ports that are not related to the drive
820actually (such as DMA controller's ports).
821
822   If bit 8 in the `flags' is set, then the `config_table' field is
823valid, and indicates the address of the ROM configuration table
824returned by the "GET CONFIGURATION" BIOS call. If the BIOS call fails,
825then the size of the table must be _zero_.
826
827   If bit 9 in the `flags' is set, the `boot_loader_name' field is
828valid, and contains the physical address of the name of a boot loader
829booting the kernel. The name is a normal C-style zero-terminated string.
830
831   If bit 10 in the `flags' is set, the `apm_table' field is valid, and
832contains the physical address of an APM table defined as below:
833
834             +----------------------+
835     0       | version              |
836     2       | cseg                 |
837     4       | offset               |
838     8       | cseg_16              |
839     10      | dseg                 |
840     12      | flags                |
841     14      | cseg_len             |
842     16      | cseg_16_len          |
843     18      | dseg_len             |
844             +----------------------+
845
846   The fields `version', `cseg', `offset', `cseg_16', `dseg', `flags',
847`cseg_len', `cseg_16_len', `dseg_len' indicate the version number, the
848protected mode 32-bit code segment, the offset of the entry point, the
849protected mode 16-bit code segment, the protected mode 16-bit data
850segment, the flags, the length of the protected mode 32-bit code
851segment, the length of the protected mode 16-bit code segment, and the
852length of the protected mode 16-bit data segment, respectively. Only
853the field `offset' is 4 bytes, and the others are 2 bytes. See Advanced
854Power Management (APM) BIOS Interface Specification
855(http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/busbios/amp_12.htm), for more
856information.
857
858   If bit 11 in the `flags' is set, the graphics table is available.
859This must only be done if the kernel has indicated in the `Multiboot
860Header' that it accepts a graphics mode.
861
862   The fields `vbe_control_info' and `vbe_mode_info' contain the
863physical addresses of VBE control information returned by the VBE
864Function 00h and VBE mode information returned by the VBE Function 01h,
865respectively.
866
867   The field `vbe_mode' indicates current video mode in the format
868specified in VBE 3.0.
869
870   The rest fields `vbe_interface_seg', `vbe_interface_off', and
871`vbe_interface_len' contain the table of a protected mode interface
872defined in VBE 2.0+. If this information is not available, those fields
873contain zero. Note that VBE 3.0 defines another protected mode
874interface which is incompatible with the old one. If you want to use
875the new protected mode interface, you will have to find the table
876yourself.
877
878   The fields for the graphics table are designed for VBE, but
879Multiboot boot loaders may simulate VBE on non-VBE modes, as if they
880were VBE modes.
881
882
883File: multiboot.info,  Node: Examples,  Next: History,  Prev: Specification,  Up: Top
884
8854 Examples
886**********
887
888*Caution:* The following items are not part of the specification
889document, but are included for prospective operating system and boot
890loader writers.
891
892* Menu:
893
894* Notes on PC::
895* BIOS device mapping techniques::
896* Example OS code::
897* Example boot loader code::
898
899
900File: multiboot.info,  Node: Notes on PC,  Next: BIOS device mapping techniques,  Up: Examples
901
9024.1 Notes on PC
903===============
904
905In reference to bit 0 of the `flags' parameter in the Multiboot
906information structure, if the bootloader in question uses older BIOS
907interfaces, or the newest ones are not available (see description about
908bit 6), then a maximum of either 15 or 63 megabytes of memory may be
909reported. It is _highly_ recommended that boot loaders perform a
910thorough memory probe.
911
912   In reference to bit 1 of the `flags' parameter in the Multiboot
913information structure, it is recognized that determination of which
914BIOS drive maps to which device driver in an operating system is
915non-trivial, at best. Many kludges have been made to various operating
916systems instead of solving this problem, most of them breaking under
917many conditions. To encourage the use of general-purpose solutions to
918this problem, there are 2 BIOS device mapping techniques (*note BIOS
919device mapping techniques::).
