Booting Linux 2.6 with DiskOnChip 2000 TSOP (INFTL)

[Brian O'Dell]

Andrew Schultz wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I've spent a few days attempting to get a new 256MB DiskOnChip 2000 
> TSOP working properly with Linux 2.6.11.  I have been using the MTD 
> drivers that come with the vanilla version of the kernel and so far I 
> can properly dformat, fdisk, format, and copy the file system so 
> everything is cool with the kernel driver.
>
> However, all my attempts to get grub/lilo/docboot to work in booting 
> of the DOC have been in vain.  My first question is does the current 
> grub patch actually have support for the TSOP (and INFTL devices in 
> general)?  I found two previous posts in 2002 and 2003 
> (http://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/linux-mtd/2003-November/008922.html 
> and 
> http://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/linux-mtd/2003-April/007487.html)
> which seem to be inconclusive about the current support of INFTL 
> devices and grub.
>
I am in a very similar situation.  I can read and write to the DOC 2000 
tsop, but no luck booting to it.

This post by dwmw2 is relevant to our troubles: 
http://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/linux-mtd/2004-December/011098.html

My thinking is that GRUB is out, and doesn't currently work for INFTL 
devices.  I could be dead wrong.  My understanding is that normal grub 
needs to understand the filesystem it is loading the kernel from.  The 
patched grub understands NFTL, but not INFTL. 

I don't think that LILO has this limitation.  I think LILO just loads 
the kernel from a given address, it does not understand filesystems, so 
it may work.  I haven't tried LILO yet.

-bto