Re: Using initrd as livefs_root

[Mert Dirik <mertdirik@gmail.com>]

On 05/18/2017 03:12 PM, Daniel Lindgren wrote:
> Hi.
>
> A couple of years ago I found a need for using initrd as livefs_root, I
> sent a patch but it wasn't accepted (see
> https://lists.debian.org/debian-live/2014/09/msg00080.html).
>
> Since then I've used live-build in Debian 7 to build images, manually
> unpacked initrd.img, added filesystem.squashfs and repacked initrd.img.
>
> The kernel in Debian 7 is getting old and we have new hardware that the
> kernel lacks network drivers for.
>
> I installed Debian 8.8 and tried to use the same method as before, but
> the initrd.img file seems to be a concatenation of several cpio archives
> and I can't seem to repack it succesfully. I've googled for a solution,
> haven't found one.
>
> I've tried a new approach; build a live-build image, copy
> filesystem.squashfs to a new build directory (under
> conf/includes.binary) and build a new image, but it isn't included in
> the initrd.img file. According to the manual it looks possible, section
> 12.3 states "Additional or replacement files and directories may be
> included in the installer initrd as well, in a similar fashion to
> Live/chroot local includes, by placing the material in
> config/includes.installer/."
>
> Is it possible to include filesystem.squashfs in initrd.img using
> live-build?
>
> Cheers,
> Daniel


live-boot initramfs hooks check the /live/filesystem.squashfs file by 
default. And you can add files to initramfs simply by appending it to 
the existing file (no need to unpack & repack).

I already do this for quite some time and this is roughly the code I use:

        echo live/filesystem.squashfs | cpio -o -H newc | gzip -1 > 
$live_initrd
        cat $org_initrd $live_initrd > $new_initrd

Replace the original initramfs image with the newly created one and 
there is no need for any other changes, it'll just work.