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 >> ============================================================================== >> >