920
921   In reference to bit 6 of the `flags' parameter in the Multiboot
922information structure, it is important to note that the data structure
923used there (starting with `BaseAddrLow') is the data returned by the
924INT 15h, AX=E820h -- Query System Address Map call. See *Note Query
925System Address Map: (grub.info)Query System Address Map, for more
926information. The interface here is meant to allow a boot loader to work
927unmodified with any reasonable extensions of the BIOS interface,
928passing along any extra data to be interpreted by the operating system
929as desired.
930
931
932File: multiboot.info,  Node: BIOS device mapping techniques,  Next: Example OS code,  Prev: Notes on PC,  Up: Examples
933
9344.2 BIOS device mapping techniques
935==================================
936
937Both of these techniques should be usable from any PC operating system,
938and neither require any special support in the drivers themselves. This
939section will be flushed out into detailed explanations, particularly for
940the I/O restriction technique.
941
942   The general rule is that the data comparison technique is the quick
943and dirty solution. It works most of the time, but doesn't cover all the
944bases, and is relatively simple.
945
946   The I/O restriction technique is much more complex, but it has
947potential to solve the problem under all conditions, plus allow access
948of the remaining BIOS devices when not all of them have operating system
949drivers.
950
951* Menu:
952
953* Data comparison technique::
954* I/O restriction technique::
955
956
957File: multiboot.info,  Node: Data comparison technique,  Next: I/O restriction technique,  Up: BIOS device mapping techniques
958
9594.2.1 Data comparison technique
960-------------------------------
961
962Before activating _any_ of the device drivers, gather enough data from
963similar sectors on each of the disks such that each one can be uniquely
964identified.
965
966   After activating the device drivers, compare data from the drives
967using the operating system drivers. This should hopefully be sufficient
968to provide such a mapping.
969
970   Problems:
971
972  1. The data on some BIOS devices might be identical (so the part
973     reading the drives from the BIOS should have some mechanism to give
974     up).
975
976  2. There might be extra drives not accessible from the BIOS which are
977     identical to some drive used by the BIOS (so it should be capable
978     of giving up there as well).
979
980
981File: multiboot.info,  Node: I/O restriction technique,  Prev: Data comparison technique,  Up: BIOS device mapping techniques
982
9834.2.2 I/O restriction technique
984-------------------------------
985
986This first step may be unnecessary, but first create copy-on-write
987mappings for the device drivers writing into PC RAM. Keep the original
988copies for the "clean BIOS virtual machine" to be created later.
989
990   For each device driver brought online, determine which BIOS devices
991become inaccessible by:
992
993  1. Create a "clean BIOS virtual machine".
994
995  2. Set the I/O permission map for the I/O area claimed by the device
996     driver to no permissions (neither read nor write).
997
998  3. Access each device.
999
1000  4. Record which devices succeed, and those which try to access the
1001     "restricted" I/O areas (hopefully, this will be an "xor"
1002     situation).
1003
1004   For each device driver, given how many of the BIOS devices were
1005subsumed by it (there should be no gaps in this list), it should be easy
1006to determine which devices on the controller these are.
1007
1008   In general, you have at most 2 disks from each controller given BIOS
1009numbers, but they pretty much always count from the lowest logically
1010numbered devices on the controller.
1011
1012
1013File: multiboot.info,  Node: Example OS code,  Next: Example boot loader code,  Prev: BIOS device mapping techniques,  Up: Examples
1014
10154.3 Example OS code
1016===================
1017
1018In this distribution, the example Multiboot kernel `kernel' is
1019included. The kernel just prints out the Multiboot information structure
1020on the screen, so you can make use of the kernel to test a
1021Multiboot-compliant boot loader and for reference to how to implement a
1022Multiboot kernel. The source files can be found under the directory
1023`docs' in the GRUB distribution.
