initramfs-tools stable release 0.93.3

initramfs-tools stable release 0.93.3

[maximilian attems]

small random fixes all over the place, see belows shortlog or
git clone git://git.debian.org/kernel/initramfs-tools.git

or online repo:
http://git.debian.org/git/kernel/initramfs-tools.git

-- 
maks


Loic Minier (1):
      copy_exec: also avoid picking sse2, neon, and vfp hwcaps libs.

maximilian attems (11):
      cleanup LABEL handling code
      update-initramfs: Text exit code of command -v too.
      hook-functions: Add i915 module for kms.
      update-initramfs: Pass version to flash-kernel
      update-initramfs: Don't hardcode path for lilo or elilo.
      hook-functions: MODULES=dep error out if sysfs not mounted on /sys.
      debian/control: No longer mention EVMS in long description.
      hook-functions: MODULES=most fix old typo s/smc911x/smc91x/
      mkinitramfs: Invoke dpkg --print-architecture
      nuke useless old file
      release 0.93.3

--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe initramfs" in
the body of a message to majordomo-u79uwXL29TY76Z2rM5mHXA@public.gmane.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html

Re: initramfs-tools stable release 0.93.3

[Scott James Remnant]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 870 bytes --]

On Wed, 2009-06-10 at 17:30 +0200, maximilian attems wrote:

> hook-functions: Add i915 module for kms.
> 
This is exactly the kind of bloat I want to avoid for the initramfs.
The initramfs should do one thing only, that's mount the root filesystem
and chain load into it.

Anything else is an extravagance.

Why load the KMS driver in the initramfs?  Because it takes too long to
get to the point in the real system where we can load it!  Why does it
take too long to get there?  Because we spend so long in the initramfs!

Slimming the initramfs right down to the essentials reduces the boot
time by over a second!  Paradoxically, this means that the driver can be
loaded in the real system at roughly the same time point as it would be
loaded in a bloated initramfs.

Scott
-- 
Scott James Remnant
scott-GeWIH/nMZzLQT0dZR+AlfA@public.gmane.org

[-- Attachment #2: This is a digitally signed message part --]
[-- Type: application/pgp-signature, Size: 197 bytes --]

Re: initramfs-tools stable release 0.93.3

[maximilian attems]

On Thu, 11 Jun 2009, Scott James Remnant wrote:

> On Wed, 2009-06-10 at 17:30 +0200, maximilian attems wrote:
> 
> > hook-functions: Add i915 module for kms.
> > 
> This is exactly the kind of bloat I want to avoid for the initramfs.
> The initramfs should do one thing only, that's mount the root filesystem
> and chain load into it.

well it is useful to resume or to load acpi modules early so boxes don't
overheat. also there are quite some different scenarios your root can be
on.
 
> Anything else is an extravagance.
> 
> Why load the KMS driver in the initramfs?  Because it takes too long to
> get to the point in the real system where we can load it!  Why does it
> take too long to get there?  Because we spend so long in the initramfs!

fb modules got scrammed in the initramfs from early on since
the time of jbailey.
 
> Slimming the initramfs right down to the essentials reduces the boot
> time by over a second!  Paradoxically, this means that the driver can be
> loaded in the real system at roughly the same time point as it would be
> loaded in a bloated initramfs.

well afair the intel fast boot doesn't use initramfs in the fast path
at all, what are you up to axe. on irc you mentioned locales (which
are not in initramfs), fonts (detto), keymaps (only if you have cryptsetup
installed), splash screen (you need to have the relevant installed)
and kms.



