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diff --git a/Documentation/x86/boot.rst b/Documentation/x86/boot.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..abb9fc164 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/x86/boot.rst @@ -0,0 +1,1442 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +=========================== +The Linux/x86 Boot Protocol +=========================== + +On the x86 platform, the Linux kernel uses a rather complicated boot +convention. This has evolved partially due to historical aspects, as +well as the desire in the early days to have the kernel itself be a +bootable image, the complicated PC memory model and due to changed +expectations in the PC industry caused by the effective demise of +real-mode DOS as a mainstream operating system. + +Currently, the following versions of the Linux/x86 boot protocol exist. + +============= ============================================================ +Old kernels zImage/Image support only. Some very early kernels + may not even support a command line. + +Protocol 2.00 (Kernel 1.3.73) Added bzImage and initrd support, as + well as a formalized way to communicate between the + boot loader and the kernel. setup.S made relocatable, + although the traditional setup area still assumed + writable. + +Protocol 2.01 (Kernel 1.3.76) Added a heap overrun warning. + +Protocol 2.02 (Kernel 2.4.0-test3-pre3) New command line protocol. + Lower the conventional memory ceiling. No overwrite + of the traditional setup area, thus making booting + safe for systems which use the EBDA from SMM or 32-bit + BIOS entry points. zImage deprecated but still + supported. + +Protocol 2.03 (Kernel 2.4.18-pre1) Explicitly makes the highest possible + initrd address available to the bootloader. + +Protocol 2.04 (Kernel 2.6.14) Extend the syssize field to four bytes. + +Protocol 2.05 (Kernel 2.6.20) Make protected mode kernel relocatable. + Introduce relocatable_kernel and kernel_alignment fields. + +Protocol 2.06 (Kernel 2.6.22) Added a field that contains the size of + the boot command line. + +Protocol 2.07 (Kernel 2.6.24) Added paravirtualised boot protocol. + Introduced hardware_subarch and hardware_subarch_data + and KEEP_SEGMENTS flag in load_flags. + +Protocol 2.08 (Kernel 2.6.26) Added crc32 checksum and ELF format + payload. Introduced payload_offset and payload_length + fields to aid in locating the payload. + +Protocol 2.09 (Kernel 2.6.26) Added a field of 64-bit physical + pointer to single linked list of struct setup_data. + +Protocol 2.10 (Kernel 2.6.31) Added a protocol for relaxed alignment + beyond the kernel_alignment added, new init_size and + pref_address fields. Added extended boot loader IDs. + +Protocol 2.11 (Kernel 3.6) Added a field for offset of EFI handover + protocol entry point. + +Protocol 2.12 (Kernel 3.8) Added the xloadflags field and extension fields + to struct boot_params for loading bzImage and ramdisk + above 4G in 64bit. + +Protocol 2.13 (Kernel 3.14) Support 32- and 64-bit flags being set in + xloadflags to support booting a 64-bit kernel from 32-bit + EFI + +Protocol 2.14 BURNT BY INCORRECT COMMIT + ae7e1238e68f2a472a125673ab506d49158c1889 + (x86/boot: Add ACPI RSDP address to setup_header) + DO NOT USE!!! ASSUME SAME AS 2.13. + +Protocol 2.15 (Kernel 5.5) Added the kernel_info and kernel_info.setup_type_max. +============= ============================================================ + +.. note:: + The protocol version number should be changed only if the setup header + is changed. There is no need to update the version number if boot_params + or kernel_info are changed. Additionally, it is recommended to use + xloadflags (in this case the protocol version number should not be + updated either) or kernel_info to communicate supported Linux kernel + features to the boot loader. Due to very limited space available in + the original setup header every update to it should be considered + with great care. Starting from the protocol 2.15 the primary way to + communicate things to the boot loader is the kernel_info. + + +Memory Layout +============= + +The traditional memory map for the kernel loader, used for Image or +zImage kernels, typically looks like:: + + | | + 0A0000 +------------------------+ + | Reserved for BIOS | Do not use. Reserved for BIOS EBDA. + 09A000 +------------------------+ + | Command line | + | Stack/heap | For use by the kernel real-mode code. + 098000 +------------------------+ + | Kernel setup | The kernel real-mode code. + 090200 +------------------------+ + | Kernel boot sector | The kernel legacy boot sector. + 090000 +------------------------+ + | Protected-mode kernel | The bulk of the kernel image. + 010000 +------------------------+ + | Boot loader | <- Boot sector entry point 0000:7C00 + 001000 +------------------------+ + | Reserved for MBR/BIOS | + 000800 +------------------------+ + | Typically used by MBR | + 000600 +------------------------+ + | BIOS use only | + 000000 +------------------------+ + +When using bzImage, the protected-mode kernel was relocated to +0x100000 ("high memory"), and the kernel real-mode block (boot sector, +setup, and stack/heap) was made relocatable to any address between +0x10000 and end of low memory. Unfortunately, in protocols 2.00 and +2.01 the 0x90000+ memory range is still used internally by the kernel; +the 2.02 protocol resolves that problem. + +It is desirable to keep the "memory ceiling" -- the highest point in +low memory touched by the boot loader -- as low as possible, since +some newer BIOSes have begun to allocate some rather large amounts of +memory, called the Extended BIOS Data Area, near the top of low +memory. The boot loader should use the "INT 12h" BIOS call to verify +how much low memory is available. + +Unfortunately, if INT 12h reports that the amount of memory is too +low, there is usually nothing the boot loader can do but to report an +error to the user. The boot loader should therefore be designed to +take up as little space in low memory as it reasonably can. For +zImage or old bzImage kernels, which need data written into the +0x90000 segment, the boot loader should make sure not to use memory +above the 0x9A000 point; too many BIOSes will break above that point. + +For a modern bzImage kernel with boot protocol version >= 2.02, a +memory layout like the following is suggested:: + + ~ ~ + | Protected-mode kernel | + 100000 +------------------------+ + | I/O memory hole | + 0A0000 +------------------------+ + | Reserved for