[U-Boot-Users] Run Linux kernel from within a JFFS2 filesystem

[Giuseppe Modugno <giuseppe.modugno@gmail.com>]

Hi all,

this is my first post in this mailing list. I hope I don't start with a FAQ.

On my board I have installed U-Boot and I'm able to run Linux kernel and 
  rootfs via Flash/Flash (ramdisk/image file) or TFTP/NFS.

Of course, either ramdisk and nfs aren't suitable for my end application 
(ramdisk losts many RAM space and NFS won't be available).

So I'd like to use a local root filesystem stored in the NOR Flash (a 
J30 Intel), starting from the small ramdisk I have and adding all 
software I need.

I could divide my Flash memory in three partitions:
- U-Boot bootloader (with the two sectors for its configuration)
- Linux kernel image
- JFFS2 root filesystem

But I want to go futher and I want to save the linux kernel image file 
into the root JFFS2 filesystem. So I'll have only two main partitions:
- U-Boot bootloader (...)
- JFFS2 root filesystem (with linuk kernel image file saved inside)

Is U-Boot able to run a kernel image file that is saved into a JFFS2 
filesystem stored in the Flash? I think this is what happens on a 
desktop computer (where the bootloader is Grub and the root filesystem 
is on a hard-disk and the kernel is a file saved into it).

I think it isn't so simple for U-Boot that is capable of running the 
application (linux kernel in my case) only at a specified memory address 
(it doesn't have any knowledge about JFFS2 filesystem, do it?).

Many thanks for your comments and my compliments for the good work!

   Giuseppe