[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Roberto A. Foglietta]

Hi,

 using buildroot I have compiled a system which is big enough to not
fit in the initrd image (default size is 4Mb but could be enlarged by
kernel .config). Attached patch prepare a initrd of 16Mb and I can
enlarge it more in order to put all my system inside. However this is
not the best solution because has no future itself, initrd image could
not enlarged forever.

 I think the good approach should be:

 a) having a buildroot project with kernel, modules, static busybox
which generate a boot-able iso with initrd.
 b) having another buildroot project with everything which generate a
ext2 loop file system.

 The project a) should have a rc.S which mount the ext2 loop (or
equivalent) and jump on it. I could do it by myself and my question
is: do you think is there any better way to do it? What could be the
best way in order to include this behaviour into buildroot?

 Thanks in advance,
-- 
/roberto

[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Roberto A. Foglietta]

2008/10/18 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
> Hi,
>
>  using buildroot I have compiled a system which is big enough to not
> fit in the initrd image (default size is 4Mb but could be enlarged by
> kernel .config). Attached patch prepare a initrd of 16Mb and I can
> enlarge it more in order to put all my system inside. However this is
> not the best solution because has no future itself, initrd image could
> not enlarged forever.

 _Attached patch_ forgot, until now

 Ciao,
-- 
/roberto
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[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Roberto A. Foglietta]

2008/10/18 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
> 2008/10/18 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>> Hi,
>>
>>  using buildroot I have compiled a system which is big enough to not
>> fit in the initrd image (default size is 4Mb but could be enlarged by
>> kernel .config). Attached patch prepare a initrd of 16Mb and I can
>> enlarge it more in order to put all my system inside. However this is
>> not the best solution because has no future itself, initrd image could
>> not enlarged forever.
>
>  _Attached patch_ forgot, until now
>


 a) stripping modules (previous patch was wrong, see below)

 Using strip on .ko does not work at all without --strip-unneeded.

 http://mailman.uclinux.org/pipermail/uclinux-dev/2007-January/041616.html

 strip -R  .comment -R .note -g --strip-unneeded


 b) bootable iso

 a line like this is required for initrd and it does not hurt in initramfs case

 root=/dev/ram0 initrd=0x00800000,16M

 http://www.uwsg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0501.3/1144.html


Cheers,
-- 
/roberto
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[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Roberto A. Foglietta]

2008/10/19 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
> 2008/10/18 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>> 2008/10/18 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>>  using buildroot I have compiled a system which is big enough to not
>>> fit in the initrd image (default size is 4Mb but could be enlarged by
>>> kernel .config). Attached patch prepare a initrd of 16Mb and I can
>>> enlarge it more in order to put all my system inside. However this is
>>> not the best solution because has no future itself, initrd image could
>>> not enlarged forever.
>>
>>  _Attached patch_ forgot, until now
>>
>
>
>  a) stripping modules (previous patch was wrong, see below)
>
>  Using strip on .ko does not work at all without --strip-unneeded.
>
>  http://mailman.uclinux.org/pipermail/uclinux-dev/2007-January/041616.html
>
>  strip -R  .comment -R .note -g --strip-unneeded
>

 Stripping modules belong to the kernel Makefile.in and Makefile.in.advanced

 Declaring INSTALL_MOD_STRIP=1 in modules_install should be enough,
however find,xargs,strip has been added also.

 Ciao,
-- 
/roberto
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[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Bernhard Reutner-Fischer]

On Sun, Oct 19, 2008 at 12:00:13PM +0200, Roberto A. Foglietta wrote:
>2008/10/19 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>> 2008/10/18 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>>> 2008/10/18 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>>  using buildroot I have compiled a system which is big enough to not
>>>> fit in the initrd image (default size is 4Mb but could be enlarged by
>>>> kernel .config). Attached patch prepare a initrd of 16Mb and I can
>>>> enlarge it more in order to put all my system inside. However this is
>>>> not the best solution because has no future itself, initrd image could
>>>> not enlarged forever.
>>>
>>>  _Attached patch_ forgot, until now
>>>
>>
>>
>>  a) stripping modules (previous patch was wrong, see below)
>>
>>  Using strip on .ko does not work at all without --strip-unneeded.
>>
>>  http://mailman.uclinux.org/pipermail/uclinux-dev/2007-January/041616.html
>>
>>  strip -R  .comment -R .note -g --strip-unneeded
>>
>
> Stripping modules belong to the kernel Makefile.in and Makefile.in.advanced
>
> Declaring INSTALL_MOD_STRIP=1 in modules_install should be enough,
>however find,xargs,strip has been added also.
>
> Ciao,
>-- 
>/roberto


