A list of improvements:
* Remove reference to "initial ramdisk" and replace with "initrd". This
then covers the case of ramdisk and ramfs, which is the usual method
with kernels 2.6 and newer.
* Add sentence with URL to initrd documentation Linux kernel.
* Add a section documenting how to have the initrd command generate a
new-style initrd via a specially crafted argument and include an example.
* Update initrd16 to refer to the initrd section and make note that
initrd16 is only on the pc platform.
Signed-off-by: Glenn Washburn <developm...@efficientek.com>
Reviewed-by: Oskari Pirhonen <xxc3ncore...@gmail.com>
Reviewed-by: Paul Menzel <pmen...@molgen.mpg.de>
---
Range-diff against v2:
1: 28cda0c394d6 ! 1: d6ca60159b40 docs: Improve initrd documentation
@@ Metadata
## Commit message ##
docs: Improve initrd documentation
- Remove reference to "initial ramdisk" and replace with "initrd". This
then
- covers the case of ramdisk and ramfs, which is the usual method with
kernels
- 2.6 and greater. Add sentence with URL to initrd documentation Linux
kernel.
- Also, add a section documenting how to have the initrd command
generate a
- new-style initrd via a specially crafted argument and include an
example.
+ A list of improvements:
+ * Remove reference to "initial ramdisk" and replace with "initrd".
This
+ then covers the case of ramdisk and ramfs, which is the usual method
+ with kernels 2.6 and newer.
+ * Add sentence with URL to initrd documentation Linux kernel.
+ * Add a section documenting how to have the initrd command generate a
+ new-style initrd via a specially crafted argument and include an
example.
+ * Update initrd16 to refer to the initrd section and make note that
+ initrd16 is only on the pc platform.
- Update initrd16 to refer to the initrd section and make note that
initrd16
- is only on the pc platform.
+ Signed-off-by: Glenn Washburn <developm...@efficientek.com>
+ Reviewed-by: Oskari Pirhonen <xxc3ncore...@gmail.com>
+ Reviewed-by: Paul Menzel <pmen...@molgen.mpg.de>
## docs/grub.texi ##
@@ docs/grub.texi: load a defective boot loader, such as SCO UnixWare 7.1.
@@ docs/grub.texi: load a defective boot loader, such as SCO UnixWare 7.1.
+See @ref{GNU/Linux} for more info on booting GNU/Linux. For more
+information on initrds see the GNU/Linux kernel
+@uref{https://docs.kernel.org/filesystems/ramfs-rootfs-initramfs.html,
-+documentation} on them.
++documentation}.
+
+A new-style initrd (for kernels newer than 2.6) containing one file
+with leading path components can also be generated at run time. This
@@ docs/grub.texi: load a defective boot loader, such as SCO UnixWare 7.1.
+in the path @samp{/init} and appended to the previous concatenation.
Finally,
+the result will be sent to the kernel when booted.
+
-+Keep in mind that paths that comes later will take precendence. So in the
++Keep in mind that paths that come later will take precedence. So in the
+example above, the generated path @samp{/init} will overwrite any
@samp{/init}
+in @samp{/boot/initrd.gz}. This can be useful when changing the main
initrd
+is undesirable or difficult.
docs/grub.texi | 48 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------
1 file changed, 41 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
diff --git a/docs/grub.texi b/docs/grub.texi
index 730e8c8d75a4..1d2f0a3d04fe 100644
--- a/docs/grub.texi
+++ b/docs/grub.texi
@@ -4076,10 +4076,43 @@ load a defective boot loader, such as SCO UnixWare 7.1.
@subsection initrd
@deffn Command initrd file [file @dots{}]
-Load, in order, all initial ramdisks for a Linux kernel image, and set
-the appropriate parameters in the Linux setup area in memory. This may only
-be used after the @command{linux} command (@pxref{linux}) has been run. See
-also @ref{GNU/Linux}.
+Load, in order, all initrds for a Linux kernel image, and set the
+appropriate parameters in the Linux setup area in memory. This may only
+be used after the @command{linux} command (@pxref{linux}) has been run.
+See @ref{GNU/Linux} for more info on booting GNU/Linux. For more
+information on initrds see the GNU/Linux kernel
+@uref{https://docs.kernel.org/filesystems/ramfs-rootfs-initramfs.html,
+documentation}.
+
+A new-style initrd (for kernels newer than 2.6) containing one file
+with leading path components can also be generated at run time. This
+can be done by prefixing an argument with @code{newc:} followed by the
+path of the file in the new initrd, a @code{:}, and then the GRUB file
+path to the file data to be be included.
+
+For example:
+@example
+initrd newc:/etc/ssh/config:(hd0,2)/home/user/.ssh/config \
+ newc:/etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key:/etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key \
+ /boot/initrd.gz \
+ newc:/init:/home/user/init.fixed
+@end example
+
+This command will generate two new-style initrds on the fly. The first
+contains the path @samp{/etc/ssh/config} with the contents of
+@samp{(hd0,2)/home/user/.ssh/config} and the path
+@samp{/etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key} with the contents of
+@samp{/etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key} on the @var{root} device. Parent directory
+paths will automatically be generated as needed. This first generated initrd
+will then have @samp{/boot/initrd.gz} concatenated after it. Next, another
+new-style archive will be generated with the contents of
@samp{/home/user/init.fixed}
+in the path @samp{/init} and appended to the previous concatenation. Finally,
+the result will be sent to the kernel when booted.
+
+Keep in mind that paths that come later will take precedence. So in the
+example above, the generated path @samp{/init} will overwrite any @samp{/init}
+in @samp{/boot/initrd.gz}. This can be useful when changing the main initrd
+is undesirable or difficult.
@end deffn
@@ -4087,12 +4120,13 @@ also @ref{GNU/Linux}.
@subsection initrd16
@deffn Command initrd16 file [file @dots{}]
-Load, in order, all initial ramdisks for a Linux kernel image to be booted in
+Load, in order, all initrds for a Linux kernel image to be booted in
16-bit mode, and set the appropriate parameters in the Linux setup area in
memory. This may only be used after the @command{linux16} command
-(@pxref{linux16}) has been run. See also @ref{GNU/Linux}.
+(@pxref{linux16}) has been run. See also @ref{GNU/Linux} and the
@command{initrd}
+command (@pxref{initrd}) for more details on arguments.
-This command is only available on x86 systems.
+This command is only available on the pc platform for x86 systems.
@end deffn
--
2.34.1
_______________________________________________
Grub-devel mailing list
Grub-devel@gnu.org
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/grub-devel
