Re: zImage not supported for 2.2.20?

H. Peter Anvin (hpa@zytor.com)
28 Dec 2001 10:36:44 -0800


Followup to: <4.3.2.7.2.20011228173505.00aa3da0@192.168.124.1>
By author: Roy Hills <linux-kernel-l@nta-monitor.com>
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> Unfortunately, I need to use zImage on my Tecra. I know that zImage is
> old, and I've heard that support for it will eventually be withdrawn, but I
> don't really have much alternative right now unless there is a patch which
> works around the Tecra's buggy A20 handling.
>

I believe this is now a myth. Toshiba's weird A20 problems should
have been worked around for a long, long time; and I believe the
latest set of changes in 2.4 should make that thouroughly complete.
In fact, if your bzImages don't work either, I suspect your problems
isn't at all one of zImage vs bzImage but that there is a separate bug
that's biting you independently.

> Does anyone know the status of zImage format in modern kernels?
> Is it _supposed_ to be supported under 2.2.recent? How about 2.4.recent?
>
> I guess that, if zImage is supposed to be supported, then I have a
> genuine bug. However, if zImage support has officially been
> dropped, then it's a different matter - in this case, the only bug
> would be that the Makefile should issue a sensible message when you
> try to "make zImage" rather than producing a kernel that won't work.

zImage format will probably be removed in the 2.5 series. It's
virtually impossible to fit a practical 2.4 kernel within the zImage
size limits.

-hpa

-- 
<hpa@transmeta.com> at work, <hpa@zytor.com> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."
http://www.zytor.com/~hpa/puzzle.txt	<amsp@zytor.com>
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