Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!umix!umich!mibte!gamma!ulysses!thumper!faline!bellcore!tness7!petro!swrinde!ut-sally!utah-cs!utah-gr!uplherc!sp7040!obie!wes
From: wes@obie.UUCP (Barnacle Wes)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: MINIX on ITT 386s
Message-ID: <111@obie.UUCP>
Date: 2 Apr 88 18:14:26 GMT
References: <1814@louie.udel.EDU>
Organization: the Well of Souls
Lines: 29
Summary: Minix on 386 -- has anyone gotten it to work?

In article <1814@louie.udel.EDU>, C0033003%DBSTU1.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu writes:
> Is there someone out in the world / in netland who has experience
> with MINIX running on ITT 80386 systems ( they call it XTRA professional
> series 700 ) ?
> 
> After using it on ATs I'd like to bring MINIX to this new machine. But
> only the boot disk works. After start loading the root file system
> from the 2nd floppy the machine can only be reactivated by a hard
> reset ( power on ).

This is the same behavior I've noted when trying to boot Minix on two
different 386 machines: AMT 386, with 64K SRAM cache, and Acer 1100,
using interleaved RAM.  I've even tried slowing them to 6 MHz - still
didn't work.  We began tracing the problem, and decided it probably
lives in the BIOS.  We have some NEC APC IV's here, 2 with Rev A BIOS,
and 2 with Rev B BIOS.  The two with Rev B boot Minix without
problems, the two with Rev A act the same as the 386s.

When you press `=' to tell the Minix loader program to load Minix, it
makes a BIOS call to do something (I can't remember what, and I can't
call anyone right now, obie is on the phone to wsccs).  Apparently,
this BIOS call is where it dies.  I think this BIOS call is only made
in the AT version of Minix.

	Wes Peters
-- 
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