The prog /sbin/mkinitrd makes the initrd used to boot an INSTALLED system. The problem here is to generate an initrd used to INSTALL a NEW system. Alex Owen On Tue, 20 Feb 2007, Chris Hunter wrote: > Pretty sure that /sbin/mkinitrd has an option to include modules. I did > this with redhat 9 to include promise raid drivers. > > I believe mkinitrd is run when you install a new kernel rpm package. > > -- > Chris Hunter > Systems Programmer > Department of Astronomy, Yale University > [log in to unmask] > > > Quoting Alex Owen <[log in to unmask]>: > >> Pablo. >> >> I have had to make a custom initrd for an updated net driver... >> Here are some basic notes. The "# recreate modules.cgz" step is the magic >> bit that took me time to learn!! >> >> Hmm.. you want a whole new kernel... I just back ported the specific >> driver... so do share your solution when you have it! >> >> Good luck >> >> Alex Owen >> >> >> #Basic method: >> # * extract initrd >> # * extract modules.cgz >> # * copy in module >> # * recreate modules.czg >> # * modify other files under initrd/modules/ >> # * repack initrd >> >> mkdir /tmp/initrd >> cd /tmp/initrd >> rm -rf mnt modules >> mkdir mnt modules >> ####COPY real SL initrd.img to ./initrd.img.gz >> gunzip ./initrd.img.gz >> mount -oloop ./initrd.img ./mnt >> # extract modules.cgz >> cd modules >> zcat ../mnt/modules/modules.cgz | cpio -i --make-directories >> # copy in module (forcedeth.ko in my case) >> cp >> ~/redhat/nvidia/NV_MCP55_Linux_DRV_PKG_v1.11/RHEL4_U3/source/forcedeth.ko >> ./2.6.9-34.EL/i686/forcedeth.ko >> >> # recreate modules.cgz >> ## the cpio invocation is quite specific and took some hours to find >> find . -type f | cpio --quiet -H crc -o | gzip -9 >> >/tmp/initrd/mnt/modules/modules.cgz >> >> #I needed to get my dirver loaded for these PIC ID's >> # modify other files under initrd/modules/ >> cd /tmp/initrd >> cat <<'EOF' | sed -e's/ /\t/' >> ./mnt/modules/pcitable 0x10de 0x0056 >> "forcedeth" >> 0x10de 0x0057 "forcedeth" >> 0x10de 0x0037 "forcedeth" >> 0x10de 0x0038 "forcedeth" >> 0x10de 0x0268 "forcedeth" >> 0x10de 0x0269 "forcedeth" >> 0x10de 0x0372 "forcedeth" >> 0x10de 0x0373 "forcedeth" >> EOF >> >> # repack initrd >> cd /tmp/initrd >> umount ./mnt >> gzip -9 initrd.img >> >> ##rename resulting initrd.img.gz to initrd.img and boot with this new >> initrd.img >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Dr Richard Alexander Owen Physicist/Programmer >> >> Queen Mary, University of London Tel: 0207 882 5054 >> Physics Department Email: [log in to unmask] >> Mile End Road >> London E1 4NS, UK >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> >> On Tue, 20 Feb 2007, Pablo Fernandez wrote: >> >>> Hi all, >>> >>> We're trying to modify SL4.3 in order to be able to boot very new machines >>> over the network. In fact this has not been possible since the hardware is >>> not detected by the 2.6.9 kernel at PXE boot time (btw the very first >>> step). >>> >>> My question is if anyone, if possible, can tell me how does the SL team >>> create >>> the initrd image to boot from PXE. I can create the kernel myself (i.e. >>> 2.6.20, and make it detect the hardware) but I can't create the initrd >>> image >>> to start a kickstart installation (so mkinitrd doesn't help here). I tried >>> to >>> use the initrd image for pxe that comes with 2.6.9 but since it can't load >>> the modules it does not allow me to go on with the installation (even >>> though >>> the kernel detected the hardware before). >>> >>> Thank you all! >>> Regards, >>> Pablo Fernandez >>> -- >>> ============================================================================== >>> Pablo Fernandez Fernandez e-mail: >>> [log in to unmask] >>> Dpto Fisica Teorica. C-XI. >>> Facultad de Ciencias >>> Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Phone: 34 91 497 >>> 3976 >>> Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain. Fax: 34 91 497 >>> 4086 >>> ============================================================================== >>> >> > > >