1024
1025   The kernel `kernel' consists of only three files: `boot.S',
1026`kernel.c' and `multiboot.h'. The assembly source `boot.S' is written
1027in GAS (*note GNU assembler: (as.info)Top.), and contains the Multiboot
1028information structure to comply with the specification. When a
1029Multiboot-compliant boot loader loads and execute it, it initialize the
1030stack pointer and `EFLAGS', and then call the function `cmain' defined
1031in `kernel.c'. If `cmain' returns to the callee, then it shows a
1032message to inform the user of the halt state and stops forever until
1033you push the reset key. The file `kernel.c' contains the function
1034`cmain', which checks if the magic number passed by the boot loader is
1035valid and so on, and some functions to print messages on the screen.
1036The file `multiboot.h' defines some macros, such as the magic number
1037for the Multiboot header, the Multiboot header structure and the
1038Multiboot information structure.
1039
1040* Menu:
1041
1042* multiboot.h::
1043* boot.S::
1044* kernel.c::
1045* Other Multiboot kernels::
1046
1047
1048File: multiboot.info,  Node: multiboot.h,  Next: boot.S,  Up: Example OS code
1049
10504.3.1 multiboot.h
1051-----------------
1052
1053This is the source code in the file `multiboot.h':
1054
1055     /* multiboot.h - the header for Multiboot */
1056     /* Copyright (C) 1999, 2001  Free Software Foundation, Inc.
1057
1058        This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
1059        it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
1060        the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
1061        (at your option) any later version.
1062
1063        This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
1064        but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
1065        MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
1066        GNU General Public License for more details.
1067
1068        You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
1069        along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
1070        Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. */
1071
1072     /* Macros. */
1073
1074     /* The magic number for the Multiboot header. */
1075     #define MULTIBOOT_HEADER_MAGIC          0x1BADB002
1076
1077     /* The flags for the Multiboot header. */
1078     #ifdef __ELF__
1079     # define MULTIBOOT_HEADER_FLAGS         0x00000003
1080     #else
1081     # define MULTIBOOT_HEADER_FLAGS         0x00010003
1082     #endif
1083
1084     /* The magic number passed by a Multiboot-compliant boot loader. */
1085     #define MULTIBOOT_BOOTLOADER_MAGIC      0x2BADB002
1086
1087     /* The size of our stack (16KB). */
1088     #define STACK_SIZE                      0x4000
1089
1090     /* C symbol format. HAVE_ASM_USCORE is defined by configure. */
1091     #ifdef HAVE_ASM_USCORE
1092     # define EXT_C(sym)                     _ ## sym
1093     #else
1094     # define EXT_C(sym)                     sym
1095     #endif
1096
1097     #ifndef ASM
1098     /* Do not include here in boot.S. */
1099
1100     /* Types. */
1101
1102     /* The Multiboot header. */
1103     typedef struct multiboot_header
1104     {
1105       unsigned long magic;
1106       unsigned long flags;
1107       unsigned long checksum;
1108       unsigned long header_addr;
1109       unsigned long load_addr;
1110       unsigned long load_end_addr;
1111       unsigned long bss_end_addr;
1112       unsigned long entry_addr;
1113     } multiboot_header_t;
1114
1115     /* The symbol table for a.out. */
1116     typedef struct aout_symbol_table
1117     {
1118       unsigned long tabsize;
1119       unsigned long strsize;
1120       unsigned long addr;
1121       unsigned long reserved;
1122     } aout_symbol_table_t;
1123
1124     /* The section header table for ELF. */
1125     typedef struct elf_section_header_table
1126     {
1127       unsigned long num;
1128       unsigned long size;
1129       unsigned long addr;
1130       unsigned long shndx;
1131     } elf_section_header_table_t;
1132
1133     /* The Multiboot information. */
1134     typedef struct multiboot_info
1135     {
1136       unsigned long flags;
1137       unsigned long mem_lower;
1138       unsigned long mem_upper;
1139       unsigned long boot_device;
1140       unsigned long cmdline;
1141       unsigned long mods_count;
1142       unsigned long mods_addr;
1143       union
1144       {
1145         aout_symbol_table_t aout_sym;
1146         elf_section_header_table_t elf_sec;
1147       } u;
1148       unsigned long mmap_length;
1149       unsigned long mmap_addr;
1150     } multiboot_info_t;
1151
1152     /* The module structure. */
1153     typedef struct module
1154     {
1155       unsigned long mod_start;
1156       unsigned long mod_end;
1157       unsigned long string;
1158       unsigned long reserved;
1159     } module_t;
1160
1161     /* The memory map. Be careful that the offset 0 is base_addr_low
1162        but no size. */
1163     typedef struct memory_map
1164     {
1165       unsigned long size;
1166       unsigned long base_addr_low;
1167       unsigned long base_addr_high;
1168       unsigned long length_low;
1169       unsigned long length_high;
1170       unsigned long type;
1171     } memory_map_t;
1172
1173     #endif /* ! ASM */
1174
1175
1176File: multiboot.info,  Node: boot.S,  Next: kernel.c,  Prev: multiboot.h,  Up: Example OS code
1177
11784.3.2 boot.S
1179------------
1180
1181In the file `boot.S':
1182
1183     /* boot.S - bootstrap the kernel */
1184     /* Copyright (C) 1999, 2001  Free Software Foundation, Inc.
