Re: [PATCH 4/8] x86 boot: allow overlapping ebda and efi memmapmemory ranges

From: Paul Jackson
Date: Mon Jun 16 2008 - 04:25:22 EST


Huang wrote:
> I think it is better to change boot loader to avoid memory area of EBDA.

Would this require the bootloader to know the kernels rather arbitrary
heuristics for inventing and placing an EBDA area, in reserve_ebda_region()?

In general, I would think it better not to have to code into the EFI
firmware or bootloader such knowledge. But perhaps I am wrong here.

If the kernel is going to reserve an EBDA region even if no EBDA is
requested by the BIOS, then I would think that the kernel should be
more tolerant of BIOS's that put something else in that place.

> Or do not reserve EBDA on EFI system.

I suppose. This would have been a bigger change than I could
suggest. For all I know, there are existing systems using EBDA
and EFI together. Would this change break them?

If you have good reason to know that's essentially impossible then
I have no objections, so far as my needs go, to not reserving EBDA
on EFI systems.

--
I won't rest till it's the best ...
Programmer, Linux Scalability
Paul Jackson <pj@xxxxxxx> 1.940.382.4214
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