[PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image

[PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image

[Moteen Shah]

Remove runtime managers since ti-core-initramfs does not requires
login and other services as it is being used as a read only
image during the boot. Modules can be probed using the udev from
initrams-module-udev, hence remove the init manager along with
others.

Signed-off-by: Moteen Shah <m-shah@ti.com>
---
This patch will help in reducing the size of the initramfs to about 7 MB's compressed and 25 MB's uncompressed
Boot logs: https://gist.github.com/Jamm02/ebdb124064e253208ee479f46edf127f
 .../recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb    | 4 ----
 1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
index a9eff847..f496f21a 100644
--- a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
+++ b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
@@ -11,10 +11,6 @@ TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES ?= ""
 RDEPENDS:${PN} += "\
     ${TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES} \
     ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils} \
-    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_login_manager} \
-    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager} \
-    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_dev_manager} \
-    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_update-alternatives} \
     netbase \
     base-files \
     base-passwd \
-- 
2.34.1

Re: [PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image

[PRC Automation]

meta-ti / na / 20260325062856.2664785-1-m-shah

PRC Results: PASS

=========================================================
  check-yocto-patches: PASS
=========================================================
Patches
----------------------------------------
WARN - [PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image
    WARN: Missing branches specifier [master/scarthgap/XXXXX]. (META-2)
        patch:68
            Subject: [PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image
    
    For details on the above errors/warnings visit: https://lists.yoctoproject.org/g/meta-ti/wiki/40887



=========================================================
  apply-yocto-patch: PASS
=========================================================
master
=====================
Summary:
- Patch Series: [PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image
- Submitter: From: Moteen Shah <m-shah@ti.com>
- Date: Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:58:56 +0530
- Num Patches: 1
- Mailing List (public inbox) Commit SHA: c301a37918de41350fb9280a6f2d8e5258d17d21

Applied to:
- Repository: lcpd-prc-meta-ti
- Base Branch: master-wip
- Commit Author: Shiva Tripathi <s-tripathi1@ti.com>
- Commit Subject: conf: Enable dynamic tpm-layer support for LUKS
- Commit SHA: 9e86280d686586ae0328a44cbcc2ff45e71fdfca

Patches
----------------------------------------
All patches applied



=========================================================
  check-yocto-repo: PASS
=========================================================
master
=====================
PASS



=========================================================
  yocto-check-layers: PASS
=========================================================
master - PASS
=====================
All checks passed

Re: [PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image

[Ryan Eatmon]

On 3/25/2026 1:28 AM, Moteen Shah wrote:
> Remove runtime managers since ti-core-initramfs does not requires
> login and other services as it is being used as a read only
> image during the boot. Modules can be probed using the udev from
> initrams-module-udev, hence remove the init manager along with
> others.

I don't think this is going to pass muster.  We just added those in to 
make the initramfs function correctly with the rest of the system post boot.

What is the more in depth reason you want to remove them?  Are they 
causing you a problem?

I'll let Denys chime in more since he did the work to figure out what 
all we needed to add in to make it "correct".



> Signed-off-by: Moteen Shah <m-shah@ti.com>
> ---
> This patch will help in reducing the size of the initramfs to about 7 MB's compressed and 25 MB's uncompressed
> Boot logs: https://gist.github.com/Jamm02/ebdb124064e253208ee479f46edf127f
>   .../recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb    | 4 ----
>   1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
> index a9eff847..f496f21a 100644
> --- a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
> +++ b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
> @@ -11,10 +11,6 @@ TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES ?= ""
>   RDEPENDS:${PN} += "\
>       ${TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES} \
>       ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils} \
> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_login_manager} \
> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager} \
> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_dev_manager} \
> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_update-alternatives} \
>       netbase \
>       base-files \
>       base-passwd \

-- 
Ryan Eatmon                reatmon@ti.com
-----------------------------------------
Texas Instruments, Inc.  -  LCPD  -  MGTS

Re: [PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image

[Moteen Shah]

On 25/03/26 19:03, Ryan Eatmon wrote:
>
>
> On 3/25/2026 1:28 AM, Moteen Shah wrote:
>> Remove runtime managers since ti-core-initramfs does not requires
>> login and other services as it is being used as a read only
>> image during the boot. Modules can be probed using the udev from
>> initrams-module-udev, hence remove the init manager along with
>> others.
>
> I don't think this is going to pass muster.  We just added those in to 
> make the initramfs function correctly with the rest of the system post 
> boot.
>
> What is the more in depth reason you want to remove them?  Are they 
> causing you a problem?

The aim is to reduce the size of the image further so that it can fit in 
lesser memory devices like am62l(128MiB).
Since we do not require login support for the usecase of just probing 
modules I removed the login manager here.
Similarly initramfs-udev will handle what we aim with this image instead 
of having a runtime dev manager separately.

The change results in shrinking the image from 90MBs(20MBs compressed) 
to about 25MB's (6-7 MBs compressed).

