From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S932180AbVHZGAe (ORCPT ); Fri, 26 Aug 2005 02:00:34 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932522AbVHZGAe (ORCPT ); Fri, 26 Aug 2005 02:00:34 -0400 Received: from ms-smtp-01-smtplb.rdc-nyc.rr.com ([24.29.109.5]:3544 "EHLO ms-smtp-01.rdc-nyc.rr.com") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S932180AbVHZGAd (ORCPT ); Fri, 26 Aug 2005 02:00:33 -0400 Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2005 06:09:28 +0000 From: Kent Robotti To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Initramfs and TMPFS! Message-ID: <20050826060928.GA1009@Linux.nyc.rr.com> Reply-To: dwilson24@nyc.rr.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.10i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org >I'm not subscribed, so sorry if this doesn't fall into the original >thread. I'm curious as to why the kernel has to include the decoder - >why you can't just run a self-extracting executable in an empty >initramfs (with a preset capacity if needs be). The kernel already includes gunzip for itself, so it just needs an unarchiver (tar or cpio) which should just add a few Kb. Every self-extracting executable would require the builtin code to extract itself. The kernel code to recognize and execute the self-extracting code, would probably be the same size as an unarchiver (tar or cpio).