BIOS | Leave as much as possible unused + ~ ~ + | Command line | (Can also be below the X+10000 mark) + X+10000 +------------------------+ + | Stack/heap | For use by the kernel real-mode code. + X+08000 +------------------------+ + | Kernel setup | The kernel real-mode code. + | Kernel boot sector | The kernel legacy boot sector. + X +------------------------+ + | Boot loader | <- Boot sector entry point 0000:7C00 + 001000 +------------------------+ + | Reserved for MBR/BIOS | + 000800 +------------------------+ + | Typically used by MBR | + 000600 +------------------------+ + | BIOS use only | + 000000 +------------------------+ + + ... where the address X is as low as the design of the boot loader permits. + + +The Real-Mode Kernel Header +=========================== + +In the following text, and anywhere in the kernel boot sequence, "a +sector" refers to 512 bytes. It is independent of the actual sector +size of the underlying medium. + +The first step in loading a Linux kernel should be to load the +real-mode code (boot sector and setup code) and then examine the +following header at offset 0x01f1. The real-mode code can total up to +32K, although the boot loader may choose to load only the first two +sectors (1K) and then examine the bootup sector size. + +The header looks like: + +=========== ======== ===================== ============================================ +Offset/Size Proto Name Meaning +=========== ======== ===================== ============================================ +01F1/1 ALL(1) setup_sects The size of the setup in sectors +01F2/2 ALL root_flags If set, the root is mounted readonly +01F4/4 2.04+(2) syssize The size of the 32-bit code in 16-byte paras +01F8/2 ALL ram_size DO NOT USE - for bootsect.S use only +01FA/2 ALL vid_mode Video mode control +01FC/2 ALL root_dev Default root device number +01FE/2 ALL boot_flag 0xAA55 magic number +0200/2 2.00+ jump Jump instruction +0202/4 2.00+ header Magic signature "HdrS" +0206/2 2.00+ version Boot protocol version supported +0208/4 2.00+ realmode_swtch Boot loader hook (see below) +020C/2 2.00+ start_sys_seg The load-low segment (0x1000) (obsolete) +020E/2 2.00+ kernel_version Pointer to kernel version string +0210/1 2.00+ type_of_loader Boot loader identifier +0211/1 2.00+ loadflags Boot protocol option flags +0212/2 2.00+ setup_move_size Move to high memory size (used with hooks) +0214/4 2.00+ code32_start Boot loader hook (see below) +0218/4 2.00+ ramdisk_image initrd load address (set by boot loader) +021C/4 2.00+ ramdisk_size initrd size (set by boot loader) +0220/4 2.00+ bootsect_kludge DO NOT USE - for bootsect.S use only +0224/2 2.01+ heap_end_ptr Free memory after setup end +0226/1 2.02+(3) ext_loader_ver Extended boot loader version +0227/1 2.02+(3) ext_loader_type Extended boot loader ID +0228/4 2.02+ cmd_line_ptr 32-bit pointer to the kernel command line +022C/4 2.03+ initrd_addr_max Highest legal initrd address +0230/4 2.05+ kernel_alignment Physical addr alignment required for kernel +0234/1 2.05+ relocatable_kernel Whether kernel is relocatable or not +0235/1 2.10+ min_alignment Minimum alignment, as a power of two +0236/2 2.12+ xloadflags Boot protocol option flags +0238/4 2.06+ cmdline_size Maximum size of the kernel command line +023C/4 2.07+ hardware_subarch Hardware subarchitecture +0240/8 2.07+ hardware_subarch_data Subarchitecture-specific data +0248/4 2.08+ payload_offset Offset of kernel payload +024C/4 2.08+ payload_length Length of kernel payload +0250/8 2.09+ setup_data 64-bit physical pointer to linked list + of struct setup_data +0258/8 2.10+ pref_address Preferred loading address +0260/4 2.10+ init_size Linear memory required during initialization +0264/4 2.11+ handover_offset Offset of handover entry point +0268/4 2.15+ kernel_info_offset Offset of the kernel_info +=========== ======== ===================== ============================================ + +.. note:: + (1) For backwards compatibility, if the setup_sects field contains 0, the + real value is 4. + + (2) For boot protocol prior to 2.04, the upper two bytes of the syssize + field are unusable, which means the size of a bzImage kernel + cannot be determined. + + (3) Ignored, but safe to set, for boot protocols 2.02-2.09. + +If the "HdrS" (0x53726448) magic number is not found at offset 0x202, +the boot protocol version is "old". Loading an old kernel, the +following parameters should be assumed:: + + Image type = zImage + initrd not supported + Real-mode kernel must be located at 0x90000. + +Otherwise, the "version" field contains the protocol version, +e.g. protocol version 2.01 will contain 0x0201 in this field. When +setting fields in the header, you must make sure only to set fields +supported by the protocol version in use. + + +Details of Header Fields +======================== + +For each field, some are information from the kernel to the bootloader +("read"), some are expected to be filled out by the bootloader +("write"), and some are expected to be read and modified by the +bootloader ("modify"). + +All general purpose boot loaders should write the fields marked +(obligatory). Boot loaders who want to load the kernel at a +nonstandard address should fill in the fields marked (reloc); other +boot loaders can ignore those fields. + +The byte order of all fields is littleendian (this is x86, after all.) + +============ =========== +Field name: setup_sects +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x1f1/1 +Protocol: ALL +============ =========== + + The size of the setup code in 512-byte sectors. If this field is + 0, the real value is 4. The real-mode code consists of the boot + sector (always one 512-byte sector) plus the setup code. + +============ ================= +Field name: root_flags +Type: modify (optional) +Offset/size: 0x1f2/2 +Protocol: ALL +============ ================= + + If this field is nonzero, the root defaults to readonly. The use of + this field is deprecated; use the "ro" or "rw" options on the + command line instead. + +============ =============================================== +Field name: syssize +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x1f4/4 (protocol 2.04+) 0x1f4/2 (protocol ALL) +Protocol: 2.04+ +============ =============================================== + + The size of the protected-mode code in units of 16-byte paragraphs. + For protocol versions older than 2.04 this field is only two bytes + wide, and therefore cannot be trusted for the size of a kernel if + the LOAD_HIGH flag is