Hi all,
This is not a bugreport, but a simple question: :)
where does the term vmlinuz come from?
have a nice day,
--
Balazs Pozsar
Pozsar Balazs wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> This is not a bugreport, but a simple question: :)
> where does the term vmlinuz come from?
compressed vmlinux = vmlinux.z -> vmlinuz?
cu
jjs
On Wed, 12 Dec 2001, J Sloan wrote:
> Pozsar Balazs wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > This is not a bugreport, but a simple question: :)
> > where does the term vmlinuz come from?
>
> compressed vmlinux = vmlinux.z -> vmlinuz?
Yes, but I think he wanted to know where 'vmlinux' came from... what does
the "vm" stand for? Virtual Memory?
Alon
--
This message was sent by Alon Altman ([email protected]) ICQ:1366540
The RIGHT way to contact me is by e-mail. I am otherwise nonexistent :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Public is merely a multiplied "me."
-- Mark Twain
Alon Altman <[email protected]> writes:
> On Wed, 12 Dec 2001, J Sloan wrote:
>
> > Pozsar Balazs wrote:
> >
> > > This is not a bugreport, but a simple question: :)
> > > where does the term vmlinuz come from?
> >
> > compressed vmlinux = vmlinux.z -> vmlinuz?
>
> Yes, but I think he wanted to know where 'vmlinux' came from... what does
> the "vm" stand for? Virtual Memory?
Yes. The kernel binary on ancient AT&T versions was called 'unix'.
When Berkeley wrote a new kernel with virtual memory, they called it
'vmunix'. So naturally the Linux kernel is 'vmlinux' and the
compressed version is 'vmlinuz' as above.
-Doug
--
Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.
--T. J. Jackson, 1863
Alon Altman schrieb:
>
> On Wed, 12 Dec 2001, J Sloan wrote:
>
> > Pozsar Balazs wrote:
> >
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > This is not a bugreport, but a simple question: :)
> > > where does the term vmlinuz come from?
> >
> > compressed vmlinux = vmlinux.z -> vmlinuz?
>
> Yes, but I think he wanted to know where 'vmlinux' came from... what does
> the "vm" stand for? Virtual Memory?
>
Well, I would guess: VM in this context: virtual machine
On old Unix systems the kernel was named VMUNIZ, and so the first linux
systems used vmlinuz, and that came into tradition
On Wed, 12 Dec 2001, J Sloan wrote:
> Pozsar Balazs wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > This is not a bugreport, but a simple question: :)
> > where does the term vmlinuz come from?
>
> compressed vmlinux = vmlinux.z -> vmlinuz?
>
> cu
>
> jjs
>
> -
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>
J Sloan <[email protected]>
> Hi all,
>
> This is not a bugreport, but a simple question: :)
> where does the term vmlinuz come from?
It is partly historical:
Original boot on PDP-11, the kernel was kept in the file /unix (date was mid
to late 1970s)
When virtual memory was added it was changed to /vmunix (early 80s I think)
to distinguish the difference on those systems that could do both (Mid 80s
I had a Motorola 68020 that still used /unix since the VM hadn't been finished
yet).
Then on to Linux, which added compression. Since the name UNIX (in all it's
forms) was copyrighted and couldn't be used to name the system the OS became
linux, and, following the progression, vmlinux hence - with compressed files
having a Z or gz extension - vmlinuz
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesse I Pollard, II
Email: [email protected]
Any opinions expressed are solely my own.