--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe initramfs" in
the body of a message to majordomo-u79uwXL29TY76Z2rM5mHXA@public.gmane.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html

Re: initramfs-tools stable release 0.93.3

[Scott James Remnant]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1985 bytes --]

On Sat, 2009-07-25 at 11:21 +0200, maximilian attems wrote:

> On Thu, 11 Jun 2009, Scott James Remnant wrote:
> 
> > On Wed, 2009-06-10 at 17:30 +0200, maximilian attems wrote:
> > 
> > > hook-functions: Add i915 module for kms.
> > > 
> > This is exactly the kind of bloat I want to avoid for the initramfs.
> > The initramfs should do one thing only, that's mount the root filesystem
> > and chain load into it.
> 
> well it is useful to resume or to load acpi modules early so boxes don't
> overheat. 
> 
If you don't include them in the initramfs, your initramfs will be
smaller so quicker to load, decompress and unpack.  If you then load
them immediately after mounting the root filesystem, will they be loaded
(a) sooner or (b) later than before?

Research tends to suggest (a)


If you skip the initramfs, how are they loaded otherwise?  In some cases
they may never be loaded at all!  In others, they're loaded by udev -
which is used in the initramfs as well, so why force load them?

> also there are quite some different scenarios your root can be
> on.
> 
While true, changing the root format is a software configuration change
not a hardware configuration change.  Changing to/from software RAID,
LVM, encrypted root, etc. is all a major enough change (including fstab,
as well as raid config files, etc.) that it's ok to need to update your
initramfs to include the necessary changes.

This is very different from changing your storage controller card.
 
> > Slimming the initramfs right down to the essentials reduces the boot
> > time by over a second!  Paradoxically, this means that the driver can be
> > loaded in the real system at roughly the same time point as it would be
> > loaded in a bloated initramfs.
> 
> well afair the intel fast boot doesn't use initramfs in the fast path
> at all
> 
Our fast boot does use an initramfs.

Scott
-- 
Scott James Remnant
scott-GeWIH/nMZzLQT0dZR+AlfA@public.gmane.org

[-- Attachment #2: This is a digitally signed message part --]
[-- Type: application/pgp-signature, Size: 197 bytes --]

Re: initramfs-tools stable release 0.93.3

[Seewer Philippe]

Scott James Remnant wrote:
[snip]
>>> Slimming the initramfs right down to the essentials reduces the boot
>>> time by over a second!  Paradoxically, this means that the driver can be
>>> loaded in the real system at roughly the same time point as it would be
>>> loaded in a bloated initramfs.
>> well afair the intel fast boot doesn't use initramfs in the fast path
>> at all
>>
> Our fast boot does use an initramfs.

This is a bit offtopic: Do you have any more info about intel fast boot? 
I use an intel atom board at home which supposedly has intel fast boot, 
but I haven't found any info on how to make use of that.

Thanks,
Philippe

> 
> Scott
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe initramfs" in
the body of a message to majordomo-u79uwXL29TY76Z2rM5mHXA@public.gmane.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html

Re: initramfs-tools stable release 0.93.3

[Alan Jenkins]

On 8/7/09, Seewer Philippe <philippe.seewer-omB+W0Dpw2o@public.gmane.org> wrote:
> Scott James Remnant wrote:
> [snip]
>>>> Slimming the initramfs right down to the essentials reduces the boot
>>>> time by over a second!  Paradoxically, this means that the driver can be
>>>> loaded in the real system at roughly the same time point as it would be
>>>> loaded in a bloated initramfs.
>>> well afair the intel fast boot doesn't use initramfs in the fast path
>>> at all
>>>
>> Our fast boot does use an initramfs.
>
> This is a bit offtopic: Do you have any more info about intel fast boot?
> I use an intel atom board at home which supposedly has intel fast boot,
> but I haven't found any info on how to make use of that.
>
> Thanks,
> Philippe

Linux "fast boot" is purely a software feature.  The most significant
hardware feature is a BIOS which doesn't take too long before it loads
the kernel.

Possibly the marketing people have confused you with their use of the
word "supports".  The closest match to "supports intel fast boot"
would be "supported by Moblin".  Moblin is the optimized distribution
initially developed by Intel.  One of the optimizations was to limit
the supported hardware configurations.  Intel Atom boards were
obviously favoured ;-).  Cynicism aside, it's well worth a look.

Alan
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe initramfs" in
the body of a message to majordomo-u79uwXL29TY76Z2rM5mHXA@public.gmane.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html