NEWS

NEWS - list of user-visible changes between releases of GRUB

New:
* The /sbin/grub stage2 simulator now works for simple cases, and uses
  the Linux HDIO_GETGEO ioctl to determine hard disk geometry.

New in 0.5.91 - 1999-03-14, Gordon Matzigkeit:
* LBA and preliminary AWARD BIOS disk extension support.
* Started docs/grub.texi.
* /sbin/grub GUI now works (but it doesn't yet access disks properly).
  Run `configure --enable-sbin-grub' to build this program in the grub
  subdirectory.

New in 0.5.90 - 1999-03-01, Gordon Matzigkeit:
* Bug fixes.
* GRUB understands symlinks on ext2fs (but still not ffs).
* Many source code and build cleanups to comply with GNU standards.

New in 0.5 - 1998-08-20, Erich Boleyn:

* Improved error messages in the stage1 to be strings (easier to read
  than the previous case of single characters), and removed any
  display in the case of no error (less confusing).

* New document describing error conditions and messages.

* Improved configure/build process.

* Made the early bootup interrupt-safe.  Wasn't doing cli/sti when
  necessary sometimes.

* GRUB now shuts off the floppy before transferring control to any
  other programs/modules/loaders.  (chain-loading doesn't matter here,
  just loading 32-bit modules/kernels)

* Fixed a few stupid bugs, including a several in the ext2fs code.

* Linux boot format support extended from just "zImage" to include
  "bzImage" and initial ramdisk (also called "initrd") support for
  both.  "initrd" support is untested, but the critical parts were
  taken from a supplied patch and seem OK.

* Several new command features.  See the command-listing for details.

New in 0.4 - 1998-03-19, Erich Boleyn:

* GRUB now correctly points ES:SI at a partition descriptor when
  chain-loading.

* Many minor bugs fixed (some in the build scripts).

* Intel MPS 1.4 config/check code is totally new, and the "syscmd="
  command is completely removed.  Check command-listing for details.

Version 0.4-pre, Erich Boleyn:

* Reorganized docs, moved most "NOTE" items to a FAQ (with new entries
  as well).

* Now supports automatic decompression of any files loaded via the
  GRUB stage2 filesystem code.  Simply compress the file using GNU
  gzip normally, then when loading, the GRUB internals will see the
  contents in the decompressed state...  i.e. all GRUB functions
  operate normally as if it is the uncompressed file.  An extra
  version of the "module" loading function has been added which
  disables this functionality if desired (in all the other cases, not
  decompressing doesn't make sense).

* Changed device strings used in filesystem code to more logical
  format.  Added "relative" disk and partition capability, see
  command-listing and filesystem syntax description for details.

* "install=" command vastly improved.  Also moved to non-debug area.
  Check command-listing and install documentation for details.

* Added several new commands: "rootnoverify=", "uppermem=", and a new
  debug command "displaymem".  Check command-listing for details.

* Added versioning numbers (and subsequently broke compatibility with
  some of the previous code, so GRUB should be re-installed!).

* Added unattended booting support via new "fallback=" command.

* During debug probe of SMP configuration table compatible with Intel
  MPS 1.4 standard, GRUB now checks for a pointer in the EBDA.

* Using a "default=" entry greater than 11 caused the UI to do funny
  things (it didn't pre-scroll the list to the appropriate place).

* Reading files on FAT floppies had yet more problems related by many
  users of version 0.3 6/17/96.  Again, all known problems fixed.

* "Extended" partitions now work (still cannot make an extended
  partition active with "makeactive" command).

* The build environment is greatly simplified, now using an
  autoconf-like "configure" script.

New in 0.3-19960617 - 1996-06-17, Erich Boleyn:

* Yet more documentation improvements.

* Known bugs in floppy operation fixed (12-bit FAT didn't work for
  most cases, and inserting other floppies didn't flush the filesystem
  cache).

* NASTY uninitialized pointer bug causing "raw" floppy operation to
  crash on several PCs is now fixed.  This seems to have been the root
  cause of all of the compatibility problems that have currently been
  observed.

* debug-mode command added to automate most difficult step of
  installation for common cases (new install method #4).

* Testing "mini-debugger" now merged with command-line when "DEBUG"
  defined in compile (no SYSDEBUG option anymore).  See description of
  commands in the command-line for details.

New in 0.3-19960602 - 1996-06-02, Erich Boleyn:

* Completed initial licenses.

