Put under PIC as expertise here is liable to spill into AVR area.

I've never to date used a boot loader. So far it's all worked fine 
without one. I'd now like to provide boot-load capability to an AVR 
ATMega88 system. The aim is to allow relatively very uninformed 
technically clients load code and/or eeprom data. This will be done by 
an equipment vendor and not by customers. It's conceivable that it 
could be used by distributors if viable.

Preferred input would be RS232 serial from a PC via UART (TTL levels 
provided to processor using basic converter and plug to existing PCB 
socket.) but anything else that works and is easy to implement would 
be OK. eg SPI pin access is fine if the end result is 'better' overall 
than the RS232 solution. RS232 seems good as I have the port provided 
(5V levels) and a simple RS232/5V converter plus plug "special cable" 
is an acceptable demand. The system has ISP which would be OK enough 
but tends to need more equipment in the "special cable" and more PC 
end knowledge than if I write a PC RS232 boot loader driver program.

There are a zillion articles 'out there' and app notes on AVR 
bootloading. It doesn't sound at all hard. All it takes is the almost 
inevitable small mountain of experience to climb to achieve what, 
after the event (but only AFTER the event) is a trivial and 
'intuitive' process.

SO is there any advice, code, webpages or whatever that will help make 
this learning process trivial for me?
 [I can SEE that it's going to be trivial in retrospect. But I'm sure 
there are dragons lurking ... ].

All comments and advice gratefully received.

I'm not reading the list regularly still at present so please ideally 
send a copy of any replies to me directly as well as to list as my 
trap seems to miss some messages. The "::" in the subject line SHOULD 
trap such messages.


        Russell:: 

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