Old vmlinux -> vmlinuz converting HOWTO question
 

Some solution posted here:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...mlinux-530085/

does not hold for me.

In my case:
I make vmlinux O=dist, then I get the vmlinux image.
I know make install will generate the vmlinuz image, but I don't want to make all. So I just /sbin/installkernel version vmlinux System.map dist. But I only got vmlinux-version installed to dist.

I should have input vmlinuz to /sbin/installkernel, but I just don't know how to create a vmlinuz image as quickly as possible (do not make all). And make bzImage O=dist, the output is "make: Nothing to be done for `bzImage'."

Can anybody explain the vmlinuz's updated format? In addition, uncompress the vmlinuz, the uncompressed file size differs from the vmlinux size. WHY?

Thanks,

Shawn

If make is reporting that there is a bzImage, then it seems to me that all you have to do is copy that file to the name "vmlinuz" and put it where your boot-loader can find it. Update the appropriate config files and re-run the boot-loader. Since you didn't say which loader you're are using, I can't help you with that.

What distro and kernel version are you using, by the way?

Also, vmlinuz doesn't really have to be named anything in particular as long as your config files agree with whatever it's named. It does have to be a bzImage format file though, because of certain limitations of the way PCs start in "real mode".

Ok, I've found out a few interesting things that I was wrong about. I have removed them. You can find the correct information by going here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vmlinux

I sincerely hope I didn't confuse anybody too much. Apparently, my mistake was a common one.

Thank you.

The kernel source version is 2.6.18.8, and distro is debian.
I figured out that, make vmlinux can only generate vmlinux, then vmlinux is stripped to vmlinux-stripped, and at last vmlinux-stripped is compressed with gzip(?) to vmlinuz.

I have not yet found out how stripping is done? Can anyone help?

Shawn

I've corrected my previous message. Maybe the link in it will help. Once again, I apologize for my mistake.

Thanks a lot.

Shawn