set. + +============ =============== +Field name: ram_size +Type: kernel internal +Offset/size: 0x1f8/2 +Protocol: ALL +============ =============== + + This field is obsolete. + +============ =================== +Field name: vid_mode +Type: modify (obligatory) +Offset/size: 0x1fa/2 +============ =================== + + Please see the section on SPECIAL COMMAND LINE OPTIONS. + +============ ================= +Field name: root_dev +Type: modify (optional) +Offset/size: 0x1fc/2 +Protocol: ALL +============ ================= + + The default root device device number. The use of this field is + deprecated, use the "root=" option on the command line instead. + +============ ========= +Field name: boot_flag +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x1fe/2 +Protocol: ALL +============ ========= + + Contains 0xAA55. This is the closest thing old Linux kernels have + to a magic number. + +============ ======= +Field name: jump +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x200/2 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ======= + + Contains an x86 jump instruction, 0xEB followed by a signed offset + relative to byte 0x202. This can be used to determine the size of + the header. + +============ ======= +Field name: header +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x202/4 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ======= + + Contains the magic number "HdrS" (0x53726448). + +============ ======= +Field name: version +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x206/2 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ======= + + Contains the boot protocol version, in (major << 8)+minor format, + e.g. 0x0204 for version 2.04, and 0x0a11 for a hypothetical version + 10.17. + +============ ================= +Field name: realmode_swtch +Type: modify (optional) +Offset/size: 0x208/4 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ================= + + Boot loader hook (see ADVANCED BOOT LOADER HOOKS below.) + +============ ============= +Field name: start_sys_seg +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x20c/2 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ============= + + The load low segment (0x1000). Obsolete. + +============ ============== +Field name: kernel_version +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x20e/2 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ============== + + If set to a nonzero value, contains a pointer to a NUL-terminated + human-readable kernel version number string, less 0x200. This can + be used to display the kernel version to the user. This value + should be less than (0x200*setup_sects). + + For example, if this value is set to 0x1c00, the kernel version + number string can be found at offset 0x1e00 in the kernel file. + This is a valid value if and only if the "setup_sects" field + contains the value 15 or higher, as:: + + 0x1c00 < 15*0x200 (= 0x1e00) but + 0x1c00 >= 14*0x200 (= 0x1c00) + + 0x1c00 >> 9 = 14, So the minimum value for setup_secs is 15. + +============ ================== +Field name: type_of_loader +Type: write (obligatory) +Offset/size: 0x210/1 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ================== + + If your boot loader has an assigned id (see table below), enter + 0xTV here, where T is an identifier for the boot loader and V is + a version number. Otherwise, enter 0xFF here. + + For boot loader IDs above T = 0xD, write T = 0xE to this field and + write the extended ID minus 0x10 to the ext_loader_type field. + Similarly, the ext_loader_ver field can be used to provide more than + four bits for the bootloader version. + + For example, for T = 0x15, V = 0x234, write:: + + type_of_loader <- 0xE4 + ext_loader_type <- 0x05 + ext_loader_ver <- 0x23 + + Assigned boot loader ids (hexadecimal): + + == ======================================= + 0 LILO + (0x00 reserved for pre-2.00 bootloader) + 1 Loadlin + 2 bootsect-loader + (0x20, all other values reserved) + 3 Syslinux + 4 Etherboot/gPXE/iPXE + 5 ELILO + 7 GRUB + 8 U-Boot + 9 Xen + A Gujin + B Qemu + C Arcturus Networks uCbootloader + D kexec-tools + E Extended (see ext_loader_type) + F Special (0xFF = undefined) + 10 Reserved + 11 Minimal Linux Bootloader + <http://sebastian-plotz.blogspot.de> + 12 OVMF UEFI virtualization stack + == ======================================= + + Please contact <hpa@zytor.com> if you need a bootloader ID value assigned. + +============ =================== +Field name: loadflags +Type: modify (obligatory) +Offset/size: 0x211/1 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ =================== + + This field is a bitmask. + + Bit 0 (read): LOADED_HIGH + + - If 0, the protected-mode code is loaded at 0x10000. + - If 1, the protected-mode code is loaded at 0x100000. + + Bit 1 (kernel internal): KASLR_FLAG + + - Used internally by the compressed kernel to communicate + KASLR status to kernel proper. + + - If 1, KASLR enabled. + - If 0, KASLR disabled. + + Bit 5 (write): QUIET_FLAG + + - If 0, print early messages. + - If 1, suppress early messages. + + This requests to the kernel (decompressor and early + kernel) to not write early messages that require + accessing the display hardware directly. + + Bit 6 (obsolete): KEEP_SEGMENTS + + Protocol: 2.07+ + + - This flag is obsolete. + + Bit 7 (write): CAN_USE_HEAP + + Set this bit to 1 to indicate that the value entered in the + heap_end_ptr is valid. If this field is clear, some setup code + functionality will be disabled. + + +============ =================== +Field name: setup_move_size +Type: modify (obligatory) +Offset/size: 0x212/2 +Protocol: 2.00-2.01 +============ =================== + + When using protocol 2.00 or 2.01, if the real mode kernel is not + loaded at 0x90000, it gets moved there later in the loading + sequence. Fill in this field if you want additional data (such as + the kernel command line) moved in addition to the real-mode kernel + itself. + + The unit is bytes starting with the beginning of the boot sector. + + This field is can be ignored when the protocol is 2.02 or higher, or + if the real-mode code is loaded at 0x90000. + +============ ======================== +Field name: code32_start +Type: modify (optional, reloc) +Offset/size: 0x214/4 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ======================== + + The address to jump to in protected mode. This defaults to the load + address of the kernel, and can be used by the boot loader to + determine the proper load address. + + This field can be modified