Issue 40: Feb 2004
Features
- | Foreword
- | Tip of the day
- | Eerievale
- | How Does MiNT Work?
- | Duranik: Interviewed
- | Handy Atari Accessories
- | GenEdit 2.02
- | HTML-Viewer: MyAtari In Glorious 8-bit
Review
- | Papyrus X
M@ilbox
News
| How Does MiNT Work? by Bohdan Milar After a short break I am back with my next article about MiNT. You already know why I use MiNT and what it is in general. Today we will continue with a few words about the boot process and the ways of using MiNT with miscellaneous user environments. Unlike other alternative Atari operating systems (such as MagiC and Linux), MiNT co-operates with TOS, so it is run by TOS during its normal boot. MiNT is simply a program (named MINT.PRG) placed in the AUTO folder on the boot disk. First of all MiNT tests whether the [Shift] key is pressed. If so it asks whether to load or not. If [Shift] is not pressed or the answer is "yes", MiNT replaces parts of TOS with itself and thus takes control over the system. Now MiNT will look for the place with its system files, namely the modules, keyboard table and the configuration file. It first tests the current directory - in other words the folder from which it was launched. Next it looks to the root directory and finally "multitos" and "mint" sub-directories of the root directory of the current disk. After successful location it starts to load modules. These are binary files which increase MiNT's capabilities. They could be general drivers (serial ports, mouse...) called XDD or file system drivers (minix, ext2...) called XFS. There are also XIF network drivers for the SOCKET.XDD module. Unlike Linux, MiNT is unable to remove or load kernel modules after the boot. Next step in boot is the MINT.CNF file. It is a text file containig the basic configuration of the whole MiNT system. There is a special scripting language used in the MINT.CNF file. It is very simple because it is implemented directly by the kernel so it does not know such things like wildcards. Here one can allocate disk drives, the main file system (see below), system paths, run some programs and mainly tell the kernel what to do next. How will MiNT look like after the boot depends heavily on the INIT= or GEM= line of the MiNT.CNF file. You may want a light system with no Unix stuff and set the path to your favourite AES after the GEM= string in MINT.CNF. Then MiNT will simply start this AES and you can use it like normal TOS, but with some nice enhancements: you can run more applications simultaneously, you can load and unload accessories without reboot, you have long file names... Another possibility is to run a light Unix system. You can write down a path to your favourite shell after the INIT= string. MiNT will start the shell and you can run Unix and TOS programs, even simultneously. In addition you can later start an AES manually and continue working in its graphical environment. The most comfortable way of boot is using a Unix init utility. Init starts special unix programs called daemons. Daemons provide additional services to the system like system loggers, network servers or virtual consoles. After this, getty and login will be launched and you can log on. You can start a text shell, AES or even the Unix standard graphical environment - X Window System. No matter what you choose, you can then run user applications and use the system in the way you need to reach your personal goals. You can edit texts with editors, do some calculations, work with graphics, listen to music, use scientific applications, connect to the internet... The kernel will control all your activities until it gets your command to shut down.
Useful link
Bohdan Milar http://www.volny.cz/milarb/
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