path: root/source/a/mkinitrd/mkinitrd_command_generator.8

'\" t
.\"     Title: mkinitrd_command_generator
.\"    Author: Eric Hameleers
.\" Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets v1.78.1 <http://docbook.sf.net/>
.\"      Date: 2016-02-07
.\"    Manual: Slackware Tools
.\"    Source: http://www.slackware.com 1.40
.\"  Language: English
.\"
.TH "MKINITRD_COMMAND_GEN" "8" "2016-02-07" "http://www\&.slackware\&.com" "Slackware Tools"
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.SH "NAME"
mkinitrd_command_generator \- mkinitrd the easy way
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.sp
.nf
mkinitrd_command_generator\&.sh [ \fIoptions\fR ] [ \fIkernel_filename\fR ]
.fi
.SH "OPTIONS"
.PP
\fB\-a \fR\fB\fIadditional params\fR\fR
.RS 4
Additional parameters to pass to mkinitrd\&.
.RE
.PP
\fB\-c | \-\-conf\fR
.RS 4
Show a suitable mkinitrd configuration file\&.
.RE
.PP
\fB\-h | \-\-help\fR
.RS 4
Show this help\&.
.RE
.PP
\fB\-i | \-\-interactive\fR
.RS 4
Navigate through menus instead of using commandline arguments\&.
.RE
.PP
\fB\-\-longhelp\fR
.RS 4
Show more detailed information/examples\&.
.RE
.PP
\fB\-k \fR\fB\fIkernelversion\fR\fR
.RS 4
Use specific kernel version\&.
.RE
.PP
\fB\-m \fR\fB\fIadditional mods\fR\fR
.RS 4
Additional modules to pass to mkinitrd, separated by colons (:)\&.
.RE
.PP
\fB\-l | \-\-lilo\fR
.RS 4
Only show lilo\&.conf section (requires a kernel_filename)\&.
.RE
.PP
\fB\-r | \-\-run\fR
.RS 4
Only show
\fImkinitrd\fR
command\&.
.RE
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.sp
This script is useful in situations where you require an initrd image to boot your computer\&.
.sp
For instance, when booting a kernel that does not have support for your storage or root filesystem built in (such as the Slackware \fIgeneric\fR kernels)\&.
.sp
When you run the script without parameters, it will examine your running system, your current kernel version and will output an example of a \fImkinitrd\fR commandline that you can use to generate an initrd image containing enough driver support to boot the computer\&.
.sp
You can make it more specific: when you add the filename of a kernel as parameter to the script, it will determine the kernel version from that kernel, and also give an example of the lines that you should add to your \fI/etc/lilo\&.conf\fR file\&.
.sp
If you want your initrd image to have a custom name instead of the default \fI/boot/initrd\&.gz\fR you can add it as another parameter to the script, as follows:
.sp
mkinitrd_command_generator\&.sh \-a "\-o \fI/boot/custom\&.gz\fR"
.sp
The arguments to the \fI\-a\fR parameter will be used as additional arguments to the \fImkinitrd\fR command\&.
.sp
If you need additional modules in the initrd image, apart from what the script determines, you can pass then to the script using the \fI\-m\fR parameter as follows:
.sp
mkinitrd_command_generator\&.sh \-m "uhci\-hcd:usbhid:hid:hid\-generic"
.sp
The above example adds support for USB keyboards to the initrd \- you may need that if you have encrypted your root partition and need to enter a passphrase using a USB keyboard\&.
.sp
Instead of copying and pasting the script\(cqs output, you can create an initrd by directly executing the output, like in this example:
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
$(mkinitrd_command_generator\&.sh \-\-run /boot/vmlinuz\-generic\-4\&.4\&.1)
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.sp
That used the \fI\-r\fR or \fI\-\-run\fR switch to make the script only write the \fImkinitrd\fR commandline to the terminal\&.
.sp
When you want to add a section for a specific kernel to \fI/etc/lilo\&.conf\fR directly, use the \fI\-l\fR or \fI\-\-lilo\fR switch and use a command like in this example:
.sp
mkinitrd_command_generator\&.sh \-\-lilo /boot/vmlinuz\-generic\-smp\-4\&.4\&.1 >>/etc/lilo\&.conf
.sp
That command will result in the following lines being added to your \fI/etc/lilo\&.conf\fR file (example for my hardware):
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
\fI# Linux bootable partition config begins\fR
\fI# initrd created with \*(Aqmkinitrd \-c \-k 4\&.4\&.1 \-m mbcache:jbd2:ext4 \-f ext4 \-r /dev/sda7 \-u \-o /boot/initrd\&.gz\fR\*(Aq
image = /boot/vmlinuz\-generic\-4\&.4\&.1
initrd = /boot/initrd\&.gz
root = /dev/sda7
label = 4\&.4\&.1
read\-only
\fI# Linux bootable partition config ends\fR
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.sp
The last two examples show how easy it is to configure your computer for the use of an initrd if you need one\&. The only thing left to do afterwards is running \fIlilo\fR\&.
.SH "EXIT STATUS"
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
\fB0\fR Success
\fB1\fR Failure
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.SH "FILES"
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
/usr/share/mkinitrd/mkinitrd_command_generator\&.sh
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.SH "BUGS"
.sp
Report bugs to Eric Hameleers <alien@slackware\&.com>
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
mkinitrd(1), lilo\&.conf(1)
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.SH "AUTHOR"
.PP
\fBEric Hameleers\fR
.RS 4
Author.
.RE