From 904a83dcfee2f76b1e21b3ea2fc5bf5cf7e056d1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Carsten Strotmann Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2021 20:29:10 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Bootdisk Tools License and Readme --- 8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/license.txt | 26 +++++ 8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/readme.txt | 139 +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 165 insertions(+) create mode 100644 8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/license.txt create mode 100644 8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/readme.txt diff --git a/8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/license.txt b/8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/license.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cc4dcc2 --- /dev/null +++ b/8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/license.txt @@ -0,0 +1,26 @@ +Copyright (c) 2000-2015, Alexey Frunze +All rights reserved. + +Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without +modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: + +1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this + list of conditions and the following disclaimer. +2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, + this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation + and/or other materials provided with the distribution. + +THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND +ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE +DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR +ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES +(INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; +LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND +ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT +(INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS +SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. + +The views and conclusions contained in the software and documentation are those +of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing official policies, +either expressed or implied, of the FreeBSD Project. diff --git a/8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/readme.txt b/8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/readme.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d36ba8d --- /dev/null +++ b/8086/pc-baremetal/bootdisk/readme.txt @@ -0,0 +1,139 @@ +The "BootProg" Boot Sector + + +What is BootProg? + +BootProg is a collection of 512-byte boot sectors (for the x86 PC) capable of +loading and executing a program from a FAT12-formatted floppy or a FAT16/32- +formatted hard disk (bootable USB sticks and CDs can also be made with +BootProg). + +BootProg understands programs in the MS-DOS .COM or .EXE format. This makes +it possible to use existing 16-bit compilers such as Borland/Turbo C/C++, +Sybase/Open Watcom C/C++ and Smaller C and a variety of assemblers such as +NASM, FASM, TASM and MASM among the others. + +BootProg doesn't require that the program occupy a contiguous span of sectors +or FAT clusters or reside at a specific fixed location on the disk. BootProg +faithfully parses the root directory and the chain of FAT clusters in order to +locate the program contents. The only requirement is that the program be named +"STARTUP.BIN" (without quotes). This makes updating the program easy. You just +need to update the file and you can reboot and execute it immediately. + + +What can BootProg be used for? + +You can make a boot loader for your OS. The program that BootProg loads can be +your 2nd stage boot loader. Or, if your OS is relatively small, STARTUP.BIN +could contain the entire OS. + +You can write low-level utilities to work with your PC's hardware and load them +with BootProg without having to jump through the hoops with your Windows, Linux +or even DOS. + +You can make cool graphics demos or games that run on bare hardware. + + +What can't BootProg be used for? + +Many things. Most importantly, if you make a DOS program that uses any MS-DOS +service functions (e.g. int 21h) or data structures, it will not work when +loaded by BootProg. It must use either BIOS services (e.g. int 10h, int 16h, +int 13h and such) or access hardware directly or both. + +However, it is possible to create universal/hybrid programs that would work +both in DOS and when loaded by BootProg. BootProg will set registers si, di and +bp to the values 16381, 32749 and 65521 respectively before transferring control +to your program. Your program can then check the values in these registers and +use DOS services in DOS or something else instead on bare hardware. You can also +choose to make the program run with reduced functionality if not on DOS or +vice versa. + + +How does it work? + +Nothing special. It just finds STARTUP.BIN, loads it, performs any relocations +necessary for the .EXE type of programs, sets the magic numbers 16381, 32749 +and 65521 in registers si, di and bp respectively and passes control to your +program. + +If BootProg can't find STARTUP.BIN, it will print "NF" to the screen. If it +fails to load the file due to a read error, it will print "RE". This is how the +FAT12 and FAT16 versions of BootProg work. The FAT32 version has much less space +for these errors and so in both above cases it will simply print "E". + + +How do I put BootProg on my disk? + +If you have a 1.44MB 3"5 floppy, just format it regularly with FAT12 in DOS or +Windows and then write flp144.bin to the very first sector of the floppy with +whatever tools you find/have for that. After that you can copy STARTUP.BIN to +the floppy and off you go. + +If you want to create an image of a 1.44MB 3"5 floppy, it might be even easier. +Compile the mkimg144.c program contained here with your favorite C compiler +and use it: + + mkimg144 [option(s)] [file(s)] + + Options: + + -bs Specifies the boot sector to use, e.g. "-bs flp144.bin" + + -o Specifies the name of the output file ("floppy.img" is the + default, if this option isn't specified) + + -us Uses the current time to set the volume ID of the FAT to a unique + value (the volume ID is used to distinguish between different + removable disks and detect disk change more accurately) + +E.g: "mkimg144 -bs flp144.bin -o flp144.img -us startup.bin". +Btw, you can rename the supplied file "demo1.com" to "startup.bin" to try it +out. + +For all other cases you'll need to become a little more familiar with FAT and +a little more intimate with disk tools and BootProg's source code. + +You will need to populate the BPB's of boot16.asm and boot32.asm with the +values appropriate to the type and size of the file system that you already have +on a disk or that you intend to create on the disk. +See the source code, these places are marked with question marks, for example: + bpbBytesPerSector DW ? ; 0x0B + +The best is to format your disk with some standard tools (e.g. FORMAT.COM in +DOS), extract the BPB values from the FAT-formatted disk, put them into BootProg +and then write thusly adjusted BootProg over the original boot sector. + +You may find a disk editor handy when manipulating BPB values and/or +reading/writing boot sectors. + + +Limitations and implementation details + +boot12.asm (flp144.asm) and boot16.asm require an i80186/i80188/i80286 or a +better CPU. boot32.asm naturally requires an i80386 or a better CPU. + +boot12.asm (flp144.asm) was not tested on hard disks (but it might work as the +boot sector on FAT12 primary partitions (file system ID 1)). + +boot16.asm was written for and tested on primary FAT16 partitions (file system +IDs 4 and 6). Its expected use is the boot sector of the partition and not the +MBR. The FAT16 version may allocate up to 128KB of RAM for the entire FAT16, +leaving less room for STARTUP.BIN. But ~400KB left should still be plenty of +space for its code, data and stack. + +boot32.asm was written for and tested on primary FAT32 partitions (file system +IDs 0Bh and 0Ch) and for BIOSes supporting function 42h of int 13h (IOW, for +systems supporting HDDs larger than 8GB). Its expected use is the boot sector +of the partition and not the MBR. + +BootProg does not check the size of STARTUP.BIN and reads into memory all of its +clusters, which means that up to 32767 extra bytes may be read from the disk +and written to the memory after the last byte of STARTUP.BIN (max cluster size +is 32KB). It also means that you may append data to your program and it will be +loaded. You may create oversized .COM-style STARTUP.BIN larger than ~64KB, +however, note that the stack will naturally overwrite its contents from offset +65535 of the program segment (offset 65279 of the file) downwards. + +If your PC has the full 640KB of conventional/DOS memory, you should be able to +load program files of size of up to ~400KB.