The MI boot code used to have an infinite loop trying to boot the kernel,
which got limited to at most two tries 26 years ago for the 2.3 release,
but the documentation was never updated to match thi

The MI boot code used to have an infinite loop trying to boot the kernel,
which got limited to at most two tries 26 years ago for the 2.3 release,
but the documentation was never updated to match this change. Do it now.

Reported by Nir Lichtman on tech@

show more ...

Remove dangerous user-settable "addr" variable from MI boot loader, and
only compile tty-related code (stty command, tty variable) on platforms
where it makes sense for the boot loader to control it,

Remove dangerous user-settable "addr" variable from MI boot loader, and
only compile tty-related code (stty command, tty variable) on platforms
where it makes sense for the boot loader to control it, rather than the
PROM/firmware/whatever.

show more ...

The boot loader allows to inspect memory with the hexdump command.
Document the new feature in boot(8) man page.
OK jmc@ deraadt@

Improve previous

From and OK jmc

Document "set db_console 0|1"

OK deraadt

markup boot prompt commands using Ic, not Nm; ok jmc@

Delete cross references to boot_landisk(8).
According to tobiasu@, landisk is moribund and writing new manual
pages for it would be a waste of time.

reduce .Nd to one line and kill .Tn while here

document that boot.conf can contain comments;
from tilo stritzky

thanks miod for help with the diff, and who also noted that
leading whitespace gets stripped too;

correct the syntax description of the boot command; ok jmc@

remove the zlib rfc text: these pages already point to gzip(1), which
has the references, and the rfc is not that relevant anyway;

use Lk for links;

Don't document ``device foo'' yet either.

Add a boot.8 manual page (adapted from other platforms which use the MI
secondary boot loader). This will in turn act as a reminder to write
boot_landisk.8 (soon).