> > > I can submit patches for the man page(s) if I can get a grip on what's
> > > happening where (and when). :-/ What I'd really like to see is a
> > > chronological listing, like:
> >
> > I think you're reading the wrong manpage. I've just had a look at
> > loader(8) and can't really see what you'd want to improve. Can you
> > confirm that your loader.8 DESCRIPTION starts with
> >
> > "The program called loader is the third stage of FreeBSD's
> > three stage bootstrap.
>
> Yes, that's the one, but as you point out here we're already talking about
> the third stage. The problem is (as I mentioned in my request) /boot.config
> bypasses this stage. Various parts of the new loader are well documented,
> but there is no overall picture of how the various parts fit together.
The proper place for -P is /boot.config.
I'm not sure where you got the impression that "/boot.config necessarily
bypasses loader", but this isn't the case.
The boot(8) man page reads:
By default, a three-stage bootstrap is employed, and control
is automatically passed from the boot blocks (bootstrap stages
one and two) to a separate third-stage bootstrap program,
loader. This third stage provides more sophisticated control
over the booting process than it is possible to achieve in the
boot blocks, which are constrained by occupying limited fixed
space on a given disk or slice.
However, it is possible to dispense with the third stage
altogether, either by specifying a kernel name in the boot
block parameter file, /boot.config, or by hitting a key during
a brief pause (while one of the characters -, \, |, or / is
displayed) before loader is invoked. Booting will also be
attempted at stage two, if the third stage cannot be loaded.
--
Robert Nordier
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