kBootManager v0.36.5Beta - Documentation

Contents:


About The kBootManager

The kBootManager is an bootmanager which is meant to supplement or replace the IBM BootManager. When I say "or", that depends on which configuration you will have. If you plan to boot OS/2, or any other (unknown) OS which needs the IBM BootManager to install, it is an supplement. But if you are thinking about booting all OSes from primary partitions or "logical as primary", it is a replacement.

As Primary

The NEW thing about this bootmanager is that it may boot any logical partition as an primary (this requires a free entry in the primary partitiontable). It extends the IBM BootManager naming - names of extended partitions is stored in the logical MBR - to include primary partitions. So if you name an extended partition with the OS/2 fdisk or PQMagic you will have that partition bootable in this bootmanager too.

Features


Compatibility issues with the IBM BootManager.


The kBootManager

Keys


The Textmode Installer

The installer is has an fdisk (linux) styled interface, but is designed to be implemented as an GUI application later. The interface is poor. It is not userfriendly - but it works. During development I have used a physical diskeditor to do the installation an configuration - so this is a huge improvement - for me.

The installer is idetical on the different platforms - the difference is the class which provides me with phyical disk access.

I am now going to explain what the different menu options do. I will group them.


(tested) Operating Systems - how to boot... from...

Operating System Versions
tested
FileSystem Primary Logical As primary Note(s)
OS/2 4.0
3.0
3.0 SMP
2.1
HPFS
FAT
Yes. Yes. 2) Yes. w/UpdateBPB
[HideLogical]
none.
Window NT 4.0
3.51
NTFS
FAT
Yes. Yes. w/ UpdateBPB Yes. w/ UpdateBPB
[HideLogical]
It is the NT-Loader we boot, not NT directly.
DOS 1) 6.22
6.20
6.0
5.0
4.01
FAT Yes. No. Yes. [UpdateBPB]
[HideLogical]
I am not sure about the UpdateBPB, it may be required to make it work.
DOS 1) 3.30
3.20
2.10
FAT Yes. No. Not tested none - yet
DOS/Windows 1) 95 (V)FAT Yes. No. Yes. [UpdateBPB]
[HideLogical]
I am not sure about the UpdateBPB, it may be required to make it work.
FAT32 is not tested but implemented. It should work.... :-)
DrDOS 1) 6.0 FAT Yes. No. Yes. [UpdateBPB]
[HideLogical]
I am not sure about the UpdateBPB, it may be required to make it work.
NovellDOS 1) 7.0 FAT Yes. No. Yes. [UpdateBPB]
[HideLogical]
I am not sure about the UpdateBPB, it may be required to make it work.
OpenDos 1) 7.01 FAT Yes. No. Yes. [UpdateBPB]
[HideLogical]
I am not sure about the UpdateBPB, it may be required to make it work.
Linux 2.0.?? extfs2 Yes. Yes. Yes. Use LILO in superblock of partition. This boots LILO not Linux directly. Not Necessary to use the Boot as primary option. NOTE that you should not use the UpdBPB EBF, it will be ignored. The same goes for the No Primary Hiding EBF.
BeOS Release 3 BeFS? Yes. Yes(?) Yes(?) BeOS uses a modified LILO. If you are asked where to put the loader, do it in superblock (or whatever they will call it) of the partition.
I have not verified that it is bootable as primary or from an extended partition - but why shouldn't it?
IBM BootManager N/A N/A Yes. N/A N/A Not realy an OS... kBM boot's it anyway.
Footnotes:
  1. This OS can not be installed past 2GB because of it's loader. Realy it the problem is usualy that a problem when calculation sector index to Cylinder, Head and Sector. The reminder can't fit into a 16bit register. I am working on a fix to DOS >= v5.0.
  2. Need the IBM Boot Manager to be installed to an extended partition.

Technical Information

This is VERY unfinished sketches!

Content

If you have some questions about anything feel free to ask.

If You are making a product that and You want to support kBM - I could provied all the information you need - and I am willing to make a customized version which accomplish Your needs.

Extended Boot Flags - EBF

Extended boot flags are my own invention. They are located above the parition table. To be exact at offset 0x1AE(430) in the partitiontable sector on both primary and logical partitiontables. Each is one - 1 - byte wide. There is one for each partitiontable entry - 4 that is.

A EBF is a bitmask. I will give a short description of what the different bits are.


As Primary

As Primary is a bootmethod - a boot scheme.
Shorly what it does is that is fake a primary partition of an logical parition.

Why

To let operating systems boot like if they where installed on a primary parition when the realy lies on an logical(extended) partition. Remeber that there are only 4 - four - primary partitions per drive, while you may have as many logical(extended) partitions as you like

How?

Here are the steps it does when booting:
  1. Check that the partition is a logical partition.
  2. Findes a free entry in the primary partitiontable (searching from the bottom)
  3. Recalculates the Relative sector number (offset 0x08 in the partitiontable-entry)
  4. Copies the partitiontable entry for the partition from it logical-partitiontable to the primary with the recalulated relative sector number.
  5. Copies the paritition-name and ebf into the primary partitiontable.
  6. Writes the primary-parititiontable to disk.
  7. If the "hide logical" EBF is set it hides the logical partition.
  8. Load the bootsector of the partition
  9. Set drive and recalc "hidden sectors"
  10. If the "update BPB" EBF is set if now writes the bootsector to disk.
  11. Save kBM status ++
  12. transfer control to the bootsector bootstrap.

OLD DOCUMENTATION

Documentation is non-existing right now but i will write on it when i have time.
But here is a short doc/summary:

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These pages are best view with WebExplorer and Netscape for OS/2 and the other platforms. Now also prepared for lynx.

I will welcome any suggestions and advice concerning these pages.
E-Mail: bird@solo.lhg.hib.no
Last Update: 9th April 1998


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