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

[Dale <rdalek1967@gmail.com>]

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.

Dale

:-)  :-)