From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org ([69.77.167.62] helo=lists.gentoo.org) by finch.gentoo.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1LDpLg-0004Mf-Rd for garchives@archives.gentoo.org; Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:05:41 +0000 Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 5F08EE03FB; Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:05:38 +0000 (UTC) Received: from ciao.gmane.org (main.gmane.org [80.91.229.2]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1FB41E03FB for ; Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:05:38 +0000 (UTC) Received: from list by ciao.gmane.org with local (Exim 4.43) id 1LDpLc-0007a8-IA for gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org; Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:05:36 +0000 Received: from ip68-230-99-190.ph.ph.cox.net ([68.230.99.190]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:05:36 +0000 Received: from 1i5t5.duncan by ip68-230-99-190.ph.ph.cox.net with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:05:36 +0000 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org From: Duncan <1i5t5.duncan@cox.net> Subject: [gentoo-amd64] Re: genkernel changes Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:05:27 +0000 (UTC) Message-ID: References: <7a329d910812190750n606b52efl5c3a8cb3cb0560ad@mail.gmail.com> Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org Reply-to: gentoo-amd64@lists.gentoo.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: ip68-230-99-190.ph.ph.cox.net User-Agent: Pan/0.133 (House of Butterflies) Sender: news Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Archives-Salt: 84aa0c27-225e-487b-abc6-e587278e410c X-Archives-Hash: b19e400393ac256e9fa1c60835363d57 "Wil Reichert" posted 7a329d910812190750n606b52efl5c3a8cb3cb0560ad@mail.gmail.com, excerpted below, on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:50:34 -0800: > I build my own kernels but since my / partition is lvm I use genkernel > to create an initrd. Previously 'genkernel --lvm initrd' did what I > wanted but it seems that the since genkernel-3.4.10.902 thats no longer > the case. Reading the man page it seems that the initrd parameter has > been replaced by initramfs. However, when I attempt to run it with tha= t > I get >=20 > matter boot # genkernel --lvm initramfs Error: Unknown option > 'initramfs'! >=20 > I can easily roll back to a previous version of genkernel, I'm just > wondering if genkernel is broken or I'm just doing something wrong? I do /not/ use either genkernel or an initramfs/initrd, so this is from=20 various reading I've done and I have no idea how accurate it might or=20 might not be. Never-the-less, it's likely the case based on what I've=20 come across on the subject. Formerly, the kernel used a separate "init-ram-disk" aka initrd (init-r- d). Now, the kernel uses (if enabled) an "init-file-system", directly=20 appended to the kernel itself, not a separate file. Therefore, what I'd guess is happening is that there's no separate=20 command to make it in the new genkernel, since it's not a separate file. = =20 Rather, it probably reads the associated kernel option as to whether to=20 create it or not, and then does so before generating the final kernel,=20 finally appending the compressed initramfs to the already created kernel. Far be it from me to tell you how to arrange your system, and it sounds=20 like it's a bit late for you anyway, but this is something to keep in=20 mind for those just setting up. While I'm running both LVM2 and kernel/ md RAID (0,1 and 6, 0 for speed on stuff like ccache and the gentoo tree=20 where redundancy isn't needed, 1 for /boot since that's all grub=20 understands, and 6 for the main system), the fact that LVM2 requires=20 userspace help and therefore an initrd if the / filesystem is to be=20 placed on it, while with RAID the necessary info can be auto-detected or=20 passed on the command line, was the reason I chose to go with partitioned= =20 RAID for / (and a backup I call rootbak) instead of putting it on LVM2.=20 /home and my media and mail and news partitions, etc, with their backups,= =20 are all on LVM2, but / and rootbak are directly on partitioned RAID-6. =20 Also, / (and rootbak) include /usr and /var as well (except for=20 /usr/local and /var/log, with /var/tmp being a symlink to /tmp, which is=20 tmpfs), so the full installed system along with the portage data in /var/db and /var/lib/portage, are all on the same volume and managed=20 together, thus kept in sync. This is because I had some major headaches=20 in a disaster recovery scenario where the /, /var, and /usr partitions=20 weren't in sync with each other, so I didn't know /what/ package versions= =20 I actually had on disk. Keep it all on the same volume and it stays in=20 sync, if I go to rootbak, tho it may be dated, it too is in sync. Thus I can pass the necessary parameters to assemble the partitioned- RAID-6 upon which the / filesystem is located directly to the kernel, and= =20 don't need an initrd/initramfs. Later, as the system boots normally, it=20 loads the raid and lvm services (baselayout-2 with openrc treats them as=20 full services, not the "addons" baselayout-1 used, and loads them as=20 such), bringing up the rest of the RAID devices, and then LVM on top of=20 the RAID-6 (the RAID-0,1 only have a single partition/volume each anyway,= =20 so no need for LVM there). I thus entirely avoid the complexity of an=20 initramfs/initrd. As I said, whether something like this may or may not have been better=20 for you, it's kind of late now that you're / is on LVM, but it's=20 something others just setting up should at least evaluate as an option,=20 as they plan out their system. One other comment for those considering this. I only created my main /=20 and a single rootbak backup for it. If I had it to do over, I'd create=20 two backup / images, thus handling the case of tragedy striking just as I= =20 was updating the first backup and the resultant loss of both it and the=20 working /. That should be a rather rare event, but were I prepared for=20 it I'd certainly have rather better peace of mind now. --=20 Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. "Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman