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Home  Products Software Products Option-ROM Based Loaders
ORLL - Option-ROM Linux Loader - loads Linux kernel from flash to RAM and executes it. Command-line parameters can be given to kernel about from which device to load the root file system. If the root file system is to be mounted from RAM, the compressed root file system image (initrd) is first also copied from flash to RAM. The ORLL is able to support 2.2.x and 2.4.x kernels.
In order to boot Linux from Flash, we must have multiple items there. The flash layout also depends on how the actual hardware is set up and how much Flash memory is available in the system. The items required are the following:
1. System BIOS or special initialization code (Artec Loader) which supports Extension-ROMs
2. The Linux Loader image, which has been converted to Extension-ROM format with the needed headers and checksums
3. The Linux Kernel - exactly the same file created as the end product of the kernel compilation.
4. Optional Initrd image (a compressed root file system image that will be expanded as a RAM-disk). It can be omitted if the root file system resides on an alternate device (IDE, Compact Flash, Disk on Chip, etc) and will be mounted from there.
Option-ROM VxWorks loader - The VxWorks Loader (VL) copies the VxWorks image from a Flash address to a RAM address that matches the address used when the VxWorks is started from a Hard Disk or floppy. Actually the loading address is contained in 32-byte OMF header, which is at the beginning of VxWorks image and which is read by loader. In order to boot VxWorks from Flash, we must have multiple items there. The flash layout also depends on how the actual hardware is set up and how much Flash memory is available in the system. The items required are the following:
1. System BIOS or special initialization code (Artec Loader) which supports Extension-ROMs
2. The VxWorks Loader image, which has been converted to Extension-ROM format with the needed headers and checksums
3. The VxWorks BOOTROM or full image capable of running from low memory i.e. vxworks.st_rom. In case of bootrom, the bootrom itself can further load the full VxWorks image from floppy, hard disk or over the network. In case of stand-alone image like vxworks.st_rom the image is just executed without further user intervention possibility.
Option-ROM Windows CE loader - This loader is used in AD ThinCan product. The loader is executed by Artec Loader during the ROM-scan phase. CE loader copies the flat CE image from flash to RAM, sets certain parameter structures in memory and then jumps to the starting of CE image. The startup time for 3.8 Mb CE image from reset to Terminal Server Client startup window was about 7 seconds only.
Option-ROM Windows CE loader from Disk-On-Chip - this loader can load the special flat CE image file on M-systems Disk-On-Chip to RAM and execute it from there. It is a bit slower than loading CE image directly from flash to RAM because the image is read cluster after cluster from Disk-On-Chip device. This loader was tested with 8Mb Disk-On-Chip.
Different Windows CE images - AD software engineers have developed or participated in the development of different Windows CE customized production- or demo-images for devices like Docobo, ThinCan and SnapOn. For standard CE development platform there is been added support for Realtek and National network chips and MediaQ MQ200 and Epson video chips. Also there has been developed a solution for saving persistent CE registry into StrataFlash. |
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