* Initial filesystem documentation written.

* Block-list and FAT filesystems now work as documented (in
  particular, for the blocklist filesystem, shortcuts like "+1" for
  "0+1,512" now work correctly).

* Fixed several problems (old and new) in the various filesystems (for
  example, the ext2fs filesystem code is now much faster, as it caches
  some mapping blocks where it didn't at all before).  Filesystem
  semantics are much more uniform as well (symbolic links and reading
  a directory as a file now return errors where it would silently fail
  before).

* "makeactive" now works for standard PC partitions on hard disks (not
  extended partitions...  so any PC partition number above 3 will give
  a "no such partition" error).  If a BSD sub-partition is is used, it
  will ignore it, and only use the primary PC partition number.

New in 0.3-19960520 - 1996-05-20, Erich Boleyn:

* Updated instructions (though still very sparse).

* New floppy probe (works much like the Linux floppy boot probe)
  attempts to find the size of a floppy in a drive.  Might still need
  work!  Please try on various floppy drives with various media!

* New floppy handler will claim a non-existent drive if the floppy
  disk isn't present in the drive.  (for example, it won't be on the
  list of installed drives unless a floppy is present)

* Stage1 now compatible with both a hard disk MBR and the DOS BIOS
  parameter block (see "install/README" for more details on how this
  can be used).

* Block-list filesystem partially works, as described in the file
  "NOTES".  Loading an a.out or elf kernel won't work with it, but all
  other filetypes pretty much should.  (certainly chain-loading works
  OK)

  NOTE: you must use the full format "0+1,512" for just he first
  block...  no parameters can be implicit in this version.. THis is
  being fixed too.

* Linux ext2 filesystem works.  (it's very slow for big files, but
  this is being fixed)

* Linux boot type now supported.  Use a standard piggybacked image as
  with LILO.  Put in hack to support >64MB via GRUB placing the RAM
  size as the first item on the command-line automatically.  Must pass
  root partition on command-line using normal Linux syntax...  if not,
  it uses it's builtin root partition.

* Supports chain-loading.  For details, see "COMMANDS" and the
  examples directory.  (was able to boot DOS and Windows NT on my test
  box).  NOTE that the "root partition" must be set to work right.
  "makeactive" is currently a no-op.

* Several weird bugs fixed.  One important note: If you recompile, it
  will warn about a clash with builtin "strcmp".  This is normal...
  do NOT remove the strcmp definition, as then GCC will possibly put
  inline code from it's own builtin function in some places. (my
  strcmp has slightly different functionality, hence the problem)

* Mini-debugger is currently broken.

New in 0.2 - 1996-04-12, Erich Boleyn:

* Completely new menu-based UI.  See "COMMANDS" and the examples
  directory for details.  NOTE that the argument to a command must be
  preceded by a space between it and the '=', in both the config file
  and the command-line.  This will be fixed.

New in 0.1 - 1996-03-31, Erich Boleyn:

* Newer version of Multiboot Standard (version 0.6) supported.

* Autodetects kernel types.  Supports Multiboot, FreeBSD, NetBSD
  (Linux isn't finished).

* Stage 1.5 works now.  Default setup is now for working with a BSD
  FFS floppy loading "/grub/stage2" as the main bootloader.

* Filesystem support improved.  It didn't work on many floppies before
  (problem with the partition-detection code).

* Memory probe now supports arbitrary amounts of RAM (some technical
  limitations exist, see Multiboot standard version 0.6 for details).

* A mini-debugger is included by default, activated by hitting '~' on
  the command-line (it might interfere with things, but it seems OK
  for my alpha-testing).  The commands are in the function
  "enter_sysdebug" defined in "common.c".  If you have an Intel MPS-
  compatible machine, there are extra commands enabled for SMP cpu
  testing.  'q' exits and goes back to what you were doing before.

New in 0.0-19960206 - 1996-02-06, Erich Boleyn:

* Newer version of Multiboot Standard (version 0.4) supported.

New in 0.0-19951210 - 1995-12-10, Erich Boleyn:

* You can now perform TAB-based completion listing of any valid
  partially completed disk/partition/file-name combination.  Try it
  out to see what you like, examples are in the NOTES file under
  "Device completion".

* Fixed a bug causing the memory size routine to sometimes report
  ridiculous values.

* Fixed some documentation (what little there is :-/ and a few
  assembly bugs in the BIOS access routines that nobody reported yet,
  so I won't detail it here.