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Mark Knecht posted |
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<5bdc1c8b0510280754u28830e2bwa2b9fadba6b66a35@××××××××××.com>, excerpted |
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below, on Fri, 28 Oct 2005 07:54:17 -0700: |
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> On 10/28/05, DR GM SEDDON <gavin.m.seddon@×××××××××××××.uk> wrote: |
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>> Dear list, |
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>> I have just started using Gentoo and up-to-now am impressed. I have |
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>> generated a kernel using 'genkernel' and the kernel is in /boot. |
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>> However, I do not have 'initrd' but 'initramfs'. is this a problem or |
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>> should I modify grub appropriately? |
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>> Gavin. |
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> |
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> Possibly. I don't use an initrd at all and boot just fine, so it's |
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> possible that you can skip the whole issue if you want to. |
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|
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initrd/initramfs isn't normally needed for boot sequences where the kernel |
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has the drivers required to mount / builtin. It's there, for cases such |
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as / on RAID, where some initial setup is required before the normal / |
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partition can be loaded. |
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|
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Another case where initrd/initramfs is used, is for mainly binary |
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distributions, where all the various file system and disk drive interface |
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chipset drivers are compiled as kernel modules, rather than built-in. |
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Obviously, if a module needed to load / is stored in /lib/modules on the / |
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partition, it won't be reachable, thus an initrd (the old solution) or |
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initramfs (the newer one) is configured, containing the modules and |
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configuration needed to mount the normal /. (I say normal /, because an |
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initrd/initramfs functions as a temporary / file system while these things |
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are loaded, then a pivot_root is used to transfer to the normal / |
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partition, once it is mounted.) |
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|
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Gentoo's genkernel creates an initrd/initramfs because it bases its |
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initial configuration on that of the liveCD, after the LiveCD has detected |
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your hardware and loaded the appropriate modules. The LiveCD uses an |
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initrd so it can load modules as necessary, and also so it can pivot-root |
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off of the read-only temporary CD root, to a read/write ramdisk root |
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created and loaded with the necessary goodies uncompressed off the CD. |
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Because genkernel bases its default setup on the one off the CD, it too |
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defaults to an initrd/initramfs, even tho most folks don't actually need |
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one, once they have a kernel with the drivers necessary to mount root |
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compiled in. |
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|
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So, answering the original question, initramfs is the new version of |
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initrd, so no, you don't have to worry about it. However, chances are, |
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unless you are running your / on RAID or something similarly exotic, you |
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don't need an initramfs either, if you have at minimum, the drivers |
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necessary to mount your / filesystem, compiled directly into the kernel, |
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not as modules. |
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|
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-- |
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Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. |
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"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- |
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and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman in |
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http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/22/rms_interview.html |
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-- |
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