Bochs User Manual
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# Installing a Binary

This section is divided up by platform, since installing a binary package is different on different platforms.

## Windows

The Bochs binaries for Windows are distributed in two different package types: EXE and ZIP. Both package types contain all files you need to run Bochs. The EXE version can be started like any other Windows program and it brings up the installation wizard. Here you can select the destination folder and the installation options. The wizard installs the files and creates the registry keys, start menu and desktop links. We recommend to use the EXE package unless you are a Bochs expert.

If you choose the ZIP package you need a tool like WinZip to unpack the archive. Note that you have to create a registry key for Bochs if you want to use the environment variable $BXSHARE in your config file. The name of the key is "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Bochs 2.1.pre3" (the Bochs version may differ). For more information on environment variables see the section bochsrc.

If you are new to Bochs you should try out the DLX Linux demo distributed with Bochs. The installation wizard has created a link on the desktop if you decided to install the demo. If you doubleclick the icon two windows will appear: one is the Bochs Display window, and the other is text window that is used for the runtime configuration and for log messages if no logfile is specified.

You can find more information on the DLX Linux demo in the next section below the DLX Linux screenshot.

Table 3-3. Files in Bochs directory (Windows version)

File | Description
--- | ---
BIOS-bochs-* | ROM BIOS images for Bochs. Normally you would only use BIOS-bochs-latest unless you are simulating multiple processors.
bochs.exe | the main Bochs executable
bochs.ico | the Bochs icon (used for links in start menu and on the desktop)
bochsdbg.exe | the main Bochs executable with debugger enabled
bochsrc-sample.txt | sample Bochs configuration file
bxcommit.exe | tool for committing redologs to flat disk images
bximage.exe | tool for making new disk images
CHANGES.txt | what has changed between versions
COPYING.txt | copy of the LGPL license
README.txt | the read-me file from the source distribution.
niclist.exe | tool to find out the network interface name
penguin.ico | the Linux logo (used for the DLX link in start menu)
sb16ctrl.exe | tool to control sb16 in Bochs
sb16ctrl.txt | examples of sb16ctrl commands
VGABIOS-elpin-* | VGA BIOS image for Bochs
VGABIOS-elpin-LICENSE | license for VGA BIOS
VGABIOS-lgpl-latest | LGPL'd VGA BIOS image for Bochs
VGABIOS-lgpl-latest-debug | LGPL'd VGA BIOS image for Bochs with debug output to the logfile
VGABIOS-lgpl-README | readme for the LGPL'd VGA BIOS
uninstall.exe | uninstall program for Bochs (created by the installation wizard)
dlxlinux\ | directory containing DLX linux sample disk image and configuration files
dlxlinux\readme.txt | description of DLX linux
dlxlinux\bochsrc.txt | Bochs configuration file for DLX
dlxlinux/hd10meg.img | disk image file (10 meg)
dlxlinux\start.bat | Run this BAT file to try out DLX Linux inside Bochs!
dlxlinux\testform.txt | Form for reporting success or failure
doc\index.html | a local copy of all Bochs documentation ( Online copy )
keymaps\*.map | keymap tables (on Windows used for the paste feature only)

## Linux RPM

RPM stands for "RedHat Package Manager." An RPM is a compressed file containing files to be installed on your system. Many Linux distributions, not just RedHat ones, can install files from an RPM. First, download the Bochs RPM for your architecture to your computer. For example, if you have an Intel-compatible computer, be sure to get the RPM that says "for Linux x86 distributions" or "i386". Once you have the package on your local disk, you should become the root user and install it as follows[1]:

Figure 3-2. Installing an RPM in Linux

      user$ su
      Password:
      root# ls -l bochs-1.2.1.i386.rpm
      -rw-rw-r--    1 user     user      1877515 Sep 14 09:02 bochs-1.2.1.i386.rpm
      root# rpm -i bochs-1.2.1.i386.rpm
      Looking for fonts to install... /usr/local/bochs/latest/
      Looking for X11 Font Path... /usr/lib/X11/fonts
      Installing vga.pcf... ok    (it was already there)
      Running mkfontdir...
      Done installing Bochs fonts for X11.
      root# exit
      user$ _

All RPM installations are done as the root user because they require permission to update system files and directories. If you do not have root access you need to compile Bochs in your home directory.

