[SOLVED] Any idea what file system(s) the kernel image is formatted in?

Kenny_Strawn · 09-13-2010, 03:47 AM

Do any of you know what file system the kernel image is written in, and if the kernel image can be mounted? Please reply to this thread if you know.

jlliagre · 09-13-2010, 03:57 AM

Unless I'm missing what you are referring to, a kernel image is a monolithic executable binary, not a file system.

Kenny_Strawn · 09-13-2010, 04:19 AM

Okay, that's all I needed to know. I thought it was a disk image, hence the word "image" in the name. Is it an ELF binary, then?

jlliagre · 09-13-2010, 04:31 AM

If you are talking about the .img file like kernel26.img, it might be a gzip compressed cpio archive.

Kenny_Strawn · 09-13-2010, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlliagre

If you are talking about the .img file like kernel26.img, it might be a gzip compressed cpio archive.

You mean initrd.img? Yes, I know. I was talking about /boot/vmlinuz. That is an ELF binary, right?

syg00 · 09-13-2010, 04:43 AM

Nope. Try readelf on it ...

Kenny_Strawn · 09-13-2010, 04:59 AM

Then what kind of binary is it?

jlliagre · 09-13-2010, 05:19 AM

This is what I got on an arch kernel:

Code:

# file vmlinuz26 
vmlinuz26: Linux kernel x86 boot executable bzImage, version 2.6.33-ARCH (thomas@evey) #1 SM, RO-rootFS, swap_dev 0x1, Normal VGA