1185
1186        This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
1187        it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
1188        the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
1189        (at your option) any later version.
1190
1191        This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
1192        but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
1193        MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
1194        GNU General Public License for more details.
1195
1196        You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
1197        along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
1198        Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. */
1199
1200     #define ASM     1
1201     #include <multiboot.h>
1202
1203             .text
1204
1205             .globl  start, _start
1206     start:
1207     _start:
1208             jmp     multiboot_entry
1209
1210             /* Align 32 bits boundary. */
1211             .align  4
1212
1213             /* Multiboot header. */
1214     multiboot_header:
1215             /* magic */
1216             .long   MULTIBOOT_HEADER_MAGIC
1217             /* flags */
1218             .long   MULTIBOOT_HEADER_FLAGS
1219             /* checksum */
1220             .long   -(MULTIBOOT_HEADER_MAGIC + MULTIBOOT_HEADER_FLAGS)
1221     #ifndef __ELF__
1222             /* header_addr */
1223             .long   multiboot_header
1224             /* load_addr */
1225             .long   _start
1226             /* load_end_addr */
1227             .long   _edata
1228             /* bss_end_addr */
1229             .long   _end
1230             /* entry_addr */
1231             .long   multiboot_entry
1232     #endif /* ! __ELF__ */
1233
1234     multiboot_entry:
1235             /* Initialize the stack pointer. */
1236             movl    $(stack + STACK_SIZE), %esp
1237
1238             /* Reset EFLAGS. */
1239             pushl   $0
1240             popf
1241
1242             /* Push the pointer to the Multiboot information structure. */
1243             pushl   %ebx
1244             /* Push the magic value. */
1245             pushl   %eax
1246
1247             /* Now enter the C main function... */
1248             call    EXT_C(cmain)
1249
1250             /* Halt. */
1251             pushl   $halt_message
1252             call    EXT_C(printf)
1253
1254     loop:   hlt
1255             jmp     loop
1256
1257     halt_message:
1258             .asciz  "Halted."
1259
1260             /* Our stack area. */
1261             .comm   stack, STACK_SIZE
1262
1263
1264File: multiboot.info,  Node: kernel.c,  Next: Other Multiboot kernels,  Prev: boot.S,  Up: Example OS code
1265
12664.3.3 kernel.c
1267--------------
1268
1269And, in the file `kernel.c':
1270
1271     /* kernel.c - the C part of the kernel */
1272     /* Copyright (C) 1999  Free Software Foundation, Inc.
1273
1274        This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
1275        it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
1276        the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
1277        (at your option) any later version.
