Re: [gentoo-user] Re: After /usr conflation: why not copy booting software to /sbin rather than initramfs?

[Canek Peláez Valdés]

On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 8:39 PM, Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com> wrote:
> Canek Peláez Valdés wrote:
>> On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 7:53 PM, Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com> wrote:
>>> Alan Mackenzie wrote:
>>>
>>>> Incidentally, dracut says it won't work on a kernel without modules.  I
>>>> don't know if it's true or not.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Oh really?  I don't use modules and I am the one having issues with not
>>> being able to su to root from a user.  I wonder if that is related
>>> somehow.  o_O
>>
>> I don't use modules either (except scsi_wait_scan.ko; you cannot get
>> rid of that one), I use dracut, and I can su just fine.
>>
>> Dale, can you please post the dracut comand you used to create your
>> initramfs? Also, the DRACUT_MODULES you have defined, and the contents
>> of /etc/dracut.conf?
>>
>> Not being able to su sounds incredible weird.
>>
>> Regards.
>
>
> Here is one:
>
> root@fireball / # cat /etc/dracut.conf
>
>
> # Sample dracut config file
>
>
>
>
>
> logfile=/var/log/dracut.log
>
>
> fileloglvl=6
>
>
>
>
>
> # Exact list of dracut modules to use.  Modules not listed here are not
> going
>
> # to be included.  If you only want to add some optional modules use
>
>
> # add_dracutmodules option instead.
>
>
> #dracutmodules+=""
>
>
>
>
>
> # Dracut modules to omit
>
>
> #omit_dracutmodules+=""
>
>
>
> # Dracut modules to add to the default
> #add_dracutmodules+="lvm fstab-sys usrmount"
>
> # additional kernel modules to the default
> #add_drivers+=""
>
> # list of kernel filesystem modules to be included in the generic initramfs
> filesystems+="ext2 reiserfs ext3"
>
> # build initrd only to boot current hardware
> #hostonly="yes"
> #
>
> # install local /etc/mdadm.conf
> mdadmconf="yes"
>
> # install local /etc/lvm/lvm.conf
> lvmconf="yes"
>
> # A list of fsck tools to install. If it's not specified, module's hardcoded
> # default is used, currently: "umount mount /sbin/fsck* xfs_db xfs_check
> # xfs_repair e2fsck jfs_fsck reiserfsck btrfsck". The installation is
> # opportunistic, so non-existing tools are just ignored.
> #fscks=""
>
> # inhibit installation of any fsck tools
> #nofscks="yes"
> root@fireball / #
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> The command I use is:
>
> dracut /boot/initramfs-<kernel version here>
>
> I name each one according to kernel versions.  I try to keep a few back
> up kernels in case one gets borked or something.  It makes cleaning
> easier if I know which files belong to what.  Anyway.
>
> I also looked back at the log for the last build.  The only thing I
> found that may resemble a error would be it skipping file systems that I
> don't have installed or built into the kernel, in other words, things I
> don't use to begin with.  I didn't see it complain about anything
> missing or broken.
>
> I agree it is weird that su to root doesn't work.  I have not been able
> to find anything related with SP, read as Google replacement search tool
> www.startpage.com since Google got nosey.  lol  From what I have read,
> it shouldn't matter but I can boot with the init thingy and it fails
> everytime.  When I boot without the init thingy, it works fine.  Weird
> is a good word to describe it.
>
> I noticed dracut just got updated.  I have dracut-017-r3 installed now.
>
> I may stick a small drive in my old rig, x86, and try to figure this
> mess out on it.  Maybe try putting /usr and /var on LVM and really make
> a mess of things.  lol

Can you try doing

dracut -H /boot/initramfs-<kernel version here>

??

The man page from dracut says that -H is for the "current host"
instead of a "generic host". Maybe the "generic host" configuration is
messing up something with su that your actual host configuration
needs.

I use -H. As I have ben saying, my initramfs it's pretty up in sync
with my normal system.

Regards.
-- 
Canek Peláez Valdés
Posgrado en Ciencia e Ingeniería de la Computación
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México