RPM installation can fail for a few reasons. It will fail if you already have a Bochs package installed. In this case, try upgrading the old package to the new package with rpm --upgrade NAME.i386.rpm. Another potential problem is missing RPM dependencies. If you are getting errors about missing files or RPMs, then first you should try to install the RPMs that provide the missing pieces. If that cannot be done, download the source RPM and build a new binary RPM that is appropriate for your platform. The command is rpmbuild --rebuild NAME.src.rpm. As a last resort, you can run rpm with the --nodeps option to ignore dependencies and install it anyway, but if it is missing important pieces it may not run properly.

The Bochs RPM installs four new commands and associated manual pages: bochs, bochs-dlx, bximage and bxcommit. First, let's try out the DLX Linux demo by typing bochs-dlx.

      user$ bochs-dlx
      ---------------------------------------------------------------
    	      DLX Linux Demo, for Bochs x86 Emulator
      ---------------------------------------------------------------
      Checking for bochs binary...ok
      Checking for DLX linux directory...ok
      Checking for /bin/gzip...ok
      Checking for /usr/users/bryce/.bochsdlx directory...
      ---------------------------------------------------------------
      To run the DLX Linux demo, I need to create a directory called
      /usr/users/bryce/.bochsdlx, and copy some configuration files
      and a 10 megabyte disk image into the directory.
      ---------------------------------------------------------------
      Is that okay? [y/n]
      y
      Copying /usr/share/bochs/dlxlinux/bochsrc.txt -> /usr/users/bryce/.bochsdlx/.
      Copying /usr/share/bochs/dlxlinux/README -> /usr/users/bryce/.bochsdlx/.
      Copying /usr/share/bochs/dlxlinux/testform.txt -> /usr/users/bryce/.bochsdlx/.
      Uncompressing /usr/share/bochs/dlxlinux/hd10meg.img.gz -> /usr/users/bryce/.bochsdlx/hd10meg.img
      Entering /usr/users/bryce/.bochsdlx
      Running bochs
      ========================================================================
    			Bochs x86 Emulator 2.0.pre3
    		Build from CVS snapshot on December 4, 2002
      ========================================================================

Then you get a new X11 window containing the VGA display of the simulated machine. First you see the VGA BIOS screen, then Linux uncompresses and boots, and you get a login prompt. Type "root" and ENTER to log in to DLX linux.

Figure 3-3. Screenshot of Bochs running DLX Linux

Booting is complete when you see "dlx login:" and a cursor. At this login prompt, type "root". On UNIX systems, root is the system admin user. There is no password for root on this sample disk image, so it lets you log in without typing any password. Now you should see a UNIX prompt, and you can begin to type UNIX commands.

      Welcome to DLX V1.0 (C) 1995-96 Erich Boehm
                          (C) 1995    Hannes Boehm

      dlx login: root
      Linux 1.3.89.
      dlx:~# pwd
      /root
      dlx:~# cd /
      dlx:~# ls
      bin/       etc/       lost+found/       root/       usr/
      boot/      fd/        mnt/              sbin/       var/
      dev/       lib/       proc/             tmp/        zip/
      dlx:/# df
      Filesystem    1024-blocks   Used  Available Capacity Mounted on
      /dev/hda1        10060      2736      6005     29%   /
      dlx:/# _

When you get tired of playing with DLX Linux, just type "reboot" in the Bochs window to shut down the DLX Linux operating system, and when it starts to reboot again press the "Power" button at the top of the Bochs display to end the application.

Here is a list of the files that are installed by the RPM, and a brief description of each one.

