Discless booting

[Theo Markettos]

[sent from a Bush box - hope the formatting works!]

Has anyone succeeded in getting a bush box to dial from the command line?
I've got as far as using one of the DiallerB SWIs to attept it, but then in
its own log complain that it is missing a dial script. But I can't find a
dial script in ResourceFS, and given that it needs to insert ISP
information, it might have to be made up on the fly. Has anyone looked at
the various modules to see whether this is the case? I've tried, but
without a Zip drive and only *Memory/*memoryI it's difficult.

If it can be persuaded to dial, I have a cunning plan to boot the box
without a disc...
1) Hook into the serial port receiving data from the remote, and pass it
through a small microcontroller capable of sending serial data
2) On powerup, get the microcontroller to simulate keypresses for
Shift-powerup, and then enter commands from the command line.
3) Get the box to do a dialup (or use PPP on the spare serial port). Using
the built-in HTTP/FTP modules, download a list of further commands from a
server.
4) This list of further commands downloads extra code - eg a Linux kernel,
ADFS to read floppies hung off the parallel port, or an NFS client.

While some of these might be a bit slow off a modem, the FDC37C669's serial
ports will go up to 460800 bps, which is fairly quick...

On other points, I have some sources to a DE600 parallel port ethernet
driver. Trouble is, they don't work. If anyone wants them, let me know. If
you want to get a copy of the DCI4 spec for network drivers, try asking
stewart.brodie@pace.co.uk who has access to them.

Regarding wireless LAN, this was originaly planned for the boxes, and I was
supposed to be working at Pace last summer on it, but about 2 weeks before
I was due to start, Bush cancelled the contract with Pace and a number of
people were made redundant. However, Simtec have also said they are working
on 802.11 drivers...

Theo