Regards,
Moteen

>
> I'll let Denys chime in more since he did the work to figure out what 
> all we needed to add in to make it "correct".
>
>
>
>> Signed-off-by: Moteen Shah <m-shah@ti.com>
>> ---
>> This patch will help in reducing the size of the initramfs to about 7 
>> MB's compressed and 25 MB's uncompressed
>> Boot logs: 
>> https://gist.github.com/Jamm02/ebdb124064e253208ee479f46edf127f
>>   .../recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb | 4 ----
>>   1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
>>
>> diff --git 
>> a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb 
>> b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
>> index a9eff847..f496f21a 100644
>> --- a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
>> +++ b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
>> @@ -11,10 +11,6 @@ TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES ?= ""
>>   RDEPENDS:${PN} += "\
>>       ${TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES} \
>>       ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils} \
>> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_login_manager} \
>> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager} \
>> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_dev_manager} \
>> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_update-alternatives} \
>>       netbase \
>>       base-files \
>>       base-passwd \
>

Re: [meta-ti] [PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image

[Denys Dmytriyenko]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 08:33:01AM -0500, Ryan Eatmon via lists.yoctoproject.org wrote:
> 
> 
> On 3/25/2026 1:28 AM, Moteen Shah wrote:
> >Remove runtime managers since ti-core-initramfs does not requires
> >login and other services as it is being used as a read only
> >image during the boot. Modules can be probed using the udev from
> >initrams-module-udev, hence remove the init manager along with
> >others.
> 
> I don't think this is going to pass muster.  We just added those in
> to make the initramfs function correctly with the rest of the system
> post boot.
> 
> What is the more in depth reason you want to remove them?  Are they
> causing you a problem?
> 
> I'll let Denys chime in more since he did the work to figure out
> what all we needed to add in to make it "correct".

It's not really whether it's correct or not. Using busybox instead of systemd 
is also correct, but...

Back when we were initially discussing adding initramfs last year, the topic 
of busybox vs. systemd as init manager came up - once PID 1 process starts by 
the kernel from initramfs, it doesn't change when pivot_root into the full 
rootfs. If PID 1 is busybox, later started systemd won't be PID 1 and that 
changes some of its behavior and causes complications, as I recall. It was 
requested to simplify things and use systemd as init manager in initramfs, 
even if the size would be larger than using only busybox.

That's how ti-core-initramfs was originally implemented. Then systemd got 
upgraded upstream in OE-Core and it had some packaging and dependency issues, 
which blew up initramfs size significantly. Ryan changed the way initramfs 
recipe is done, but that inadvertently removed systemd and other default 
VIRTUAL_RUNTIME components. Eventually systemd packaging got fixed in OE-Core 
and we were able to re-add systemd. Here's the corresponding discussion on the 
list - there were no comments or concerns:

https://lists.yoctoproject.org/g/meta-ti/topic/117180106#msg19431


> >Signed-off-by: Moteen Shah <m-shah@ti.com>
> >---
> >This patch will help in reducing the size of the initramfs to about 7 MB's compressed and 25 MB's uncompressed
> >Boot logs: https://gist.github.com/Jamm02/ebdb124064e253208ee479f46edf127f
> >  .../recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb    | 4 ----
> >  1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
> >
> >diff --git a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
> >index a9eff847..f496f21a 100644
> >--- a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
> >+++ b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
> >@@ -11,10 +11,6 @@ TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES ?= ""
> >  RDEPENDS:${PN} += "\
> >      ${TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES} \
> >      ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils} \
> >-    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_login_manager} \
> >-    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager} \
> >-    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_dev_manager} \
> >-    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_update-alternatives} \
> >      netbase \
> >      base-files \
> >      base-passwd \

Re: [PATCH] packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs: Remove runtime managers from initramfs image

[Anshul Dalal]

On Wed Mar 25, 2026 at 11:58 AM IST, Moteen Shah wrote:
> Remove runtime managers since ti-core-initramfs does not requires
> login and other services as it is being used as a read only
> image during the boot. Modules can be probed using the udev from
> initrams-module-udev, hence remove the init manager along with
> others.
>
> Signed-off-by: Moteen Shah <m-shah@ti.com>

Tested-by: Anshul Dalal <anshuld@ti.com>

Before:

	$ du -h ti-core-initramfs.cpio*
	90M	ti-core-initramfs.cpio
	18M	ti-core-initramfs.cpio.xz

After:

	$ du -h ti-core-initramfs.cpio*
	25M     ti-core-initramfs.cpio
	6.5M    ti-core-initramfs.cpio.xz

Boot logs (AM62ax EVM with SD boot): https://gist.github.com/ArchUsr64/e90215448010aac5db9ccfb2e63ce433

Thanks for the patch!
Best Wishes,
Anshul

> ---
> This patch will help in reducing the size of the initramfs to about 7 MB's compressed and 25 MB's uncompressed
> Boot logs: https://gist.github.com/Jamm02/ebdb124064e253208ee479f46edf127f
>  .../recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb    | 4 ----
>  1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
> index a9eff847..f496f21a 100644
> --- a/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
> +++ b/meta-ti-bsp/recipes-ti/initramfs/packagegroup-ti-core-initramfs.bb
> @@ -11,10 +11,6 @@ TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES ?= ""
>  RDEPENDS:${PN} += "\
>      ${TI_CORE_INITRAMFS_KERNEL_MODULES} \
>      ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils} \
> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_login_manager} \
> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager} \
> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_dev_manager} \
> -    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_update-alternatives} \
>      netbase \
>      base-files \
>      base-passwd \