Am Mittwoch, 10. Dezember 2008 19:53:10 schrieb Harry Putnam:
> I happen to be stuck with a machine using an initramfs. Every of attempt
> of mine to build a new kernel not using an initram (Or even with initram)
> has failed with the boot routine failing to recognize my /dev/sdb3 as root.
What is the error message you get?
> Its a gentoo vmappliance running on windows xp pro.
>
> I'm not asking about getting the kernel right this time... I have in other
> threads. I just want to know more about invoking the intramfs.
>
> I know what needs to go in grub just by coping what is there originally in
> the vmware but I'm wondering:
>
> If you wanted to use something like vesa_fb... I know the incantations for
> the kernel line:
>
> Since that is how I boot my main gentoo desktop:
>
> /kernel bla-222 root=/dev/hda5 vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>
> On that machine I use no intramfs.
>
> But when booting from initramfs where would that kind of stuff go. Or is
> it made useless by booting from intramfs.
It just stays where it is.
> Would the `vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap' go on the kernel line still
> or on the `initrd' line.
The above is just the kernel command line, options you can pass just as you
would for any command when the system is running. The initrd line just tells
grub where to find the initrd and how it's named. BTW: You can compile the
initramfs into the kernel, so that this extra line isn't even needed.
> As you see I don't really understand what is happening there.
> Reading that part of the handbook, it kind of skips over that. Gives
> direction for kernel and for initramfs but doesn't say what to do with VESA
> stuff if you boot from initrd.
See above. Both are completely different things.
Why do you think you need an initramfs at all? It's usually only needed in
very rare cases where either a driver for storage hardware is needed which is
not part of the kernel itself or some user space things need to be done to
even setup the root device before the system can be booted from it (i.e. when
it's encrypted).
However, to get a better understanding about initramfs and how it works, you
should read Documentation/early-userspace/README in the kernel source tree.
HTH...
Dirk
