Thread: UPX - a fast binary packer
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fanoush is offline fanoush
2007-12-10 , 08:40
Posts: 2,152 | Thanked: 1,490 times | Joined on Jan 2006 @ Czech Republic
#6
Originally Posted by ag2 View Post
Still, I feel that UPX would be appropriate for most applications. The difference between N810 and a typical linux computer is that the amount of device storage is extremely limited -- 100MB of free space vs. hundreds of gigabytes. By packing just a few binaries (especially those you don't use very frequently), you can save a few MB of valuable space. A typical 1MB binary can be compressed to about 250K.
As Serge already said, jffs2 filesystem is already compressed (there are several compression methods in kernel including gzip) so I'm afraid UPX only burns CPU cycles and RAM without significant savings in storage space. It can save space on SD/MMC card but that space is cheap and may not be worth the extra penalty.

I don't know direct way to see how well file is compressed in internal flash except using df to examine free space before and after creating a file. If you are concerned about space you can also tune jffs2 compression, I think in OS2008 firmware images Nokia decided to use method with worse compression ratio but better speed so you can go back and save few hundred KBs or maybe even magabyte or two by recompressing and reflashing rootfs.
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Last edited by fanoush; 2007-12-10 at 08:58.
 

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