for two purposes: + + 1. as a boot loader hook (see Advanced Boot Loader Hooks below.) + + 2. if a bootloader which does not install a hook loads a + relocatable kernel at a nonstandard address it will have to modify + this field to point to the load address. + +============ ================== +Field name: ramdisk_image +Type: write (obligatory) +Offset/size: 0x218/4 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ================== + + The 32-bit linear address of the initial ramdisk or ramfs. Leave at + zero if there is no initial ramdisk/ramfs. + +============ ================== +Field name: ramdisk_size +Type: write (obligatory) +Offset/size: 0x21c/4 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ ================== + + Size of the initial ramdisk or ramfs. Leave at zero if there is no + initial ramdisk/ramfs. + +============ =============== +Field name: bootsect_kludge +Type: kernel internal +Offset/size: 0x220/4 +Protocol: 2.00+ +============ =============== + + This field is obsolete. + +============ ================== +Field name: heap_end_ptr +Type: write (obligatory) +Offset/size: 0x224/2 +Protocol: 2.01+ +============ ================== + + Set this field to the offset (from the beginning of the real-mode + code) of the end of the setup stack/heap, minus 0x0200. + +============ ================ +Field name: ext_loader_ver +Type: write (optional) +Offset/size: 0x226/1 +Protocol: 2.02+ +============ ================ + + This field is used as an extension of the version number in the + type_of_loader field. The total version number is considered to be + (type_of_loader & 0x0f) + (ext_loader_ver << 4). + + The use of this field is boot loader specific. If not written, it + is zero. + + Kernels prior to 2.6.31 did not recognize this field, but it is safe + to write for protocol version 2.02 or higher. + +============ ===================================================== +Field name: ext_loader_type +Type: write (obligatory if (type_of_loader & 0xf0) == 0xe0) +Offset/size: 0x227/1 +Protocol: 2.02+ +============ ===================================================== + + This field is used as an extension of the type number in + type_of_loader field. If the type in type_of_loader is 0xE, then + the actual type is (ext_loader_type + 0x10). + + This field is ignored if the type in type_of_loader is not 0xE. + + Kernels prior to 2.6.31 did not recognize this field, but it is safe + to write for protocol version 2.02 or higher. + +============ ================== +Field name: cmd_line_ptr +Type: write (obligatory) +Offset/size: 0x228/4 +Protocol: 2.02+ +============ ================== + + Set this field to the linear address of the kernel command line. + The kernel command line can be located anywhere between the end of + the setup heap and 0xA0000; it does not have to be located in the + same 64K segment as the real-mode code itself. + + Fill in this field even if your boot loader does not support a + command line, in which case you can point this to an empty string + (or better yet, to the string "auto".) If this field is left at + zero, the kernel will assume that your boot loader does not support + the 2.02+ protocol. + +============ =============== +Field name: initrd_addr_max +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x22c/4 +Protocol: 2.03+ +============ =============== + + The maximum address that may be occupied by the initial + ramdisk/ramfs contents. For boot protocols 2.02 or earlier, this + field is not present, and the maximum address is 0x37FFFFFF. (This + address is defined as the address of the highest safe byte, so if + your ramdisk is exactly 131072 bytes long and this field is + 0x37FFFFFF, you can start your ramdisk at 0x37FE0000.) + +============ ============================ +Field name: kernel_alignment +Type: read/modify (reloc) +Offset/size: 0x230/4 +Protocol: 2.05+ (read), 2.10+ (modify) +============ ============================ + + Alignment unit required by the kernel (if relocatable_kernel is + true.) A relocatable kernel that is loaded at an alignment + incompatible with the value in this field will be realigned during + kernel initialization. + + Starting with protocol version 2.10, this reflects the kernel + alignment preferred for optimal performance; it is possible for the + loader to modify this field to permit a lesser alignment. See the + min_alignment and pref_address field below. + +============ ================== +Field name: relocatable_kernel +Type: read (reloc) +Offset/size: 0x234/1 +Protocol: 2.05+ +============ ================== + + If this field is nonzero, the protected-mode part of the kernel can + be loaded at any address that satisfies the kernel_alignment field. + After loading, the boot loader must set the code32_start field to + point to the loaded code, or to a boot loader hook. + +============ ============= +Field name: min_alignment +Type: read (reloc) +Offset/size: 0x235/1 +Protocol: 2.10+ +============ ============= + + This field, if nonzero, indicates as a power of two the minimum + alignment required, as opposed to preferred, by the kernel to boot. + If a boot loader makes use of this field, it should update the + kernel_alignment field with the alignment unit desired; typically:: + + kernel_alignment = 1 << min_alignment + + There may be a considerable performance cost with an excessively + misaligned kernel. Therefore, a loader should typically try each + power-of-two alignment from kernel_alignment down to this alignment. + +============ ========== +Field name: xloadflags +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x236/2 +Protocol: 2.12+ +============ ========== + + This field is a bitmask. + + Bit 0 (read): XLF_KERNEL_64 + + - If 1, this kernel has the legacy 64-bit entry point at 0x200. + + Bit 1 (read): XLF_CAN_BE_LOADED_ABOVE_4G + + - If 1, kernel/boot_params/cmdline/ramdisk can be above 4G. + + Bit 2 (read): XLF_EFI_HANDOVER_32 + + - If 1, the kernel supports the 32-bit EFI handoff entry point + given at handover_offset. + + Bit 3 (read): XLF_EFI_HANDOVER_64 + + - If 1, the kernel supports the 64-bit EFI handoff entry point + given at handover_offset + 0x200. + + Bit 4 (read): XLF_EFI_KEXEC + + - If 1, the kernel supports kexec EFI boot with EFI runtime support. + + +============ ============ +Field name: cmdline_size +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x238/4 +Protocol: 2.06+ +============ ============ + + The maximum size of the command line without the terminating + zero. This means that