• NAME
  
  kexec_load - loads a new kernel image to memory
• SYNOPSIS
  

  
   #include <syscall.h>
   #include <kexec.h>
  
   long kexec_load(unsigned long  entry , unsigned long  nr_segments , 
    		     struct kexec_segment * segments , unsigned long flags ); 

• DESCRIPTION
  
  kexec_load loads the new kernel from the current address space.
  This system call can only be used by root.
  
  
  entry
  is a pointer to the entry point of newly loaded executable image.
  This is the memory location where kernel will jump to and start
  executing instructions of newly loaded image.
  
  nr_segments
  denotes the number of segments which will be passed to
  kexec_load.
  The value must not be greater than
  KEXEC_SEGMENT_MAX.
  
  segments
  denotes a pointer to the first element of an array of
  kexec_segment elements. A
  kexec_segment element contains the details of a segment to be
  loaded in memory.
  
  flags
  Sixteen most significant bits of the flag are used to communicate
  the architecture information (KEXEC_ARCH_*).
  The values for various architectures
  are same as defined by ELF specifications.
                   
  Lower sixteen bits have been reserved for miscellaneous information.
  Currently only one bit is being used and rest fifteen have been
  reserved for future use.
                                           
  The least significant bit (KEXEC_ON_CRASH) can be set to inform the
  kernel that the
  memory memory image being loaded is to be executed upon a system
  crash and not regular boot. For regular boot, this bit is cleared.
  
  
• RETURN VALUE
  
  On  success,  zero  is  returned.   On  error, nonzero value is returned,
  and
  errno
  is set appropriately.
          
  
  
• ERRORS
  
  EPERM the calling process has not sufficient permissions (is not root).
  
  EINVAL the
  flags
  argument contains an invalid combination of flags, or
  nr_segments
  is greater than KEXEC_SEGMENT_MAX.
  
  ENOMEM there is not enough memory to store the kernel image.
  
  EBUSY the memory location which should be written to is not available now.
  
  
• AVAILABILITY
  
  This syscall is implemented only since kernel 2.6.13
  

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