[lk] Linux-Kernel Archive: Re: Advantages of zImage vs. bzImage for 2.2.x kernel?

[Peter Teoh]

http://lkml.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9903.3/1185.html (Sorry for sending this a second time... I figured someone interested may miss it due to the wrong subject line. Sorry again.) Bzzt, wrong... the 'b' has nothing to do with bzip2 as stated in /usr/src/linux/Documentation/kbuild/commands.txt : "Note: the difference between 'zImage' files and 'bzImage' files is that 'bzImage' uses a different layout and a different loading algorithm, and thus has a larger capacity. Both files use gzip compression. The 'bz' in 'bzImage' stands for 'big zImage', not for 'bzip'!" For the rest of all I know about bzlilo, bzImage, bzdisk, etc., read that file. Have a good one! :) > From: Jussi Hamalainen <co...@theblah.org> > Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 10:23:51 +0300 (EEST) > Subject: Re: Advantages of zImage vs. bzImage for 2.2.x kernel? > > On 30 Mar 1999, Christophe Broult wrote: > > > I do not know why but I cannot boot with a bzImage on my computer. > > LILO version too old? I have LILO version 20 and it boots bzImage > nicely. > > The original questions was what are the advantages of bzImage over > zImage. The main advantage, I guess, is that in a bzImage the kernel > is compressed with bzip, which can compress things tighter than gzip > (zImage). The size of the image is limited and thus you can boot a > bigger kernel using bzImage. There seem to be no speed differences, > not at least any that I can notice. It takes about a second or two > for the kernel to decompress on my P233MMX and after that it doesn't > matter which image type you use.