1278
1279        This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
1280        but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
1281        MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
1282        GNU General Public License for more details.
1283
1284        You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
1285        along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
1286        Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. */
1287
1288     #include <multiboot.h>
1289
1290     /* Macros. */
1291
1292     /* Check if the bit BIT in FLAGS is set. */
1293     #define CHECK_FLAG(flags,bit)   ((flags) & (1 << (bit)))
1294
1295     /* Some screen stuff. */
1296     /* The number of columns. */
1297     #define COLUMNS                 80
1298     /* The number of lines. */
1299     #define LINES                   24
1300     /* The attribute of an character. */
1301     #define ATTRIBUTE               7
1302     /* The video memory address. */
1303     #define VIDEO                   0xB8000
1304
1305     /* Variables. */
1306     /* Save the X position. */
1307     static int xpos;
1308     /* Save the Y position. */
1309     static int ypos;
1310     /* Point to the video memory. */
1311     static volatile unsigned char *video;
1312
1313     /* Forward declarations. */
1314     void cmain (unsigned long magic, unsigned long addr);
1315     static void cls (void);
1316     static void itoa (char *buf, int base, int d);
1317     static void putchar (int c);
1318     void printf (const char *format, ...);
1319
1320     /* Check if MAGIC is valid and print the Multiboot information structure
1321        pointed by ADDR. */
1322     void
1323     cmain (unsigned long magic, unsigned long addr)
1324     {
1325       multiboot_info_t *mbi;
1326
1327       /* Clear the screen. */
1328       cls ();
1329
1330       /* Am I booted by a Multiboot-compliant boot loader? */
1331       if (magic != MULTIBOOT_BOOTLOADER_MAGIC)
1332         {
1333           printf ("Invalid magic number: 0x%x\n", (unsigned) magic);
1334           return;
1335         }
1336
1337       /* Set MBI to the address of the Multiboot information structure. */
1338       mbi = (multiboot_info_t *) addr;
1339
1340       /* Print out the flags. */
1341       printf ("flags = 0x%x\n", (unsigned) mbi->flags);
1342
1343       /* Are mem_* valid? */
1344       if (CHECK_FLAG (mbi->flags, 0))
1345         printf ("mem_lower = %uKB, mem_upper = %uKB\n",
1346                 (unsigned) mbi->mem_lower, (unsigned) mbi->mem_upper);
1347
1348       /* Is boot_device valid? */
1349       if (CHECK_FLAG (mbi->flags, 1))
1350         printf ("boot_device = 0x%x\n", (unsigned) mbi->boot_device);
1351
1352       /* Is the command line passed? */
1353       if (CHECK_FLAG (mbi->flags, 2))
1354         printf ("cmdline = %s\n", (char *) mbi->cmdline);
1355
1356       /* Are mods_* valid? */
1357       if (CHECK_FLAG (mbi->flags, 3))
1358         {
1359           module_t *mod;
1360           int i;
1361
1362           printf ("mods_count = %d, mods_addr = 0x%x\n",
1363                   (int) mbi->mods_count, (int) mbi->mods_addr);
1364           for (i = 0, mod = (module_t *) mbi->mods_addr;
1365                i < mbi->mods_count;
1366                i++, mod++)
1367             printf (" mod_start = 0x%x, mod_end = 0x%x, string = %s\n",
1368                     (unsigned) mod->mod_start,
1369                     (unsigned) mod->mod_end,
1370                     (char *) mod->string);
1371         }
1372
1373       /* Bits 4 and 5 are mutually exclusive! */
1374       if (CHECK_FLAG (mbi->flags, 4) && CHECK_FLAG (mbi->flags, 5))
1375         {
1376           printf ("Both bits 4 and 5 are set.\n");
1377           return;
1378         }
1379
1380       /* Is the symbol table of a.out valid? */
1381       if (CHECK_FLAG (mbi->flags, 4))
1382         {
1383           aout_symbol_table_t *aout_sym = &(mbi->u.aout_sym);
1384
1385           printf ("aout_symbol_table: tabsize = 0x%0x, "
