Re: [gentoo-user] Dracut and how to specify names

[Dale]

John Covici wrote:
> On Fri, 03 Jan 2020 02:27:22 -0500,
> Dale wrote:
>> John Covici wrote:
>>> On Thu, 02 Jan 2020 21:57:29 -0500,
>>> Dale wrote:
>>>> Howdy,
>>>>
>>>> I'm trying to rebuild a kernel to include new options, see other
>>>> thread.  I got the kernel built but dracut is giving me grief.  I hate
>>>> that thing and when a previous way that worked no longer works, it
>>>> doesn't help me like it any more.  Still, it is what it is even if I
>>>> don't like it.  I read the man page, the Gentoo wiki and tried different
>>>> methods but it just refuses to build a init thingy that I need.  It
>>>> either fails right away or gets to the end and errors out without
>>>> completing.
>>>>
>>>> I name my kernels and such this way:
>>>>
>>>> root@fireball /usr/src/linux # ls -al /boot/kernel*
>>>> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7061552 Oct 14  2018 /boot/kernel-4.18.12-1
>>>> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7082032 May 15  2019 /boot/kernel-4.19.40-1
>>>> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7102512 Jan  2 19:46 /boot/kernel-4.19.40-2
>>>> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 5858496 Jun 17  2016 /boot/kernel-4.5.2-1
>>>> root@fireball /usr/src/linux #
>>>>
>>>> I copy the kernels from the /usr/src/linux directory by hand as I've
>>>> always done.  I name them starting with kernel and then add the kernel
>>>> version with a sequence number on the end.  In the past, I've made it to
>>>> -4 before getting what I need.  Right now, I'm working on 4.19.40-2 and
>>>> building a init thingy for it.  This is how the init thingys end up, in
>>>> the past anyway:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> root@fireball /usr/src/linux # ls -al /boot/initramfs*
>>>> -rw------- 1 root root 7752134 Oct 15  2018 /boot/initramfs-4.18.12-1.img
>>>> -rw------- 1 root root 8560993 May 15  2019 /boot/initramfs-4.19.40-1.img
>>>> -rw------- 1 root root 5377395 May 20  2016 /boot/initramfs-4.5.2-1.img
>>>> root@fireball /usr/src/linux #
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> What I need, the proper command with options to tell dracut I want to
>>>> build a init thingy for 4.19.40-2.  I've tried many different ways but
>>>> none of them work.  This includes commands I've used in the past that
>>>> did work.  If I have to specify the init thingy name and the location of
>>>> the kernel modules directory, that's fine.  I keep commands like this in
>>>> a file to refer back to because I do tend to forget specifics but in
>>>> this case, it seems dracut changed something.  Previous commands are not
>>>> working. 
>>>>
>>>> Does anyone know how to accomplish this task?  Hopefully something that
>>>> will work even if dracut changes something with its defaults.  I figure
>>>> if I tell it all it needs to know, then it should work even if dracut
>>>> changes the default method.  I just can't seem to figure out what method
>>>> to use here.  Maybe I'm missing a option or something. 
>>>>
>>>> Thanks much. 
>>> I think dracut uses the name of the /lib/modules directory, so just
>>> execute dracut "" <module directory name> such as in my case
>>> 4.19.85-gentoo  .  If that does not work post here, maybe you have
>>> spaces in your directory name, if so try using double quotes around
>>> it.
>>>
>>
>> I decided to go back to a older version, just to see if it works.  The
>> first example I had saved didn't work but the second did.  First was
>> likely from a much older version of dracut.  Do you know what changed
>> between dracut-046-r1 and dracut-048-r1?  I ran into this once before
>> when a major version number changed. 
>>
>> One reason I'd like to be able to specify everything is to avoid changes
>> in future versions.  That way I can use the same command each time
>> unless they completely change everything which I'm sure I'd read about
>> long before I needed to use it.  Just has a example:
>>
>> dracut /boot/<kernel name> <initramfs name> -k <path to kernel modules>
>>
>> With that, it knows where the kernel is, what to name the init thingy
>> and where to find the kernel modules.  Thing is, I can't find a way to
>> do it that way with what I see in the man page or the wiki.  I even
>> looked on non-Gentoo sites and didn't find anything like this. 
>>
>> I did eventually help it find the modules.  Then it ran into another
>> issue that even google couldn't find.  I don't mean find a solution, it
>> couldn't find the problem either.  It returned zero, 0, results.  I was
>> floored.  It's rare to see google return a stupid look.  ROFL  I also
>> tried renaming the kernel to see if that would help.  No change.  I know
>> it is picky on names but one would think it would stay the same. 
>> Finding something with kernel on the front shouldn't be to hard. ;-)
>>
>> May have to just bang away until I get lucky then document the new way. 
>> Whatever that way is.
>>
>> Thanks.
> I think you are over complicating things, when I use dracut, I don't
> specify any of those parameters, just the init thingy name which I
> usually leave blank and the name of the  kernel I want to use, dracut
> finds everything fine.  Why not do it that way and rename afterwards,
> if you don't like the name.
>


From what I recall when dracut first came out, I have to tell it what
kernel to build against since I have several kernels.  Otherwise, it
doesn't know which one I just built and want a init thingy for.  Usually
I pass the version including my sequence number to it and it builds it. 
This time it didn't do that.  What I don't want, rebuild the init thingy
for them all and something be wrong and they all fail.  If it builds
just one, I can still fall back to older ones that I've already tested. 

It may be a weird way but it's the way I been doing it pretty much ever
since I started using Gentoo about 15 years ago.  Ironically, one of the
biggest reasons I switched to Gentoo, no need for the init thingy. 
Trust me when I say this, dealing with the thing doesn't make me happy. 
It changing how it does its thing so often isn't helping.  It's like
having to learn it all over again each time I need to use it.

Thanks for the help.  I'll bang away at it until I make it submit or I
just put the older version in a overlay and use it until it no longer
works. 

Dale

:-)  :-)