the command line can contain at most + cmdline_size characters. With protocol version 2.05 and earlier, the + maximum size was 255. + +============ ==================================== +Field name: hardware_subarch +Type: write (optional, defaults to x86/PC) +Offset/size: 0x23c/4 +Protocol: 2.07+ +============ ==================================== + + In a paravirtualized environment the hardware low level architectural + pieces such as interrupt handling, page table handling, and + accessing process control registers needs to be done differently. + + This field allows the bootloader to inform the kernel we are in one + one of those environments. + + ========== ============================== + 0x00000000 The default x86/PC environment + 0x00000001 lguest + 0x00000002 Xen + 0x00000003 Moorestown MID + 0x00000004 CE4100 TV Platform + ========== ============================== + +============ ========================= +Field name: hardware_subarch_data +Type: write (subarch-dependent) +Offset/size: 0x240/8 +Protocol: 2.07+ +============ ========================= + + A pointer to data that is specific to hardware subarch + This field is currently unused for the default x86/PC environment, + do not modify. + +============ ============== +Field name: payload_offset +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x248/4 +Protocol: 2.08+ +============ ============== + + If non-zero then this field contains the offset from the beginning + of the protected-mode code to the payload. + + The payload may be compressed. The format of both the compressed and + uncompressed data should be determined using the standard magic + numbers. The currently supported compression formats are gzip + (magic numbers 1F 8B or 1F 9E), bzip2 (magic number 42 5A), LZMA + (magic number 5D 00), XZ (magic number FD 37), LZ4 (magic number + 02 21) and ZSTD (magic number 28 B5). The uncompressed payload is + currently always ELF (magic number 7F 45 4C 46). + +============ ============== +Field name: payload_length +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x24c/4 +Protocol: 2.08+ +============ ============== + + The length of the payload. + +============ =============== +Field name: setup_data +Type: write (special) +Offset/size: 0x250/8 +Protocol: 2.09+ +============ =============== + + The 64-bit physical pointer to NULL terminated single linked list of + struct setup_data. This is used to define a more extensible boot + parameters passing mechanism. The definition of struct setup_data is + as follow:: + + struct setup_data { + u64 next; + u32 type; + u32 len; + u8 data[0]; + }; + + Where, the next is a 64-bit physical pointer to the next node of + linked list, the next field of the last node is 0; the type is used + to identify the contents of data; the len is the length of data + field; the data holds the real payload. + + This list may be modified at a number of points during the bootup + process. Therefore, when modifying this list one should always make + sure to consider the case where the linked list already contains + entries. + + The setup_data is a bit awkward to use for extremely large data objects, + both because the setup_data header has to be adjacent to the data object + and because it has a 32-bit length field. However, it is important that + intermediate stages of the boot process have a way to identify which + chunks of memory are occupied by kernel data. + + Thus setup_indirect struct and SETUP_INDIRECT type were introduced in + protocol 2.15:: + + struct setup_indirect { + __u32 type; + __u32 reserved; /* Reserved, must be set to zero. */ + __u64 len; + __u64 addr; + }; + + The type member is a SETUP_INDIRECT | SETUP_* type. However, it cannot be + SETUP_INDIRECT itself since making the setup_indirect a tree structure + could require a lot of stack space in something that needs to parse it + and stack space can be limited in boot contexts. + + Let's give an example how to point to SETUP_E820_EXT data using setup_indirect. + In this case setup_data and setup_indirect will look like this:: + + struct setup_data { + __u64 next = 0 or <addr_of_next_setup_data_struct>; + __u32 type = SETUP_INDIRECT; + __u32 len = sizeof(setup_data); + __u8 data[sizeof(setup_indirect)] = struct setup_indirect { + __u32 type = SETUP_INDIRECT | SETUP_E820_EXT; + __u32 reserved = 0; + __u64 len = <len_of_SETUP_E820_EXT_data>; + __u64 addr = <addr_of_SETUP_E820_EXT_data>; + } + } + +.. note:: + SETUP_INDIRECT | SETUP_NONE objects cannot be properly distinguished + from SETUP_INDIRECT itself. So, this kind of objects cannot be provided + by the bootloaders. + +============ ============ +Field name: pref_address +Type: read (reloc) +Offset/size: 0x258/8 +Protocol: 2.10+ +============ ============ + + This field, if nonzero, represents a preferred load address for the + kernel. A relocating bootloader should attempt to load at this + address if possible. + + A non-relocatable kernel will unconditionally move itself and to run + at this address. + +============ ======= +Field name: init_size +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x260/4 +============ ======= + + This field indicates the amount of linear contiguous memory starting + at the kernel runtime start address that the kernel needs before it + is capable of examining its memory map. This is not the same thing + as the total amount of memory the kernel needs to boot, but it can + be used by a relocating boot loader to help select a safe load + address for the kernel. + + The kernel runtime start address is determined by the following algorithm:: + + if (relocatable_kernel) + runtime_start = align_up(load_address, kernel_alignment) + else + runtime_start = pref_address + +============ =============== +Field name: handover_offset +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x264/4 +============ =============== + + This field is the offset from the beginning of the kernel image to + the EFI handover protocol entry point. Boot loaders using the EFI + handover protocol to boot the kernel should jump to this offset. + + See EFI HANDOVER PROTOCOL below for more details. + +============ ================== +Field name: kernel_info_offset +Type: read +Offset/size: 0x268/4 +Protocol: 2.15+ +============ ================== + + This field is the offset from the beginning of the kernel image to the + kernel_info. The kernel_info structure is embedded in the Linux image + in the uncompressed protected mode region. + + +The kernel_info +=============== + +The relationships between