This can be disabled (to save a bit of space) with the NO_KERNEL_RCSIDS
options, which is present but commented out in the ALPHA config file.
In ELF-format kernels, these strings are present in the kernel binary but
are not loaded into memory. (In ECOFF-format kernels, there's no easy way
to keep them from being loaded, so they _are_ loaded into memory.)
>Update for present reality (function names), clean up a bit (printfs,
>"panic: foo XXX"), and fix a couple of printf format specified bugs
>(which were normally #if 0'd out). Inspired by Multia/UDB support
>changes sent by Matt Thomas.
and:
>changes from Matt Thomas so that the Multia/UDB can attach its
>'com' interrupts, cleaned up some. Basically: if sharing type of
>new interrupt is different than what the hardware is currently set up
>for (e.g. requesting edge-triggered and the hardware is set up by
>the PROM for level triggered) and there are no interrupt handlers on
>that line already, warn about it and use the hardware type that the
>line was already set for (to avoid making the console blow up on
>reboot). If same circumstances but there is already a handler, panic
>as before.
Support for AXPpci CPUs,
Support for AlphaStation 600 CPUs,
new boot block structure, which requires an 'installboot'
program and works a lot like the NetBSD/sparc boot blocks.
cgd