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["David Brown" <dmlb2000 AT gmail.com>]

I've been kinda curious as to the status of lvm (specifically lvm
root).  I know the iso has yet to support lvm root creation. There was
a wiki hack that referenced a bug that has since been reopened and
there are a couple of open lvm bugs and a couple of reopened lvm bugs.

I'd like to be some help on the matter, I think its been partially my
fault for not doing this sooner. I'm going to try and generate a
simple way of getting the right files/modules/userspace stuff into the
linux spell so that root lvm is possable and it should be an easy plug
and go from the iso's standpoint to make a kernel image so the users
will be able to boot.

The state of linux-initrd spell is at best out-dated. It hasn't been
updated to use newer klibc tools for generating early userspace
environments. Also its a separate spell, the users end up having to
deal with a second package and two files.  Also it hasn't been
properly documented.  Lastly, the way the initrd's were created was
via a script that generated stuff for you and then the package did
fansy mounting to generate the initrd, with the new setup all you need
is to point to a file listing and the kernel will generate it for you.
I can take blame on some of these things, since I created the
linux-initrd package.

I'd honestly like to integrate the early userspace into the linux
spell. I say 'early userspace' because its a little bit different than
an initrd. Its called initramfs (yeah its different from an initrd
check out /usr/src/linux/Documentation/early-userspace/README) and you
utilize the klibc package to help out with this. I'll probably be
creating a new package for it since all that's really needed is the
configuration files and a file listing, the kernel does the rest.

I'm hoping to get it down to this:
# cast lvm klibc smgl-initramfs
change linux configuration to use the initramfs files provided by 
smgl-initramfs
# cast -c linux

This will put the initramfs into the linux kernel image so you won't
have to keep track of two files. Also the initramfs is by default
read/write so no futzing around with trying to mount tmpfs everywhere
to get read/write capability where you need it. I've also found that
this method is actually lighter on memory usage only 2.2M total with
lvm support, nfsroot and in kernel ip configuration stuff.

The only unknown I have before I start on this venture is where the
state of the initscripts are. If someone with past experience and
knowledge of lvm could help me out with what works and what doesn't
(cause either it hasn't been done or it did and got dropped) that
would be much appreciated.

- David Brown