the headers are analogous to the various data +sections: + + setup_header = .data + boot_params/setup_data = .bss + +What is missing from the above list? That's right: + + kernel_info = .rodata + +We have been (ab)using .data for things that could go into .rodata or .bss for +a long time, for lack of alternatives and -- especially early on -- inertia. +Also, the BIOS stub is responsible for creating boot_params, so it isn't +available to a BIOS-based loader (setup_data is, though). + +setup_header is permanently limited to 144 bytes due to the reach of the +2-byte jump field, which doubles as a length field for the structure, combined +with the size of the "hole" in struct boot_params that a protected-mode loader +or the BIOS stub has to copy it into. It is currently 119 bytes long, which +leaves us with 25 very precious bytes. This isn't something that can be fixed +without revising the boot protocol entirely, breaking backwards compatibility. + +boot_params proper is limited to 4096 bytes, but can be arbitrarily extended +by adding setup_data entries. It cannot be used to communicate properties of +the kernel image, because it is .bss and has no image-provided content. + +kernel_info solves this by providing an extensible place for information about +the kernel image. It is readonly, because the kernel cannot rely on a +bootloader copying its contents anywhere, but that is OK; if it becomes +necessary it can still contain data items that an enabled bootloader would be +expected to copy into a setup_data chunk. + +All kernel_info data should be part of this structure. Fixed size data have to +be put before kernel_info_var_len_data label. Variable size data have to be put +after kernel_info_var_len_data label. Each chunk of variable size data has to +be prefixed with header/magic and its size, e.g.:: + + kernel_info: + .ascii "LToP" /* Header, Linux top (structure). */ + .long kernel_info_var_len_data - kernel_info + .long kernel_info_end - kernel_info + .long 0x01234567 /* Some fixed size data for the bootloaders. */ + kernel_info_var_len_data: + example_struct: /* Some variable size data for the bootloaders. */ + .ascii "0123" /* Header/Magic. */ + .long example_struct_end - example_struct + .ascii "Struct" + .long 0x89012345 + example_struct_end: + example_strings: /* Some variable size data for the bootloaders. */ + .ascii "ABCD" /* Header/Magic. */ + .long example_strings_end - example_strings + .asciz "String_0" + .asciz "String_1" + example_strings_end: + kernel_info_end: + +This way the kernel_info is self-contained blob. + +.. note:: + Each variable size data header/magic can be any 4-character string, + without \0 at the end of the string, which does not collide with + existing variable length data headers/magics. + + +Details of the kernel_info Fields +================================= + +============ ======== +Field name: header +Offset/size: 0x0000/4 +============ ======== + + Contains the magic number "LToP" (0x506f544c). + +============ ======== +Field name: size +Offset/size: 0x0004/4 +============ ======== + + This field contains the size of the kernel_info including kernel_info.header. + It does not count kernel_info.kernel_info_var_len_data size. This field should be + used by the bootloaders to detect supported fixed size fields in the kernel_info + and beginning of kernel_info.kernel_info_var_len_data. + +============ ======== +Field name: size_total +Offset/size: 0x0008/4 +============ ======== + + This field contains the size of the kernel_info including kernel_info.header + and kernel_info.kernel_info_var_len_data. + +============ ============== +Field name: setup_type_max +Offset/size: 0x000c/4 +============ ============== + + This field contains maximal allowed type for setup_data and setup_indirect structs. + + +The Image Checksum +================== + +From boot protocol version 2.08 onwards the CRC-32 is calculated over +the entire file using the characteristic polynomial 0x04C11DB7 and an +initial remainder of 0xffffffff. The checksum is appended to the +file; therefore the CRC of the file up to the limit specified in the +syssize field of the header is always 0. + + +The Kernel Command Line +======================= + +The kernel command line has become an important way for the boot +loader to communicate with the kernel. Some of its options are also +relevant to the boot loader itself, see "special command line options" +below. + +The kernel command line is a null-terminated string. The maximum +length can be retrieved from the field cmdline_size. Before protocol +version 2.06, the maximum was 255 characters. A string that is too +long will be automatically truncated by the kernel. + +If the boot protocol version is 2.02 or later, the address of the +kernel command line is given by the header field cmd_line_ptr (see +above.) This address can be anywhere between the end of the setup +heap and 0xA0000. + +If the protocol version is *not* 2.02 or higher, the kernel +command line is entered using the following protocol: + + - At offset 0x0020 (word), "cmd_line_magic", enter the magic + number 0xA33F. + + - At offset 0x0022 (word), "cmd_line_offset", enter the offset + of the kernel command line (relative to the start of the + real-mode kernel). + + - The kernel command line *must* be within the memory region + covered by setup_move_size, so you may need to adjust this + field. + + +Memory Layout of The Real-Mode Code +=================================== + +The real-mode code requires a stack/heap to be set up, as well as +memory allocated for the kernel command line. This needs to be done +in the real-mode accessible memory in bottom megabyte. + +It should be noted that modern machines often have a sizable Extended +BIOS Data Area (EBDA). As a result, it is advisable to use as little +of the low megabyte as possible. + +Unfortunately, under the following circumstances the 0x90000 memory +segment has to be used: + + - When loading a zImage kernel ((loadflags & 0x01) == 0). + - When loading a 2.01 or earlier boot protocol kernel. + +.. note:: + For the 2.00 and 2.01 boot protocols, the real-mode code + can be loaded at another address, but it is internally + relocated to 0x90000. For the "old" protocol, the + real-mode code must be loaded at 0x90000. + +When loading at 0x90000, avoid using memory above 0x9a000. + +For boot protocol 2.02 or higher, the command line does not have to be +located in the same 64K segment as the real-mode setup code; it is +thus permitted to give the stack/heap