using the bootstrap loader

1.1 INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW OF BOOTSTRAP 1
LOADER OPERATIONS
The iRMX® Bootstrap Loader is a program that loads your custom version of the iRMX
Operating System, known as an application system, into RAM from secondary storage so it
can begin running. This process is called bootstrap loading or booting. Booting can occur
when the system is turned on, when the system is reset, or under operator control when the
monitor is active. Since it's not dependent on any particular operating system, the iRMX
Bootstrap Loader can load many different operating systems.
The Bootstrap Loader eliminates the need to place complete applications into PROM
devices. Instead, you can place the Bootstrap Loader--a small program--into PROM
devices and store your application system on a mass storage device. The Bootstrap Loader
can then be used to load the application program into RAM.
The Bootstrap Loader consists of a series of stages and is necessary for loading
iRMX applications.
The first stage is located in PROM devices. It determines the name of the file to load,
loads part of the second stage, and passes control to that part. Intel 300 Series
Microcomputers are delivered with the first stage of the iRMX Bootstrap Loader and the
iSDM N monitor already placed in PROM devices. If you are building your own
MUL TIBUS® I microcomputer systems, you can use the information in this manual to
configure a first stage and place it into PROM devices.
Intel System 520 Series Microcomputers are delivered with firmware containing a different
Bootstrap Loader than the one described in this manual. None of the information
contained in this manual applies to the System 520's Bootstrap Loader. That loader, the
MULTIBUS II Systems Architecture (MSA) Bootstrap Loader, is described in the MSA
Bootstrap Loading of the System 520 Manual.
The second stage is on track 0 of every iRMX-formatted named volume and is necessary
for leading iRMX I and iRMX II applications. That is, whenever you use the Human
Interface FORMAT command to format a volume, the second stage is copied to that
volume. When invoked, the second stage finishes loading itself into memory. Then it loads
a file from the same volume and passes control to it. This second stage does not function
in the MSA environment. Refer to the MSA Bootstrap Loading of the System 520 Manual
for more information.
Bootstrap Loader 1-1