linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 12/12] i386 boot: Add an ELF header to bzImage

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Message-ID: <45248751.4060607@zytor.com>
Date:	Wed, 04 Oct 2006 21:17:21 -0700
From:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
To:	"Eric W. Biederman" <ebiederm@...ssion.com>
CC:	vgoyal@...ibm.com, Andrew Morton <akpm@...l.org>,
	linux kernel mailing list <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Reloc Kernel List <fastboot@...ts.osdl.org>, ak@...e.de,
	horms@...ge.net.au, lace@...kratochvil.net, magnus.damm@...il.com,
	lwang@...hat.com, dzickus@...hat.com, maneesh@...ibm.com
Subject: Re: [PATCH 12/12] i386 boot: Add an ELF header to bzImage

Eric W. Biederman wrote:
> "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com> writes:
> 
>> Well, it doesn't help if what you end up with for some bootloader is a
>> nonfunctioning kernel.
> 
> I agree.  We need to look at what is happening closely.  
> However just because we have some initial glitches doesn't mean we
> shouldn't give up.
> 
> With grub you can say:
> kernel --type=biglinux /path/to/bzImage
> 
> As I read the code it won't necessarily force the type of kernel image
> grub will use but it will refuse to boot if it doesn't recognize 
> the kernel as the type specified.
> 
> The code for grub is in stage2/boot.c:load_image().  It tries a few
> other formats before it tests for the linux magic number but
> it won't recognize an ELF format executable unless it is a mutliboot
> or a BSD executable.
> 

This isn't just about Grub, though.  There is probably about a dozen 
bootloaders in use on i386, if not more.

	-hpa
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