Header: mkinitramfs-ll/README.md,v 0.21.0 2015/05/28 Exp

A lightweight, modular and yet powerfull initramfs generating tool with RAID (ATA RAID & SOFTWARE RAID), dm-crypt LUKS, LVM(2), BTRFS, ZFS, TuxOnIce/SwSusp hibernation, AUFS|OverlayFS+SquashFS, ZRAM and bCache support

INTRODUCTION

BIG FAT NOTE:

**SUPPORTED BLOCK DEVICE STACK: [RAID]+[LUKS]+[LVM] or [LUKS]+[BTRFS|ZFS]**

It is possible to add ZFS on the first stack variant, but it does not make any sense and expect horrible performance with such a mix bag. And this variant is not implemented although it could be done easily. (The same goes for BTRFS support (require >=btrfs-progs-3.12))

The order of LUKS/LVM and LUKS/RAID can be changed, that is, use any on top of the other.

GETTING AN INTRAMFS QUICKLY AND READY

An initramfs can be made in matter of secondes with locales settings (keymap and consolefont) if a busybox binary is available. media-fonts/terminus-font is recomanded to get a nice and neat interface in early boot up.

app-crypt/gnupg-1.4.x is mandatory for GnuPG support (a binary along with its options.skel file is required.)

And then run mkinitramfs-ll.$SHELL -a -f$FONT -y$LINGUAS to build an initramfs. The appended font and keymap will be the default if there is no keymap kernel cmdline argument.

Of course, one can append extra fonts and keymaps with -fter-g12n -yfr-latin1 etc. and the -a|--all option depend on mkinitramfs-ll.conf so one can put many sane default values there.

One can get more info on the scripts by running $SCRIPT -?|-h|--help

EFI STUB Kernel NOTE

If using a kernel stub with EFI boot loader, build an uncompressed initramfs, by passing --compressor=none command line to mkinitramfs-ll.$SHELL, and leave the compression to the kernel. Second, set up env variable in the configuration file with the appropriate kernel command line. This will ensure a more reliable and consistent kernel command line across various boot loaders.

DOCUMENTATION

See mkinitramfs-ll(5) for more info on kernel command line options

See mkinitramfs-ll(8) for more info on the build script options

INSTALLATION

make DESTDIR=/tmp PREFIX=/usr/local install to install initramfs files hierarchy; install-{,ba,z}sh-scripts for POSIX, Bourne Again or Z shell build script; install-{squashd,tmpdir,zram}-svc for extra init scripts service (refer to FILES sub-section); install-all for everything minus {ba,z}sh scripts...

WARING: POSIX build script cannot be used with {ba,z}sh build script because of a configuration file mismatch (associative array usage.) Or else, a few quick edits would do the trick!

COPYING

BIG FAT WARN:

**USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! EVERYTHING IS GIVEN "AS IS" (SEE COPYING FILE)**
**Distributed under the 2-clause/new/simplified BSD License**

FILES

/usr

An image like directory with extra files required for the initramfs. Extra files (binaries along with library dependencies), user scripts, keymaps and fonts can be directly putted there.

/scripts

Some extra scripts are available there, notably {busybox,gpg}.{ba,z}sh for Gentoo Users.

A suspend/hibernation script along with an initramfs utility (decompress and list) are available.

/svc (service)

Some init service files for OpenRC are available... Or else, grab svc/sdr.$SHELL instead of svc/squashdir.{init,conf}d and tmpdirs.{sh|pl|py} instead of both svc/tmpdir.{init,conf}d and svc/zram.{init,conf}d.

AUFS|OverlayFS+SquashFS

An init service script along with a build script for squashed directory are available. Managing system wide directories is problematic, so put `usr' first (if squashded.) And this require a static busybox to function at all.

ZRAM

Two init service scripts are available, one that can be used to set up zram devices directly for space usage efficiency (compared to a regular tmpfs.)

Another one, an optional client of zram, handles temporary directory with an optional saved state (tarball backup.)

The later can be used on a tmpfs based device instead of zram, configuration edit is required (use zram by default.)

CONTRIBUTORS

Thanks to:

Federico Zagarzazu (early init script with LUKS/Suspend2 support); Jan Matějka aka yaccz for his suggestions (debug...); Simon Buehler for debugging...; And others;

GENTOO USERS NOTE

An ebuild for Gentoo users.

Gentoo users can use provided scripts to build static busybox/gnupg. (See in /scripts directory for extra scripts.)

gnupg.sh will build a binary in the current directory (with a USRDIR/bin/gpg and USRDIR/share/gnupg/options.skel) or else in DATADIR/mkiniramfs-ll directory if installed variant. The same goes for `busybox.sh' which build a static binary.