Direct Linux BootThis section explains how to launch a Linux kernel inside QEMU without
having to make a full bootable image. It is very useful for fast Linux
kernel testing.
The syntax is:
qemu-system-i386 -kernel arch/i386/boot/bzImage -hda root-2.4.20.img -append "root=/dev/hda"
Use to provide the Linux kernel image and
to give the kernel command line arguments. The
option can be used to provide an INITRD image.
When using the direct Linux boot, a disk image for the first hard disk
hda is required because its boot sector is used to launch the
Linux kernel.
If you do not need graphical output, you can disable it and redirect
the virtual serial port and the QEMU monitor to the console with the
option. The typical command line is:
qemu-system-i386 -kernel arch/i386/boot/bzImage -hda root-2.4.20.img \
-append "root=/dev/hda console=ttyS0" -nographic
Use Ctrl-a c to switch between the serial console and the
monitor (see pcsys_keys).