Public SourceMage Discussion List

[Karsten Behrmann <BearPerson AT gmx.net>]

Eric Sandall:
> Karsten Behrmann:
>> Eric Sandall:
>>> Karsten Behrmann:
> <snip>
>>> Doesn't the initrd menu just list the module directories available in
>>> /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers or you have to manually add
>>> those directories?
>>
>> The initrd just lists those modules, but we aren't putting the entire
>> directory on the initrd (I don't see why anyone would want to start
>> sound from the initrd, for example). The list of dirs to include
>> on the initrd has to be edited manually.
> 
> Perhaps it'd be easier/faster to have an exludes list (e.g. sound,
> alsa) and list the rest via a script?

Yeah, we could just exclude everything that does not have anything to
do with cdroms...

However, we're already pretty close to that the other way around, I think.
Only thing we could be missing is drivers/block (all that is not built-in),
drivers/pcmcia (how much can we do with just kernel modules?)
drivers/parport and drivers/infiniband...

And of course drivers/message/fusion (I had no idea that had anything to
do with scsi)

> >>> 4. Use hotplug
> >>> => We already have hotplug on the ISO, we just need to install its init
> >>> script too (by default no initscripts are installed to the ISO itself)
> >>
> >> I'd prefer this 'automagic' method. :)
> >
> > Okay. I have one thing we may want to consider:
> > In rare cases, loading a certain module causes Bad Things to happen on
> > certain machines. ACPI comes to mind.
> >
> > Instead of relying on kernel parameters to work around these, I'd suggest
> > adding a "disable hotplug" menu button on the initrd that triggers a
> > removal of the hotplug init script on booting through. We can make it
> > a bistate option that switches between disable and enable.
> 
> That could work as well.

Oki, I'll bug this for next devel then.

> >>> The last two solutions do not work if the modules might be needed for
> >>> the cdrom; if the cdrom is on a scsi disk needing those drivers.
> >>
> >> Correct, those should be built-in, IMO.
> >
> > Is this critical for 0.9.5?
> 
> It should already be fixed, I thought. "Critical" devices (harddisks,
> CD-ROMs, USB (for keyboard support, at least)) should be built-in.

Yeah, all critical stuff that I knew of is built-in. I just missed those
devices because I had no idea there was scsi there, as well as pcmcia.
So should we include this last-second on 0.9.5 or is it rarely enough
needed so that it can stand waiting another month?

So Far,
  Karsten

-- 
Karsten Behrmann    |  Source Mage GNU/Linux developer, ISO team
BearPerson AT gmx.net  |  http://www.sourcemage.org

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