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add notes on different kernel flavors to readme
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boeckmann committed Jul 25, 2024
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Expand Up @@ -14,6 +14,17 @@ actions. To download them, go to the [actions page](https://github.com/SvarDOS/e
and then click the last successful workflow build job. The files are provided
under the artifacts section.

## Kernel flavors
The EDR-DOS kernel may be built in different flavors. The historic one
consists of two files, DRBIO.SYS and DRDOS.SYS. The new one consists of
a single file DRKERNEL.SYS. The historic one is what gets built by default.

DRKERNEL.SYS is compatible with the FreeDOS load protocol. It can be used
as a drop in for the FreeDOS KERNEL.SYS by copying DRKERNEL.SYS over it.
Notice that the kernels are not 100% compatible, especially regarding
the drive letter ordering and the expected format of the config.sys files.


## Build instructions
I was able to successfully build the kernel and command interpreter under
DOS, Win32, Linux and MacOS.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -46,6 +57,12 @@ components.
## Building single-file kernel
You may build a single file version of the kernel by calling the master
makefile via `wmake SINGLEFILE=1`. The kernel file is named DRKERNEL.SYS.
The single-file kernel can also be built uncompressed, but then it lacks
the ability to be used as a replacement for FreeDOS KERNEL.SYS. The reason
is that the EDR-DOS kernel lives at segment 70h, while the FreeDOS loader
loads the kernel to 60h. The compressed kernel relocates itself to the
correct segment at the uncompression stage, so the uncompressed kernel
lacks this ability.

## Installation

Expand All @@ -69,14 +86,19 @@ SYS command then copies DRBIO.SYS, DRDOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM onto the
floppy and installs a boot loader to make the floppy bootable.

Note that the included SYS command is currently not adapted to
installing DRKERNEL.SYS. You may, however, manually copy DRKERNEL.SYS
over to the drive to be booted from and name it DRBIO.SYS. Like so:
installing DRKERNEL.SYS. You may, however, rename the single-file
kernel to KERNEL.SYS to indicate SYS to use the kernel as a FreeDOS
replacement kernel. It should then install via `SYS A:`.

You may also manually copy DRKERNEL.SYS over to the drive to be booted
from and name it DRBIO.SYS. Like so:

SYS A: /BOOTONLY
COPY DRKERNEL.SYS A:\DRBIO.SYS
COPY COMMAND.COM A:\COMMAND.COM

This is an interim solution and will be changed soon.
The kernel than utilizes the ordinary EDR-DOS boot protocol, but with
DRBIO.SYS being a combined DRBIO / DRDOS file.

The provided SYS command is part of the FreeDOS kernel repository
The binary was built from this specific
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