mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

iphitus · 2006-04-06 08:44:03

Hey,

There's been a lot of people complaining about LVM, RAID and encrypted root support in mkinitramfs, and I've been doing some things to get it working, but I'd like some feedback. It's terribly difficult to develop it blindly.

If you are using kernel26, or kernel26beyond, it'd help a lot, if you install mkinitramfs1.4-5 from testing and then simply boot your system with it. kernel26 also includes initramfs support.

Note that the version of mkinitramfs is important. Testing this will not touch your initrd setup, and will not render your system unbootable, unless you do something silly/incorrect.

For basic instructions on setting up initramfs, follow the wiki here. http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Initramfs

In a nutshell, if you currently use initrd, just configure your /etc/mkinitramfs.conf instead of mkinitrd.conf, and use the command mkinitramfs instead of mkinitrd. Then just add the appropriate lines to your bootloader in a seperate entry, and reboot. If it doesnt work, you can just boot your original entry.

If you do have a problem, can you please provide context, ten lines before and after the problem or any other useful information, especially any errors that arise at any stage.

James

edited mkinitramfs version to 1.4-5 from 1.4-4 as it includes a fix for LVM users.

iphitus · 2006-04-06 21:09:48

Ok... mkinitramfs should be in testing now, my bad

Gullible Jones · 2006-04-06 23:29:55

Just a little question, is the stock kernel26 package ever going to be switched over to initramfs?

iphitus · 2006-04-06 23:43:32

Gullible Jones wrote:

Just a little question, is the stock kernel26 package ever going to be switched over to initramfs?

Yes, eventually. Now go and test

Gullible Jones · 2006-04-07 10:53:06

Works beautifully here, no hitches. Also seems to boot faster than with initrd for some reason, no idea what that's about - perhaps an error on my part.

iphitus · 2006-04-07 11:13:54

It booting faster? error? never lol.

who knows, more happens within my initramfs than the stock initrd setup, so theoretically it ought to take longer.

James

shbang · 2006-04-07 11:46:12

Standard ARCH kernel and initramfs works fine here also. I didn't test vmware-ws, nvidia, or ndiswrapper but I'm sure I would just have to reinstall them as usual with a new/different kernel. Didn't boot faster cuz I'm already using beyond!

iphitus · 2006-04-07 12:01:18

that's cool, good to know. nvidia/ndiswrapper/vmware shouldnt affect initramfs at all.

keep the tests coming, especially raid, encrypted or lvm roots.

James

hongy19 · 2006-04-07 13:18:18

iphitus wrote:

edited mkinitramfs version to 1.4-5 from 1.4-4 as it includes a fix for LVM users.

work very well both with stock kernel26 and kernel26-beyond

iphitus · 2006-04-07 13:46:48

hongy19: guys, I spose it would help too if you told me what fs/setup your / partition is on (raid? lvm? encrypted? reiser4?) too. it's great to know it works, but what it works on would help a lot

Gullible Jones · 2006-04-07 20:13:51

iphitus wrote:

It booting faster? error? never lol.
who knows, more happens within my initramfs than the stock initrd setup, so theoretically it ought to take longer.
James

I did the same things to it as with my initrd - got rid of the SATA, SCSI, and CD modules, specified the filesystem (jfs), and enabled AUTODETECT. No FBSplash stuff or anything.

hongy19 · 2006-04-10 14:37:01

iphitus wrote:

hongy19: guys, I spose it would help too if you told me what fs/setup your / partition is on (raid? lvm? encrypted? reiser4?) too. it's great to know it works, but what it works on would help a lot

my root partition is reiserfs. no raid, no lvm and no encrypted.
is it enough?

rdoggsv · 2006-04-10 15:02:16

hongy19 wrote:

my root partition is reiserfs. no raid, no lvm and no encrypted.
is it enough?

same here , do u want also users without lvm or encrypted filesystems to try it ?? or do u want users with all this fancy gadgets ???

iphitus · 2006-04-11 06:15:49

Any testing is appreciated. Though I have a special interest in raid, encrypted and lvm users. They're the ones which a majority of the changes in this release were made to benefit.

James

badger · 2006-04-16 02:29:59

WIth mkinitramfs 1.4-6, kernel beyond2-1, and kernel 2.6.16.4-1 I couldn't boot my encrypted root (setup pretty much like on the wiki http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Enc … Filesystem ). Mkinitrd setup works fine, and my config seems okay. Is there a way to capture exactly what boot up is spitting out at me?

cheers

iphitus · 2006-04-16 04:05:17

pen and paper, or a digital camera work well

are you sure you configured /etc/mkinitramfs.conf correctly for your encrypted setup?

If so, then can you describe what happens? Do you get asked your password? does it show "Arch Linux 0.7.1 Noodle'? does it show 'starting udev'? what are the last 10 lines of it's output?

James

badger · 2006-04-16 15:53:49

Here's some more detail:

Load USB subsystem
(waiting 10 seconds for devices to settle)
Modules loaded
A Password is required to access this root filesystem
Enter passphrase:
.
. continues booting
.
Starting UDev Daemon
Loading Modules
Mounting Root Read-only
Checking Filesystems
fsck.ext3: No such file or directory while trying to open /dev/mapper/root
The superblock could not be read....

Then it forces me into single-user mode. I've looked over mkinitramfs.conf and it is set up similarly to mkinitrd.conf. Re-generated the initramfs-beyond.img (with auto, not full) for the 2.6.16-beyond2-1 kernel, but still having the same problem.

Things to do? cheers

profoX · 2006-04-16 16:29:12

The Beyond Kernel works flawless here!

I also tried a new DSDT table (buggy ACPI bios)
and gensplash

Works perfectly! way better than the stock kernel on my notebook!
My ati-fglrx is working now too! (with the new ati-fglrx-beyond package)

(by the way: if anyone knows, how do I get a background (gensplash) on every VC, I only have one on VC1)

Arch Linux

#1 2006-04-06 08:44:03

mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#2 2006-04-06 21:09:48

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#3 2006-04-06 23:29:55

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#4 2006-04-06 23:43:32

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#5 2006-04-07 10:53:06

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#6 2006-04-07 11:13:54

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#7 2006-04-07 11:46:12

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#8 2006-04-07 12:01:18

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#9 2006-04-07 13:18:18

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#10 2006-04-07 13:46:48

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#11 2006-04-07 20:13:51

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#12 2006-04-10 14:37:01

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#13 2006-04-10 15:02:16

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#14 2006-04-11 06:15:49

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#15 2006-04-16 02:29:59

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#16 2006-04-16 04:05:17

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#17 2006-04-16 15:53:49

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

#18 2006-04-16 16:29:12

Re: mkinitramfs testing. kernel26 users can help too.

Board footer