Hi, Mike.

On Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 03:56:01PM -0400, Mike Edenfield wrote:
> > From: che@... [mailto:che@...]

> > Neil Bothwick <neil@...> writes:

> > > On Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:26:46 +0000, Alan Mackenzie wrote:

> > >> > As you move more and more software off of /usr into / you start to
> > >> > realize that the idea of "tiny partition that contains just what I
> > >> > need to boot and mount /usr" is becoming "not so tiny" anymore. The
> > >> > distinction between what is "boot" software versus "user" software
> > >> > gets less clear.

> > >> Again, isn't this the same for an initramfs?

> > > No, because an initramfs only needs enough to mount / and /usr, then
> > > everything else comes from the usual source. If you're not using and
> > > fancy block devices, the initramfs only needs busybox and an init
> script.
> > > Even adding LVM, RAID and encryption only requires three more binaries
> > > - and those are all disposed of once switch_root is run and the tmpfs
> > > released.

> > The question remains. If it's possible to do that from an initramfs, then
> > shouldn't it be possible to put the same tools and binarias on /, and
> mount
> > /usr early?


I don't think you've understood the question - you certainly haven't
answered it.

> Yes , of course it's /possible/, it's just not /practical/.

Why not?

> Changing the contents of your initramfs is a decision you, as an admin, make
> that affects your system(s).

s%initramfs%/sbin%, then how does the sentence not apply?

> Changing the installed location of, say, udevd and bluetoothd and whatever
> other tools need to get pulled out of /usr is a decision that affects
> everyone who is using those packages. Changing the order of init scripts is
> an even bigger mess, but mostly because of the software requirements to make
> it function.

That is precisely what the question was NOT about.  The idea was to copy
(not move) booting software to /sbin instead of an initramfs - the exact
same programs, modulo noise - to have the SW in /sbin necessary to mount
/usr.

Our loveable upstream suppliers are making us mount /usr early in the
boot process.  Why can't this be done as well from /sbin as from
initramfs?

[ .... ]

> --Mike

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).