Messages in this thread | | | From | Axel Kittenberger <> | Subject | Possible Bootloader Optimization in inflate (get rid of unnecessary 32k Window) | Date | Thu, 22 Dec 2005 13:52:23 +0100 |
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Hello, Whom do I talk to about acceptance of Patches in the Bootloader?
I have seen, and coded once some time ago for priv. uses, do infalte the gziped linux kernel at boottime in "arch/i386/boot/compressed/misc.c" and " windowlib/inflate.c" the deflation algorthimn uses a 32k backtrack window. Whenever it is full, it copies it .... into the memory.
While this window makes a lot of sense in an userspace application like gunzip, it does not make a lot sense in the bootloader. As userspace application the window is flushed to a file when full. The bootloader "flushes" it to memory (copies it in memory). That 1 time copy of the whole kernel can be optimized away, since we do not keep track of a window since the inflater can read what it has written right in the computer memory, while it unpacks the kernel.
What would the optimization be worth? * A faster uncompressing of the kernel, since a total 1-time memcopy of the whole kernel is been optimized away. * I'm not sure about the size, the memory or disk footprint. If the 32k static (!) memory array in compressed/misc.c, I don't know if it safes 32k running memory, or 32k on-disk size. Since I don't know the indepth working of these.
Before I code this again (I know that this optimization has worked with a 2.4 kernel), I want to ask, would such patch be accepted? now or once ever? who should I forward this?
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