Config Linux BIOS: Is it possible (Re: [OLPC-devel] DOS in Windows Flash Disaster Recovery Utility?

[Marcelo Tosatti]

On Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at 09:05:45PM -0800, supat at supat.eu.org wrote:
> 
> 
> On Mon, 4 Sep 2006, James Cameron wrote:
> 
> >On Mon, Sep 04, 2006 at 02:22:00PM -0800, supat at supat.eu.org wrote:
> >>After I burn OLPC to Linux BIOS, seem it is always has error messages at
> >>the beginning like:
> >>
> >>ACPI ... DSCP not found ??
> >
> >I don't get this message, and besides since ACPI is not planned to be
> >present I wouldn't be concerned if I did see such a message.  Does the
> >system boot anyway?  When during the boot process do you see this
> >message?  What are you booting?
> >
> 
> I am careless. The exact words is what you said "ACPI: Unable to locate 
> RSDP"
> 
> Can this cause problem to slackware to be unable to find the firmware?
> 
> 
> >Booting build 81 shows in dmesg "ACPI: Unable to locate RSDP", and
> >"ACPI: Interpreter disabled."  This is expected.
> >
> >>I press F1 and it has only images.
> >
> >This seems normal.  F1 enters the image menu, then you use left and
> >right arrow keys to select an image.  The last image, on my board, gives
> >a LinuxBIOS shell prompt.
> 
> 
> Even not press the arrows finally it will boot USB after cannot find the 
> NAND memory devices.
> 
> a LinuxBIOS shell prompt?
> 
> I will not call it. Because boot from utotu CD or slak CD can have the 
> same initrd shell.
> 
> IMO: Linux shell prompt should be capable to config some things like 
> change date, change CPU speed, change boot priority, etc.
> 
> >>I am not sure that is feature or bug.
> >
> >It seems to be a feature.
> 
> OK. Thank you to let me know my BIOS linux is normal.
> 
> >
> >>Could you please verify me that :
> >>There is no way under linux BIOS to config the OLPC devices?
> >
> >Perhaps the source code would show what it is capable of, or perhaps we
> >need to wait for documentation on what configuration options are
> >available.  Is there any reason you need to configure devices?  Why
> >shouldn't Linux be able to do this configuration?  We control the BIOS,
> >there seems no justification for device configuration functionality.
> 
> Earlier BIOS control Marvell Wireless by reset or power-off.
> Now. Fedora can control Marvell Wireless completely in good shape w/o need 
> reset/power-off but unfortunately I cannot find out how slackware can do 
> the same :(
> 
> >>If so, after I power-off, is thare any way to bring back the old BIOS.
> >
> >Perhaps.  I've not tested it, and I'm not willing to.  You should be
> >able to boot from the same filesystem you did the olpcflash commands on.
> >But why would you need to do this at all?  Why do you need ACPI?
> 
> I don't know. Because I only see that error and that error correlated or 
> co-incident with slackware become unable to make usb8xxx to work 
> correctly. :(

What are the symptoms? 

Please, get us:

1) cat /proc/bus/usb/devices

2) dmesg