Table 3-4. Files in RPM package

File | Description
--- | ---
/usr/share/doc/bochs/README | the read-me file from the source distribution.
/usr/share/doc/bochs/CHANGES | what has changed between versions
/usr/share/doc/bochs/COPYING | copy of the LGPL license
/usr/bin/bochs | the main Bochs executable
/usr/bin/bximage | tool for making new disk images
/usr/bin/bxcommit | tool for committing redologs to flat disk images
/usr/lib/bochs/plugins/* | device and gui plugins for Bochs (plugin version only)
/usr/share/doc/bochs/bochsrc-sample.txt | sample Bochs configuration file
/usr/share/man/man1/* | man pages for bochs, bochs-dlx, bximage and bxcommit
/usr/share/man/man5/* | man page for bochsrc
/usr/share/doc/bochs/index.html | a local copy of all Bochs documentation ( Online copy )
/usr/share/bochs/BIOS-bochs-* | ROM BIOS images for Bochs. Normally you would only use BIOS-bochs-latest unless you are simulating multiple processors.
/usr/share/bochs/VGABIOS-elpin-* | VGA BIOS image for Bochs
/usr/share/bochs/VGABIOS-elpin-LICENSE | license for VGA BIOS
/usr/share/bochs/VGABIOS-lgpl-latest | LGPL'd VGA BIOS image for Bochs
/usr/share/bochs/VGABIOS-lgpl-latest-debug | LGPL'd VGA BIOS image for Bochs with debug output to the logfile
/usr/share/bochs/VGABIOS-lgpl-README | readme for the LGPL'd VGA BIOS
/usr/bin/bochs-dlx | run this script to try out DLX Linux inside Bochs!
/usr/share/bochs/dlxlinux/ | directory containing DLX linux sample disk image and configuration files
/usr/share/bochs/dlxlinux/readme.txt | description of DLX linux
/usr/share/bochs/keymaps/*.map | keymap tables for X11 and SDL

## MacOS X DMG

This was contributed by Aard Vark in January 2003

The MacOS X binary distribution is a mountable disk image (.dmg file). Once you've downloaded the binary distribution file, just double click on it to automatically unpack the archive and mount the volume on the desktop. An icon will appear exactly as if you'd inserted a CD-ROM or removable storage device, and a finder window containing the volume should automatically open. It is likely to have an odd name such as _dmg_top, but don't worry about that.

Copy the Bochs-2.0 (or whatever version) folder from the disk image onto your hard disk. Either Home or Applications would be sensible places to put it. Because the disk image is mounted read only, you can't run the included dlxlinux guest OS until you've copied it to the hard disk.

Once you've installed the binaries, it's probably a good idea to drag the _dmg_top volume to trash to unmount it, so you don't get confused and try to run bochs from there. Then open the bochs folder from wherever you installed it.

The MacOS X version of bochs requires a terminal window to run. If you just double click on the Bochs icon, you'll get an error message telling you to double click on "bochs.scpt" to start Bochs in a new terminal window. You'll need to configure Bochs before you will get very far with the bochs.scpt in the top folder, so to try out bochs open the dlxlinux folder and double click on the bochs.scpt icon inside.

This will open a new terminal window which will contain the Bochs startup messages, and a configuration menu. The default option is [5], which starts the simulation, so press enter to do so. You will then get a new window containing the VGA display of the simulated machine. The new window will probably appear behind the current terminal window, so either click on the bochs icon in the dock or the simulation window to bring it to the front. If you're quick enough you'll then see the VGA BIOS screen, then Linux uncompresses and boots, and you get a login prompt. Type "root" and ENTER to log in to DLX Linux.

Once you've finished playing with DLX Linux, just type "reboot" in the Bochs window to shut down the DLX Linux operating system, and when it starts to reboot again press the "Power" button in the "MacBochs Hardware Controls" window (it's the circle containing a vertical bar at the far right - have a look at the Linux screenshots, since the Mac version doesn't seem to have descriptions or tool-tips).

### Notes

[1] | Many distributions have their own RPM installer program, often graphical, and they should work ok. It is helpful to be able to see the text output from RPM, so if you use a fancy RPM installer, be sure to find the text output and check that it looks correct.

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