Gentoo Archives: gentoo-amd64

From: Jason <gentoo@××××××××××.net>
To: gentoo-amd64@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-amd64] boot Gentoo from USB key
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:40:36
Message-Id: 481892EC.6050105@lakedaemon.net
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-amd64] boot Gentoo from USB key by Branko Badrljica
1 Branko Badrljica wrote:
2 > Jason wrote:
3 >> initrd is exactly how you do it. In the case of booting off of USB,
4 >> there are too many variables (drive detection order, different
5 >> hardware, etc) to handle on the kernel command line. An initrd gives
6 >> you the flexibility to solve these problems.
7 >>
8 >>> You could use initrd/initramfs, but seems like a lot of complications
9 >>> for little gain...
10 >>
11 >> I wouldn't call a portable, writable, boot from anywhere Linux OS on a
12 >> thumbdrive a trivial gain. ;-)
13 >
14 > But y<ou have the headache of interface at the old and new root across
15 > the pivot root. What happens if you execute something that was
16 > dynamically linked from intramfs and it decides to load and link another
17 > module with dlopen() from new root ? If you have that module and it
18 > belongs to the same version, then probably everything is fine. Otherwise
19 > it might not be.
20
21 1.) a good initrd will use only statically linked executables.
22 2.) you shouldn't start any servers or background processes from initrd.
23 3.) initrd's are tied to kernels. Every distro's initrd generator is
24 re-run upon upgrading the kernel. The modules versions won't be out of
25 sync then. Gentoo has genkernel for this purpose.
26
27 > Also, opened files and extra nodes in /dev during intiramfs phase tend
28 > to cause a headache or two...
29
30 If your initrd follows the 3 suggestions, above, there won't be any
31 processes running to hold a file or device open. Unless you had
32 something else in mind?
33
34 Jason.
35 --
36 gentoo-amd64@l.g.o mailing list

Replies

Subject Author
Re: [gentoo-amd64] boot Gentoo from USB key Branko Badrljica <brankob@××××××××××.com>
Re: [gentoo-amd64] boot Gentoo from USB key Raffaele BELARDI <raffaele.belardi@××.com>