[PATCH 3/3] docs: bootconfig: Add how to embed the bootconfig into kernel

Masami Hiramatsu
2022-03-13T13:56:48Z

Add a description how to embed the bootconfig file into kernel.

Signed-off-by: Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@kernel.org>
---
Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
1 file changed, 28 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst
index a1860fc0ca88..a172c669997a 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst
@@ -158,9 +158,15 @@ Each key-value pair is shown in each line with following style::
Boot Kernel With a Boot Config
==============================

-Since the boot configuration file is loaded with initrd, it will be added
-to the end of the initrd (initramfs) image file with padding, size,
-checksum and 12-byte magic word as below.
+There are 2 options to boot the kernel with bootconfig, one is attaching
+bootconfig to initrd image, and embedding the kernel itself.
+
+Attaching a Boot Config to Initrd
+---------------------------------
+
+Since the boot configuration file is loaded with initrd by default,
+it will be added to the end of the initrd (initramfs) image file with
+padding, size, checksum and 12-byte magic word as below.

[initrd][bootconfig][padding][size(le32)][checksum(le32)][#BOOTCONFIG\n]

@@ -196,6 +202,25 @@ To remove the config from the image, you can use -d option as below::
Then add "bootconfig" on the normal kernel command line to tell the
kernel to look for the bootconfig at the end of the initrd file.

+Embedding a Boot Config into Kernel
+-----------------------------------
+
+If you can not use initrd, you can also embed the bootconfig file to the
+kernel by Kconfig options. In This case, you need to recompile the kernel
+with the following configs::
+
+ COFNIG_EMBED_BOOT_CONFIG=y
+ CONFIG_EMBED_BOOT_CONFIG_FILE="/PATH/TO/BOOTCONFIG/FILE"
+
+You need to set the correct path (relative path from kernel build directory
+or absolute path) to the ``CONFIG_EMBED_BOOT_CONFIG_FILE`` option.
+Then the kernel will embed the bootconfig file as a default bootconfig.
+
+As same as attaching to initrd, you need ``bootconfig`` option to the
+kernel command line to enable the embedded bootconfig.
+
+Note that even if you set this option, you can override the embedded
+bootconfig by another bootconfig which attached to the initrd.

Kernel parameters via Boot Config
=================================