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08 — Automatic Boot: Mode Files & INITIAL-COMMANDS

Status: SCAFFOLD. No assumptions. Only what is observed in source is stated as fact; everything else is a TODO to validate via documentation, actual SINTRAN commands, or manual exercise.

Goal: document how the system is set up for automatic boot — running a startup mode file (e.g. LOAD-MODE:MODE) and the INITIAL-COMMAND mechanism.

Observed in source (verified)

  • The SINTRAN-M archive Admin/HENT-MODE.txt begins with @CC HENT-MODE:MODE and is a mode file of @-commands (RT-LOADER, INIT-BACKGROUND, CHANGE-DATAFIELD, BATCH, MAIL, SET-AVAILABLE).

To document (validate first)

  • LOAD-MODE:MODE — the automatic-boot mode file: contents and when it runs. TODO: locate source.
  • INITIAL-COMMAND / NEXT-INITIAL-COMMAND — how startup commands are registered.
  • LIST-INITIAL-COMMANDS — how to inspect the configured boot command chain.
  • Relationship between mode files and the INITIAL-COMMAND chain on automatic boot.

None of the INITIAL-COMMAND command semantics are documented here yet because they are not present in the source files read so far. They must be validated against an ND manual or by manual exercise (ask the user) before being written as fact.

Verified examples now available

research/HDD-IMAGE-FINDINGS.md §2 contains real HENT-MODE files extracted from disk images showing the @INITIAL-COMMAND / @NEXT-INITIAL-COMMAND chain ending in APPEND-BATCH 1 LOAD-MODE:MODE — confirming the automatic-boot mechanism. Promote those examples here once cross-checked against the System Supervisor manual §3.2.2–3.2.3.