[gentoo-user] initramfs & RAID at boot time

[Mark Knecht]

Hi,
   I've never learned to do an initramfs as I've never used hardware
in a Linux box that required it. However now I find myself using mdadm
software-RAID and getting dinged on the linux-raid list when I ask
about things like the kernel autodetecting RAID drives at boot time as
the mdadm developers are firmly fixated on using initramfs and
auto-detecting nothing. Going with the flow I'm studying this Gentoo
Wiki link:

http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Initramfs

and most specifically this portion on software RAID:

http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Initramfs#Software_RAID

where the statement "But if you use an initramfs the kernel will not
automatically scan for RAIDs until it is told to." caught my
attention. Does anyone know if the word "not" in that statement is
absolutely true? I.e. - if I take a kernel that today finds a RAID1 /
drive and boots, that if I do nothing other than turn on that feature
in the kernel then the boot process is not going to assemble my RAID,
not find / and then fail to boot?

   Maybe I'm reading too much into that but I like that my system
boots and I don't think I want to do things that stop it from doing
so... ;-)

   That said, if it's true, does the "noinitrd" kernel parameter
override it and then RAID would work and the boot completes normally?

Thanks,
Mark