[rescue] Small servers (was Re: WTT: 1.5G of PC2700 for 1G of PC100)

[Joshua Boyd]

On May 3, 2008, at 9:04 PM, Shannon Hendrix wrote:
>
> What I really, really want is not serial BIOS where video is  
> converted... I want a real serial BIOS, designed to be serial from  
> the start.
>
> That one change would be a profound improvement on PC systems.
>
> I really find it hard to believe no one has done it.  They can even  
> keep the standard video BIOS and just create a CLI to control it as  
> a front-end to talk to it and CMOS.
>

Certainly people have done it, or come really close.

I'm pretty certain that EFI can do it, except the Macs lack a real  
serial port (except for the Xserves?).  Openfirmware can do it.  The  
OLPCs are a PC with OF, but they also lack a serial port.

However, there are also people who've hacked various boards to do  
some selection of boot linux directly from on motherboard flash, boot  
grub directly, boot openfirmware, and maybe some other options.  I  
believe that currently the best supported platforms are Opterons and  
Vias.

If you are actually interested in this, look up the coreboot  
project.  One workstation I am happy to see on the supported list is  
the Sun Ultra40.  Alas the 20 isn't on the list.  The v20z is also on  
the list.  And of course some Vias.