Re: PATCH/RFC: bzImage payload as compressed ELF file.

["H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>]

Ian Campbell wrote:
> On Tue, 2008-01-29 at 13:50 -0800, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
>> Ian Campbell wrote:
>>> I finessed the length issue slightly since it happens that the word
>>> before the payload is the payload's length. I'm mulling a variety of
>>> options:
>>>       * declare it compression scheme dependant. At least for gzip
>> it
>>>         knows when it has reached the end.
>>>       * codify the length followed by data thing we happen to have
>> now
>>>       * add a length field to the header, using another 4 bytes (is
>>>         there any pressure on the size of the header?).
>>>
>>> I'd probably go with the later unless we are pressed for space in
>> the
>>> header.
>> I would agree with that.  In fact, while we're adding fields to the 
>> header, I would like to add a field that would be the CRC32 (or other 
>> simple integrity check) over the whole image.
> 
> As in over the whole compressed payload part? I'll add that while I'm
> there.
> 

I was actually thinking about the whole bzImage.

Obviously, it can't cover itself (unless it's something like a plain 
checksum) so presumably it would compute it with its own field set to zero.

	-hpa