1386                   "strsize = 0x%x, addr = 0x%x\n",
1387                   (unsigned) aout_sym->tabsize,
1388                   (unsigned) aout_sym->strsize,
1389                   (unsigned) aout_sym->addr);
1390         }
1391
1392       /* Is the section header table of ELF valid? */
1393       if (CHECK_FLAG (mbi->flags, 5))
1394         {
1395           elf_section_header_table_t *elf_sec = &(mbi->u.elf_sec);
1396
1397           printf ("elf_sec: num = %u, size = 0x%x,"
1398                   " addr = 0x%x, shndx = 0x%x\n",
1399                   (unsigned) elf_sec->num, (unsigned) elf_sec->size,
1400                   (unsigned) elf_sec->addr, (unsigned) elf_sec->shndx);
1401         }
1402
1403       /* Are mmap_* valid? */
1404       if (CHECK_FLAG (mbi->flags, 6))
1405         {
1406           memory_map_t *mmap;
1407
1408           printf ("mmap_addr = 0x%x, mmap_length = 0x%x\n",
1409                   (unsigned) mbi->mmap_addr, (unsigned) mbi->mmap_length);
1410           for (mmap = (memory_map_t *) mbi->mmap_addr;
1411                (unsigned long) mmap < mbi->mmap_addr + mbi->mmap_length;
1412                mmap = (memory_map_t *) ((unsigned long) mmap
1413                                         + mmap->size + sizeof (mmap->size)))
1414             printf (" size = 0x%x, base_addr = 0x%x%x,"
1415                     " length = 0x%x%x, type = 0x%x\n",
1416                     (unsigned) mmap->size,
1417                     (unsigned) mmap->base_addr_high,
1418                     (unsigned) mmap->base_addr_low,
1419                     (unsigned) mmap->length_high,
1420                     (unsigned) mmap->length_low,
1421                     (unsigned) mmap->type);
1422         }
1423     }
1424
1425     /* Clear the screen and initialize VIDEO, XPOS and YPOS. */
1426     static void
1427     cls (void)
1428     {
1429       int i;
1430
1431       video = (unsigned char *) VIDEO;
1432
1433       for (i = 0; i < COLUMNS * LINES * 2; i++)
1434         *(video + i) = 0;
1435
1436       xpos = 0;
1437       ypos = 0;
1438     }
1439
1440     /* Convert the integer D to a string and save the string in BUF. If
1441        BASE is equal to 'd', interpret that D is decimal, and if BASE is
1442        equal to 'x', interpret that D is hexadecimal. */
1443     static void
1444     itoa (char *buf, int base, int d)
1445     {
1446       char *p = buf;
1447       char *p1, *p2;
1448       unsigned long ud = d;
1449       int divisor = 10;
1450
1451       /* If %d is specified and D is minus, put `-' in the head. */
1452       if (base == 'd' && d < 0)
1453         {
1454           *p++ = '-';
1455           buf++;
1456           ud = -d;
1457         }
1458       else if (base == 'x')
1459         divisor = 16;
1460
1461       /* Divide UD by DIVISOR until UD == 0. */
1462       do
1463         {
1464           int remainder = ud % divisor;
1465
1466           *p++ = (remainder < 10) ? remainder + '0' : remainder + 'a' - 10;
1467         }
1468       while (ud /= divisor);
1469
1470       /* Terminate BUF. */
1471       *p = 0;
1472
1473       /* Reverse BUF. */
1474       p1 = buf;
1475       p2 = p - 1;
1476       while (p1 < p2)
1477         {
1478           char tmp = *p1;
1479           *p1 = *p2;
1480           *p2 = tmp;
1481           p1++;
1482           p2--;
1483         }
1484     }
1485
1486     /* Put the character C on the screen. */
1487     static void
1488     putchar (int c)
1489     {
1490       if (c == '\n' || c == '\r')
1491         {
1492         newline:
1493           xpos = 0;
1494           ypos++;
1495           if (ypos >= LINES)
1496             ypos = 0;
1497           return;
1498         }
1499
1500       *(video + (xpos + ypos * COLUMNS) * 2) = c & 0xFF;
1501       *(video + (xpos + ypos * COLUMNS) * 2 + 1) = ATTRIBUTE;
1502
1503       xpos++;
1504       if (xpos >= COLUMNS)
1505         goto newline;
1506     }
1507
1508     /* Format a string and print it on the screen, just like the libc
1509        function printf. */
1510     void
1511     printf (const char *format, ...)
