🚀 go-pugleaf

Last week some questions were posted about what some kernel flags mean.   
her is a short list form a file called power_on.rtfd by Wayde Schroeder
from SupportBulletin Volume 1, Issue 1	Summer 1991.  I beleave this file  
to be on the archives someplace.  The same info (rewriten) is in the 3.0  
Admin docs.  The following text is taken directly from the above file.  I  
have omited much of the file.

boot flags
Boot flags are used to specify boot options. The flags are preceded by a  
hyphen (-). When you specify boot flags, if no kernel name is given, the  
default mach kernel will be used. General usage when working from the ROM  
monitor includes adding the boot flags:

	bxx [kernel] -[flags]

flags include:

	-a	Ask for the name of the root device.
	-b	Boot without running /etc/rc.boot.
	-s	Boot in single-user mode.
	-i	Ask for the name of the init program.
	-p	Don't auto-reboot on a panic.

Examples:

	bsd -s
	ben -bs
	bfd mymach -as


and another 

kernel variables
The complete list of kernel variables may be unique to each kernel built.  
This section  discusses variables that  will continue to be included in  
future releases and describes how they are used in various situations.  
General usage when working from the ROM monitor includes adding the kernel  
variables:

bxx [kernel] -[flags] [kvars]

where kvars includes the following kernel variables:

mem=nnnn	Use only nnnn KB of memory even though more is actually  
installed (for example, 1024 is 1 MB). Useful when measuring the impact of  
adding more (or less) memory.

init=path	Run path instead of /etc/mach_init.

rootdev=xxx	Use xxx (for example, sd1, od0, en0, fd0) as root device  
when boot device is different

rootdir=path	Use directory path as root point. 

rootrw=1	Mount the root read/write initially. At boot, the root is  
normally mounted read-only. If fsck runs clean during rc.boot, it's  
remounted read-write.

cache=0 	Disable the on-chip caches.

pagesize=4096	Use physical pages half as large (default is 8192). This  
usually makes things worse.

Examples:

bod - rootdev=sd0 ( - needed when kernel name not given)
bsd newmach -p mem=4096


Here's an example of booting from an external floppy device when the  
internal disk is sd0, and the external floppy disk is sd1. Be sure to  
insert the MkMagic bootable floppy disk in the external floppy disk drive  
before you execute the following command:

	NeXT> bsd(1,0,0) - rootdev=sd1a

references
Network and System Administration manual, Chapter 11,  System Startup and  
Shutdown.  NeXT Computer, Inc., 1990.

end of Wayde's text.



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