Changes between Version 20 and Version 21 of WikiStart
- Timestamp:
- Aug 16, 2016, 9:32:54 AM (8 years ago)
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WikiStart
v20 v21 1 = AirBoot =1 = !AirBoot = 2 2 3 3 == Description == … … 5 5 6 6 == Welcome == 7 AirBoot is a track0 Boot Manager.[[BR]]7 !AirBoot is a track0 Boot Manager.[[BR]] 8 8 That means it is stored at the very start of the disk,[[BR]] 9 9 just after the Master Boot Record.[[BR]] 10 10 [[BR]] 11 AirBoot is also an interactive Boot Manager,[[BR]]11 !AirBoot is also an interactive Boot Manager,[[BR]] 12 12 which means it presents a list of Operating Systems in a menu[[BR]] 13 13 from which the user can select one to boot.[[BR]] 14 14 15 15 == A Little History == 16 AirBoot was initially designed and developed by Martin Kiewitz,[[BR]]16 !AirBoot was initially designed and developed by Martin Kiewitz,[[BR]] 17 17 back at the time when LBA addressing was just becoming mainstream.[[BR]] 18 18 Over time, Martin continued to add features and fix reported problems,[[BR]] 19 19 which resulted in a stable and mature product.[[BR]] 20 20 [[BR]] 21 When huge harddisks ( >512 GiB) became more mainstream,[[BR]]21 When huge harddisks (>512 GiB) became more mainstream,[[BR]] 22 22 the OS/2 Boot Manager was not capable of correctly handling them.[[BR]] 23 After some investigation, it became clear that AirBoot would be a very[[BR]]23 After some investigation, it became clear that !AirBoot would be a very[[BR]] 24 24 suitable candidate to replace the aging OS/2 Boot Manager,[[BR]] 25 25 but a few things needed to be fixed first.[[BR]] 26 26 [[BR]] 27 27 Martin however, had moved on to other projects and was not[[BR]] 28 developing AirBoot anymore, but he kindly gave his permission to modify[[BR]]29 AirBoot in any way required such that it could replace the OS/2 Boot Manager.[[BR]]30 With the release of eComStation v2.1 (2011), AirBoot was ready to replace[[BR]]28 developing !AirBoot anymore, but he kindly gave his permission to modify[[BR]] 29 !AirBoot in any way required such that it could replace the OS/2 Boot Manager.[[BR]] 30 With the release of eComStation v2.1 (2011), !AirBoot was ready to replace[[BR]] 31 31 the OS/2 Boot Manager and so it was included in that release.[[BR]] 32 32 [[BR]] 33 It is safe to say that AirBoot saved the day at a time when[[BR]]33 It is safe to say that !AirBoot saved the day at a time when[[BR]] 34 34 huge harddisks came along and the fight for primary partitions got worse.[[BR]] 35 35 [[BR]] 36 36 '''Thank you Martin ! '''[[BR]] 37 37 38 == Some AirBoot Highlights ==38 == Some !AirBoot Highlights == 39 39 === No Primary Partition Required === 40 Because AirBoot is written in (neat and compact) Assembler,[[BR]]40 Because !AirBoot is written in (neat and compact) Assembler,[[BR]] 41 41 it is small enough to fit in the track0 (nowhereland) space.[[BR]] 42 So, unlike OS/2 Boot Manager, AirBoot does not require a primary partition,[[BR]]42 So, unlike OS/2 Boot Manager, !AirBoot does not require a primary partition,[[BR]] 43 43 resolving the problem that occured with Windows 7 OEM installations.[[BR]] 44 44 And since OS/2 has had long time capability of booting from logical partitions,[[BR]] … … 46 46 47 47 === On The Fly Partition Scanning === 48 When AirBoot starts it scans all partitions[[BR]]48 When !AirBoot starts it scans all partitions[[BR]] 49 49 on all disks and enumerates them in a list which is then presented.[[BR]] 50 50 Whenever partitions are added or removed,[[BR]] 51 at the next boot AirBoot presents these changes immediately.[[BR]]51 at the next boot !AirBoot presents these changes immediately.[[BR]] 52 52 === Built-in Setup === 53 AirBoot contains a Setup mode which allows[[BR]]54 configuration directly from within AirBoot itself.[[BR]]53 !AirBoot contains a Setup mode which allows[[BR]] 54 configuration directly from within !AirBoot itself.[[BR]] 55 55 No other tools required.[[BR]] 56 56 === Support For Huge Harddisks === 57 57 Under OS/2, huge harddisks are handled by using a special geometry.[[BR]] 58 AirBoot understands this special geometry, allowing OS/2 to boot from[[BR]]58 !AirBoot understands this special geometry, allowing OS/2 to boot from[[BR]] 59 59 partitions located above the 512 GiB boundary.[[BR]] 60 60 === Operating System Agnostic === 61 While the major focus of AirBoot is booting OS/2,[[BR]]61 While the major focus of !AirBoot is booting OS/2,[[BR]] 62 62 it has always been capable of booting other operating-systems.[[BR]] 63 63 It supports booting many versions of Windows and booting Linux is[[BR]] 64 64 done by chainloading GRUB.[[BR]] 65 65 66 == Before Using AirBoot ==67 Before installing AirBoot,[[BR]]66 == Before Using !AirBoot == 67 Before installing !AirBoot,[[BR]] 68 68 it would be a good idea to learn a little bit more about it.[[BR]] 69 69 This is especially true with regard to partitioning harddisks the way[[BR]] … … 72 72 [[BR]] 73 73 See the section below where[[BR]] 74 to download AirBoot or view its manual.[[BR]]74 to download !AirBoot or view its manual.[[BR]] 75 75 76 == AirBoot Downloads ==76 == !AirBoot Downloads == 77 77 [https://rousseaux.github.io/netlabs.air-boot/downloads/AirBoot-v1.1.0.zip][[BR]] 78 (bootloader, installers & amp;manual)[[BR]]79 ''( ** contact information is out-of-date**)''[[BR]]78 (bootloader, installers & manual)[[BR]] 79 ''(!** contact information is out-of-date !**)''[[BR]] 80 80 [[BR]] 81 81 [https://rousseaux.github.io/netlabs.air-boot/pdf/AirBoot-v1.1.0-manual.pdf][[BR]] 82 82 (pdf-format)[[BR]] 83 ''( ** contact information is out-of-date**)''[[BR]]83 ''(!** contact information is out-of-date !**)''[[BR]] 84 84 85 85 === Developer Notes ===
