SeaBIOS

[maronz]

I can imagine that I'm doing something wrong, but I don't seem to be able to use SeaBIOS.

To allow for an easier repeat of my steps I'm using this time the Windows download (i.e. 'Bochs-win64-2.8.exe'). After extraction I've changed to the 'dlxlinux' directory and changed in the 'bochsrc.bxrc' file two entries to:

romimage: file=../bios.bin-1.13.0
vgaromimage: file=../vgabios-cirrus.bin-1.13.0

Afterwards I try to use ..\bochs.exe -f bochsrc.bxrc to boot it. But I only get a blank screen. Mind you the HDD "LED" is flashing a bit, and I can go through the motions to (blindly) login at the prompt, but I yet have to see anything.

I realize that a new release is about to be cut, and I'd like to suggest making sure that the SeaBIOS files that are packaged are actually usable.

A possibly related question is how boot:network is supposed to work. On QEMU (which is also using SeaBIOS) I can get easily into an 'iPXE' shell and work directly from there. That means without having to boot from another medium (either 'ipxe.iso' or ipxe.dsk'). Would this also be possibel with Bochs, and if so, how?

[Vort]

Please check with these lines added to config:

vga: extension=cirrus
pci: enabled=1, chipset=i440fx, slot1=cirrus

[maronz]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I assumed I did something wrong. Thanks to your hint I've now found that for my simplistic test it would have been enough to just add: vga:extension=cirrus pci:slot1=cirrus

I'm not sure where in the documentation, or the bxrc samples it has been spelled out: If one wants to use SeaBIOS, one also has to select the appropriate VGABIOS, specify a non-default VGA adaptor, and plug it into a PCI slot. Maybe a comment in bochsrc-sample.txt would not go amiss.

[vruppert]

SeaBIOS is unable to initialize an ISA graphics card. With the latest version 1.16.3 the display also remains black. We should mention this in the docs.

[Vort]

Not only that.

vga: extension=vbe
pci: enabled=1, chipset=i440fx, slot1=pcivga

will give black screen as well.

[Vort]

Related request:
@vruppert, please modify dlxlinux4.tar\dlxlinux\bochsrc.txt so it uses .bin extension for vgaromimage.

[vruppert]

@Vort: The VBE PCI works correctly here unless you use a VGABIOS for Cirrus or Banshee. I'll have a look at the DLX Linux package.

[Vort]

@maronz asked about use case with vgaromimage: file=../vgabios-cirrus.bin-1.13.0.
I suspect it have no support for VBE PCI.

upd: Ok, I see, VGABIOS-lgpl-latest-cirrus.bin behaves in the same way. I thought it can work with VBE PCI as well. Everything is fine then.

[maronz]

Whilst I'm already here:
Any pointers regarding my second question of how I could get to boot from a NIC? I guess this would involve some sort of additional ROM, since I was now able to see that SeaBIOS does not appear to help in that matter.

[vruppert]

Booting from a NIC works with BIOS-bochs-latest. In the PCI case you need to specify the "bootrom" parameter of the "ne2k" or "e1000" device. This way doesn't work with the NE2000 ISA - you have to use one of the "optromimage" options then.

Update: @Vort: I have uploaded a new DLX Linux package.