1512     {
1513       char **arg = (char **) &format;
1514       int c;
1515       char buf[20];
1516
1517       arg++;
1518
1519       while ((c = *format++) != 0)
1520         {
1521           if (c != '%')
1522             putchar (c);
1523           else
1524             {
1525               char *p;
1526
1527               c = *format++;
1528               switch (c)
1529                 {
1530                 case 'd':
1531                 case 'u':
1532                 case 'x':
1533                   itoa (buf, c, *((int *) arg++));
1534                   p = buf;
1535                   goto string;
1536                   break;
1537
1538                 case 's':
1539                   p = *arg++;
1540                   if (! p)
1541                     p = "(null)";
1542
1543                 string:
1544                   while (*p)
1545                     putchar (*p++);
1546                   break;
1547
1548                 default:
1549                   putchar (*((int *) arg++));
1550                   break;
1551                 }
1552             }
1553         }
1554     }
1555
1556
1557File: multiboot.info,  Node: Other Multiboot kernels,  Prev: kernel.c,  Up: Example OS code
1558
15594.3.4 Other Multiboot kernels
1560-----------------------------
1561
1562Other useful information should be available in Multiboot kernels, such
1563as GNU Mach and Fiasco `http://os.inf.tu-dresden.de/fiasco/'. And, it
1564is worth mentioning the OSKit
1565`http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/flux/oskit/', which provides a library
1566supporting the specification.
1567
1568
1569File: multiboot.info,  Node: Example boot loader code,  Prev: Example OS code,  Up: Examples
1570
15714.4 Example boot loader code
1572============================
1573
1574The GNU GRUB (*note GRUB: (grub.info)Top.) project is a full
1575Multiboot-compliant boot loader, supporting all required and optional
1576features present in this specification. A public release has not been
1577made, but the test release is available from:
1578
1579   `ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/grub'
1580
1581   See the webpage `http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/grub.html', for
1582more information.
1583
1584
1585File: multiboot.info,  Node: History,  Next: Index,  Prev: Examples,  Up: Top
1586
15875 The change log of this specification
1588**************************************
1589
15900.7
1591        * "Multiboot Standard" is renamed to "Multiboot Specification".
1592
1593        * Graphics fields are added to Multiboot header.
1594
1595        * BIOS drive information, BIOS configuration table, the name of
1596          a boot loader, APM information, and graphics information are
1597          added to Multiboot information.
1598
1599        * Rewritten in Texinfo format.
1600
1601        * Rewritten, using more strict words.
1602
1603        * The maintainer changes to the GNU GRUB maintainer team
1604          <bug-grub@gnu.org>, from Bryan Ford and Erich Stefan Boleyn.
1605
16060.6
1607        * A few wording changes.
1608
1609        * Header checksum.
1610
1611        * Clasification of machine state passed to an operating system.
1612
16130.5
1614        * Name change.
1615
16160.4
1617        * Major changes plus HTMLification.
1618
1619
1620File: multiboot.info,  Node: Index,  Prev: History,  Up: Top
1621
1622Index
1623*****
1624
1625�[index�]
1626* Menu:
1627
1628
1629Tag Table:
1630Node: Top990
1631Node: Overview1326
1632Node: Motivation1794
1633Node: Architecture3191
1634Node: Operating systems3724
1635Node: Boot sources4518
1636Node: Boot-time configuration5488
1637Node: Convenience to operating systems6096
1638Node: Boot modules8327
1639Node: Terminology9476
1640Node: Specification11855
1641Node: OS image format12418
1642Node: Header layout13476
1643Node: Header magic fields14644
1644Node: Header address fields17505
1645Node: Header graphics fields19351
1646Node: Machine state20737
1647Node: Boot information format22997
1648Node: Examples38368
1649Node: Notes on PC38741
1650Node: BIOS device mapping techniques40307
1651Node: Data comparison technique41217
1652Node: I/O restriction technique42079
1653Node: Example OS code43296
1654Node: multiboot.h44838
1655Node: boot.S48662
1656Node: kernel.c51286
1657Node: Other Multiboot kernels60013
1658Node: Example boot loader code60444
1659Node: History60970
1660Node: Index61891
1661
1662End Tag Table
1663