Re: Xbox port

On Thu, 18 Mar 2004 [email protected] wrote:
> I've been working on a port to the Xbox. So far I got a patched kernel with
> a ramdisk ready to be tested. I am still working on the bootloader. Is
> anybody
> else working on this? Is anybody interested in helping me? Since I don't
> know
> which is the regular procedure to start a new port and get it commited, I
> would like to know if I should start doing my work under a different
> /usr/src/sys/arch, or if I should just be using #ifdef XBOX all over the
> i386 port?

See http://www.netbsd.org/developers/new-port.html on the (mostly
administrative!) tasks to do for a new port.
Whether to base this on the i386 port or start a new port dependson how
different the port will be, I can't tell. It's probably best to start out
at the i386 port, and #ifdefs for easy identification, and if it's
getting too much start a new port. (might be interesting to discuss
details on [email protected]).

From talking to various people involved in linux-xbox, tasks I see
that need to be done for getting a port started are:
 * getting the ramdisk kernel that you already have
 * have it started (bootloader thing - too bad linux doesn't use ELF
   kernels - bad linux!)
 * find some way for the kernel to communicate. USB ethernet/serial may
   work.
 * see if you can talk to the gfx card (console).
 * console will be fun. dunno if wscons can do non-vga, and if so, how.
 * see if you can talk to the harddisk (raw hardware)
 * see how different the Xbox filesystem is from our ntfs
 * idea i bounced with some people for booting is to vnconfig a file on
   the ntfs with a FFS in it, mount it and chroot to it from the ramdisk,
   then boot from it.
 * if you have that, get X going. and ethernet.
 * cheer, party, dance, announce world domination


 - Hubert

-- 
Hubert Feyrer <[email protected]>