the full 64K segment and locate +the command line above it. + +The kernel command line should not be located below the real-mode +code, nor should it be located in high memory. + + +Sample Boot Configuartion +========================= + +As a sample configuration, assume the following layout of the real +mode segment. + + When loading below 0x90000, use the entire segment: + + ============= =================== + 0x0000-0x7fff Real mode kernel + 0x8000-0xdfff Stack and heap + 0xe000-0xffff Kernel command line + ============= =================== + + When loading at 0x90000 OR the protocol version is 2.01 or earlier: + + ============= =================== + 0x0000-0x7fff Real mode kernel + 0x8000-0x97ff Stack and heap + 0x9800-0x9fff Kernel command line + ============= =================== + +Such a boot loader should enter the following fields in the header:: + + unsigned long base_ptr; /* base address for real-mode segment */ + + if ( setup_sects == 0 ) { + setup_sects = 4; + } + + if ( protocol >= 0x0200 ) { + type_of_loader = <type code>; + if ( loading_initrd ) { + ramdisk_image = <initrd_address>; + ramdisk_size = <initrd_size>; + } + + if ( protocol >= 0x0202 && loadflags & 0x01 ) + heap_end = 0xe000; + else + heap_end = 0x9800; + + if ( protocol >= 0x0201 ) { + heap_end_ptr = heap_end - 0x200; + loadflags |= 0x80; /* CAN_USE_HEAP */ + } + + if ( protocol >= 0x0202 ) { + cmd_line_ptr = base_ptr + heap_end; + strcpy(cmd_line_ptr, cmdline); + } else { + cmd_line_magic = 0xA33F; + cmd_line_offset = heap_end; + setup_move_size = heap_end + strlen(cmdline)+1; + strcpy(base_ptr+cmd_line_offset, cmdline); + } + } else { + /* Very old kernel */ + + heap_end = 0x9800; + + cmd_line_magic = 0xA33F; + cmd_line_offset = heap_end; + + /* A very old kernel MUST have its real-mode code + loaded at 0x90000 */ + + if ( base_ptr != 0x90000 ) { + /* Copy the real-mode kernel */ + memcpy(0x90000, base_ptr, (setup_sects+1)*512); + base_ptr = 0x90000; /* Relocated */ + } + + strcpy(0x90000+cmd_line_offset, cmdline); + + /* It is recommended to clear memory up to the 32K mark */ + memset(0x90000 + (setup_sects+1)*512, 0, + (64-(setup_sects+1))*512); + } + + +Loading The Rest of The Kernel +============================== + +The 32-bit (non-real-mode) kernel starts at offset (setup_sects+1)*512 +in the kernel file (again, if setup_sects == 0 the real value is 4.) +It should be loaded at address 0x10000 for Image/zImage kernels and +0x100000 for bzImage kernels. + +The kernel is a bzImage kernel if the protocol >= 2.00 and the 0x01 +bit (LOAD_HIGH) in the loadflags field is set:: + + is_bzImage = (protocol >= 0x0200) && (loadflags & 0x01); + load_address = is_bzImage ? 0x100000 : 0x10000; + +Note that Image/zImage kernels can be up to 512K in size, and thus use +the entire 0x10000-0x90000 range of memory. This means it is pretty +much a requirement for these kernels to load the real-mode part at +0x90000. bzImage kernels allow much more flexibility. + +Special Command Line Options +============================ + +If the command line provided by the boot loader is entered by the +user, the user may expect the following command line options to work. +They should normally not be deleted from the kernel command line even +though not all of them are actually meaningful to the kernel. Boot +loader authors who need additional command line options for the boot +loader itself should get them registered in +Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst to make sure they will not +conflict with actual kernel options now or in the future. + + vga=<mode> + <mode> here is either an integer (in C notation, either + decimal, octal, or hexadecimal) or one of the strings + "normal" (meaning 0xFFFF), "ext" (meaning 0xFFFE) or "ask" + (meaning 0xFFFD). This value should be entered into the + vid_mode field, as it is used by the kernel before the command + line is parsed. + + mem=<size> + <size> is an integer in C notation optionally followed by + (case insensitive) K, M, G, T, P or E (meaning << 10, << 20, + << 30, << 40, << 50 or << 60). This specifies the end of + memory to the kernel. This affects the possible placement of + an initrd, since an initrd should be placed near end of + memory. Note that this is an option to *both* the kernel and + the bootloader! + + initrd=<file> + An initrd should be loaded. The meaning of <file> is + obviously bootloader-dependent, and some boot loaders + (e.g. LILO) do not have such a command. + +In addition, some boot loaders add the following options to the +user-specified command line: + + BOOT_IMAGE=<file> + The boot image which was loaded. Again, the meaning of <file> + is obviously bootloader-dependent. + + auto + The kernel was booted without explicit user intervention. + +If these options are added by the boot loader, it is highly +recommended that they are located *first*, before the user-specified +or configuration-specified command line. Otherwise, "init=/bin/sh" +gets confused by the "auto" option. + + +Running the Kernel +================== + +The kernel is started by jumping to the kernel entry point, which is +located at *segment* offset 0x20 from the start of the real mode +kernel. This means that if you loaded your real-mode kernel code at +0x90000, the kernel entry point is 9020:0000. + +At entry, ds = es = ss should point to the start of the real-mode +kernel code (0x9000 if the code is loaded at 0x90000), sp should be +set up properly, normally pointing to the top of the heap, and +interrupts should be disabled. Furthermore, to guard against bugs in +the kernel, it is recommended that the boot loader sets fs = gs = ds = +es = ss. + +In our example from above, we would do:: + + /* Note: in the case of the "old" kernel protocol, base_ptr must + be == 0x90000 at this point; see the previous sample code */ + + seg = base_ptr >> 4; + + cli(); /* Enter with interrupts disabled! */ + + /* Set up the real-mode kernel stack */ + _SS = seg; + _SP = heap_end; + + _DS = _ES = _FS = _GS = seg; + jmp_far(seg+0x20, 0); /* Run the kernel */ + +If your boot sector accesses a floppy drive, it is recommended to +switch off the floppy motor before running the kernel, since the +kernel boot leaves interrupts off and thus the motor will not be +switched off, especially if the loaded kernel has the floppy driver as +a demand-loaded module! + + +Advanced Boot Loader Hooks +========================== + +If the boot loader runs in a particularly hostile environment (such as +LOADLIN, which runs under DOS) it may be