> linux26-modules: cross-depmod26 $(LINUX26_DIR)/.modules_installed
>+	find $(TARGET_DIR)/lib/modules/$(LINUX26_VERSION) -name \*.ko | xargs strip -R .comment -R .note -g --strip-unneeded

This is wrong. Proper thing to do is $(STIPCMD) $(STRIP_STRIP_UNNEEDED)

[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Roberto A. Foglietta]

2008/10/19 Bernhard Reutner-Fischer <rep.dot.nop@gmail.com>:
> On Sun, Oct 19, 2008 at 12:00:13PM +0200, Roberto A. Foglietta wrote:
>>2008/10/19 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>>> 2008/10/18 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>>>> 2008/10/18 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>
>>>>>  using buildroot I have compiled a system which is big enough to not
>>>>> fit in the initrd image (default size is 4Mb but could be enlarged by
>>>>> kernel .config). Attached patch prepare a initrd of 16Mb and I can
>>>>> enlarge it more in order to put all my system inside. However this is
>>>>> not the best solution because has no future itself, initrd image could
>>>>> not enlarged forever.
>>>>
>>>>  _Attached patch_ forgot, until now
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>  a) stripping modules (previous patch was wrong, see below)
>>>
>>>  Using strip on .ko does not work at all without --strip-unneeded.
>>>
>>>  http://mailman.uclinux.org/pipermail/uclinux-dev/2007-January/041616.html
>>>
>>>  strip -R  .comment -R .note -g --strip-unneeded
>>>
>>
>> Stripping modules belong to the kernel Makefile.in and Makefile.in.advanced
>>
>> Declaring INSTALL_MOD_STRIP=1 in modules_install should be enough,
>>however find,xargs,strip has been added also.
>>
>> Ciao,
>>--
>>/roberto
>
>
>> linux26-modules: cross-depmod26 $(LINUX26_DIR)/.modules_installed
>>+      find $(TARGET_DIR)/lib/modules/$(LINUX26_VERSION) -name \*.ko | xargs strip -R .comment -R .note -g --strip-unneeded
>
> This is wrong. Proper thing to do is $(STIPCMD) $(STRIP_STRIP_UNNEEDED)
>

a) Ok with s,STIPCMD,STRIPCMD, thanks for the answer.

 do you think it could be useful have a menuconfig option to strip
modules in order to include it into buildroot svn?

b) is useless, dropped.

 I would add another question

c) what is the smallest X11 fonts set?

 I am going to produce a demo for Italian Linux day (next saturday).

 Cheers,
-- 
/roberto

[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Roberto A. Foglietta]

2008/10/20 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:

 [cut]

>  I would add another question
>
> c) what is the smallest X11 fonts set?
>
>  I am going to produce a demo for Italian Linux day (next saturday).
>

 d) how can reinstall ALL selected packages in
project_build_$(ARCH)/$(PROJECT)/root one I deleted that directory
without doing 'make clean; make'?

 Thanks,
-- 
/roberto

[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Roberto A. Foglietta]

2008/10/20 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
> 2008/10/20 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:
>
>  [cut]
>
>>  I would add another question
>>
>> c) what is the smallest X11 fonts set?

 ^^^ useless question: depends on what I want let run on my Xserver.

 However it is impressing how much space the locale, keyboard and
fonts require comparing binary code!!!

6100	usr/lib/X11/fonts
1272	usr/lib/locale
2348	usr/share/X11/locale
2600	usr/share/X11/xkb
===
12320	42.5% (fonts, locale, xkb)

80		usr/X11R6
384		usr/share - X11
5992	usr/lib - locale - X11/fonts
2452	usr/bin - Xservers + Xvesa
====
8908	30.7% (tinyx)

2056	kernel
3940	lib/modules
====
5996	20.7% (kernel)

1768	busybox + rootfs + lib + everything else
====
1768	6.1% (system)

28992 	TOTAL

 Fonts installed are good to run tinyx (in any language/kb of he
world) but not enough to run blackbox, in this case .


 Cheers,
-- 
/roberto

[Buildroot] ext2+isofs initrd too big

[Roberto A. Foglietta]

2008/10/21 Roberto A. Foglietta <roberto.foglietta@gmail.com>:

[...]

>
> 2056    kernel
> 3940    lib/modules
> ====
> 5996    20.7% (kernel)
>
> 1768    busybox + rootfs + lib + everything else
> ====
> 1768    6.1% (system)
>

 For sake of completeness the kernel is for eeepc where its .config
has been modified in order to have statically built-in all eeepc
peripherals and modules for every usb pug-able hw. This is the reason
because it is so big and system too. However reading posts in this
m-list I realized that this kind of things are not interesting for the
most of the people living with buildroot.


 Cheers,
-- 
/roberto