linux-kernel - Re: large initramfs causes h/w reset after decompressing

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Date:	Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:26:56 -0700
From:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
To:	"John Z. Bohach" <jzb2@...orsyst.com>
CC:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: large initramfs causes h/w reset after decompressing

On 07/14/2011 03:32 PM, John Z. Bohach wrote:
> On Thursday 14 July 2011 02:14:08 pm H. Peter Anvin wrote:
>> On 07/14/2011 09:06 AM, John Z. Bohach wrote:
>>> I have a large initramfs cpio file, about 890 MB, which expands to
>>> 2.7 GB, and am running on linux-2.6.36.1, in 64-bit mode with 8 GB
>>> of physical RAM.
>>>
>>> Upon loading the initramfs, I see the message "Decompressing..."
>>> for a few seconds, and then comes a reset.
>>>
>>> This question has come up before...is there some sort of max size.
>>> that I am exceeding?  With 8 GB of physical memory and 64-bit arch.
>>> (AMD-II), certainly seems that there should be enough memory, no?
>>>
>>> Thanks...
>>
>> What bootloader are you using?  There are some bootloaders which
>> don't allocate the initramfs in a very good spot.
>>
>> 	-hpa
> 
> I've actually gotten the improbable to work, and am PXE booting via 
> syslinux and dhcp.
> 
> It all works fine with an initramfs of ~20 MB, but that's quite a diff. 
> from 2.7 GB of expanded /root (890 MB cpio.tar.gz file).
> 
> But excuse my ignorance, I don't see the relevance of your 
> question...the initramfs is part of the kernel itself...I simply load 
> the kernel bzImage (all 890 MB) and that's where its all at...this is 
> _not_ an initrd.
> 

Ah, interesting.  You didn't say that.  That does change some things...
I would not at all be surprised if the kernel decompressor doesn't
handle that very well...

	-hpa

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