impossible to follow the +standard memory location requirements. Such a boot loader may use the +following hooks that, if set, are invoked by the kernel at the +appropriate time. The use of these hooks should probably be +considered an absolutely last resort! + +IMPORTANT: All the hooks are required to preserve %esp, %ebp, %esi and +%edi across invocation. + + realmode_swtch: + A 16-bit real mode far subroutine invoked immediately before + entering protected mode. The default routine disables NMI, so + your routine should probably do so, too. + + code32_start: + A 32-bit flat-mode routine *jumped* to immediately after the + transition to protected mode, but before the kernel is + uncompressed. No segments, except CS, are guaranteed to be + set up (current kernels do, but older ones do not); you should + set them up to BOOT_DS (0x18) yourself. + + After completing your hook, you should jump to the address + that was in this field before your boot loader overwrote it + (relocated, if appropriate.) + + +32-bit Boot Protocol +==================== + +For machine with some new BIOS other than legacy BIOS, such as EFI, +LinuxBIOS, etc, and kexec, the 16-bit real mode setup code in kernel +based on legacy BIOS can not be used, so a 32-bit boot protocol needs +to be defined. + +In 32-bit boot protocol, the first step in loading a Linux kernel +should be to setup the boot parameters (struct boot_params, +traditionally known as "zero page"). The memory for struct boot_params +should be allocated and initialized to all zero. Then the setup header +from offset 0x01f1 of kernel image on should be loaded into struct +boot_params and examined. The end of setup header can be calculated as +follow:: + + 0x0202 + byte value at offset 0x0201 + +In addition to read/modify/write the setup header of the struct +boot_params as that of 16-bit boot protocol, the boot loader should +also fill the additional fields of the struct boot_params as +described in chapter :doc:`zero-page`. + +After setting up the struct boot_params, the boot loader can load the +32/64-bit kernel in the same way as that of 16-bit boot protocol. + +In 32-bit boot protocol, the kernel is started by jumping to the +32-bit kernel entry point, which is the start address of loaded +32/64-bit kernel. + +At entry, the CPU must be in 32-bit protected mode with paging +disabled; a GDT must be loaded with the descriptors for selectors +__BOOT_CS(0x10) and __BOOT_DS(0x18); both descriptors must be 4G flat +segment; __BOOT_CS must have execute/read permission, and __BOOT_DS +must have read/write permission; CS must be __BOOT_CS and DS, ES, SS +must be __BOOT_DS; interrupt must be disabled; %esi must hold the base +address of the struct boot_params; %ebp, %edi and %ebx must be zero. + +64-bit Boot Protocol +==================== + +For machine with 64bit cpus and 64bit kernel, we could use 64bit bootloader +and we need a 64-bit boot protocol. + +In 64-bit boot protocol, the first step in loading a Linux kernel +should be to setup the boot parameters (struct boot_params, +traditionally known as "zero page"). The memory for struct boot_params +could be allocated anywhere (even above 4G) and initialized to all zero. +Then, the setup header at offset 0x01f1 of kernel image on should be +loaded into struct boot_params and examined. The end of setup header +can be calculated as follows:: + + 0x0202 + byte value at offset 0x0201 + +In addition to read/modify/write the setup header of the struct +boot_params as that of 16-bit boot protocol, the boot loader should +also fill the additional fields of the struct boot_params as described +in chapter :doc:`zero-page`. + +After setting up the struct boot_params, the boot loader can load +64-bit kernel in the same way as that of 16-bit boot protocol, but +kernel could be loaded above 4G. + +In 64-bit boot protocol, the kernel is started by jumping to the +64-bit kernel entry point, which is the start address of loaded +64-bit kernel plus 0x200. + +At entry, the CPU must be in 64-bit mode with paging enabled. +The range with setup_header.init_size from start address of loaded +kernel and zero page and command line buffer get ident mapping; +a GDT must be loaded with the descriptors for selectors +__BOOT_CS(0x10) and __BOOT_DS(0x18); both descriptors must be 4G flat +segment; __BOOT_CS must have execute/read permission, and __BOOT_DS +must have read/write permission; CS must be __BOOT_CS and DS, ES, SS +must be __BOOT_DS; interrupt must be disabled; %rsi must hold the base +address of the struct boot_params. + +EFI Handover Protocol (deprecated) +================================== + +This protocol allows boot loaders to defer initialisation to the EFI +boot stub. The boot loader is required to load the kernel/initrd(s) +from the boot media and jump to the EFI handover protocol entry point +which is hdr->handover_offset bytes from the beginning of +startup_{32,64}. + +The boot loader MUST respect the kernel's PE/COFF metadata when it comes +to section alignment, the memory footprint of the executable image beyond +the size of the file itself, and any other aspect of the PE/COFF header +that may affect correct operation of the image as a PE/COFF binary in the +execution context provided by the EFI firmware. + +The function prototype for the handover entry point looks like this:: + + efi_main(void *handle, efi_system_table_t *table, struct boot_params *bp) + +'handle' is the EFI image handle passed to the boot loader by the EFI +firmware, 'table' is the EFI system table - these are the first two +arguments of the "handoff state" as described in section 2.3 of the +UEFI specification. 'bp' is the boot loader-allocated boot params. + +The boot loader *must* fill out the following fields in bp:: + + - hdr.cmd_line_ptr + - hdr.ramdisk_image (if applicable) + - hdr.ramdisk_size (if applicable) + +All other fields should be zero. + +NOTE: The EFI Handover Protocol is deprecated in favour of the ordinary PE/COFF + entry point, combined with the LINUX_EFI_INITRD_MEDIA_GUID based initrd + loading protocol (refer to [0] for an example of the bootloader side of + this), which removes the need for any knowledge on the part of the EFI + bootloader regarding the internal representation of boot_params or any + requirements/limitations regarding the placement of the command line + and ramdisk in memory, or the placement of the kernel image itself. + +[0] https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot/commit/ec80b4735a593961fe701cc3a5d717d4739b0fd0 |