Kickstart (Amiga)
As Kickstart located mostly in the ROM, the essential parts of the operating system AmigaOS be called. Kickstart contains, among other things, the exec.library ( the kernel ), the dos.library ( DOS ), the graphics.library and intuition.library ( The system libraries for the Amiga GUI).
Versions 1.0 and 1.1 were delivered only with the Amiga 1000, originally in the form of a bootstrap disk in a special RAM area ( WOM ) has been loaded, which was protected after loading against overwriting and thus until the next cold start only could be read.
Version 1.2 did with the Amiga 500 and the Amiga 2000, the successor models of the Amiga 1000 collection. In these models, Kickstart was no longer consuming loaded from a floppy disk, but replaced by a built- ROM. Thus, the boot time is reduced enormously. Drawback was that you had to screw the computer for an upgrade to a new kickstart version by replacing the block. Up to this point fit Kickstart in ROM 256 Kbytes size.
Later kickstart versions were further asset to device driver for ATA, SCSI, and PCMCIA hardware. As of version 2.0 that shipped with the Amiga 500 and the Amiga 3000, thus, a greater ROM was needed, which now had a capacity of 512 KB.
From version 2.0 was also the Disk Validator, which was previously dynamically loaded from disk, integrated into the ROM. This is active, if a disk is inserted, has not been completed at the write operations.
In a standard -equipped Amiga Kickstart can be found in the field of memory addresses 0xFC0000 or 0xF80000 to 0xFFFFFF. This area is not hard-coded in the operating system, which make up the so-called Softkickers advantage can start the Amiga with another kickstart version, which is loaded at a different address and its jump addresses are modified for this purpose.
In the current AmigaOS 4, there are still the original architecture, only the kickstart modules are now available on the boot volume from which they are activated by the boot loader.
Versions
The particular version of the kickstart does not appear in the system with the well-known version number. Are you on the command line with the command " version ", then the system is, for example,
Kickstart 40.63, Workbench 40.42 back. This means that on the machine runs OS 3.1.
The versions 1.2 through 3.1 backward compatible to its predecessors in the rule.
All Amiga models up to the Amiga 1000 can record Kickstart ROMs. In addition, opportunities exist kickstart to load via software ( rekick, soft kick ). The kickstart needs drivers for the hardware of the target machine included, otherwise there are some extensions broke ( IDE controller, PCMCIA port, SCSI port ).
KIM- 1 • PET CBM 2001 • 3000 • 4000 • CBM CBM 8000 • MMF 9000
CBM 500 CBM * • 600 • 700 • CBM CBM 900 *
VC 10 VC 20 • • C64 (SX, GS †) • 264 series ( C16, C116, Plus / 4) • C128 • C65 *
1000 • sidecar • 500 • 2000 • CDTV † • 600 • 1200 • 4000 • • 3000/T/UX CD ³ ² †
• PC-1 PC - 10 and PC -60 • x86LT • A1060
Datasette • CBM floppy drives • VC15xx ( VC1540/41, VC1551, VC1570/71, VC1581 ) • SFD100x ( SFD1001, SFD1002 ) • CBM 2020-8250 • A570 • A590 • A3070
MPS- MPS Series • 801 • 1000 • MPS MPS 1500C • VC1520 • CBM -8000 Series • CBM 4022
Zorro bus • Watches • Port WOM • RAM Expansion Unit • Commodore mouse • monochrome and color monitors • A10 speakers • Multi-User Systems ( MBS)
Writing and desktop calculators • LED watches 2000K/3000H • † • Chessmate
MOS Technology VIC • • VIC II • TED • VDC • SID • PIA • VIA • TPI • CIA • ACIA • Agnus ( blitter, Copper) • Paula • EHB mode • HAM mode
OCS • ECS • AGA
Commodore BASIC • Commodore Basic V2 • Kernal • CBM ASCII ( PETSCII ) • Commodore GEOS • DOS • AmigaOS • Kickstart • Workbench • ARexx • AmigaGuide • AMIX
*: Only prototype †: Console
- AmigaOS operating system component
- Firmware