Context:
The new Multiboot specification uses the term Native Endianess to imply
that big endian processors can load big endian objects and little endian
processors can load little endian objects.
Ambiguity:
The Power PC is considered a Big Endian machine but can be booted in little
endian mode. The term Native is vague.
Objective:
Define a tern or definition that clearly states the ability of the boot loader.
Discussion:
Not all processors do Little Endian the same way. Some processors scramble
32-bit fetches and some scramble the 8-bit fetches. On RISC machines it is
common to scramble the 8-bit fetches which would allow a machine to flip
endianness without messing up the instruction set. Neat trick.
According to the definition of the GRUB header I was reading all the values
are 32-bit. (Magic number, text size, bss size, start etc.) If GRUB is
used in a 64-bit machine it will be restricted to the first 4 gig.
If you really need a definition for correct value send me a private email
and I will give you one. Mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] moc after doing byte swap.
Alternate Definition:
The Endianess of the object must match the current endianess mode of the
processor. Byte swapped objects are not supported.
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