Hello! On Dec 11, Evan Broder wrote: > On Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 1:34 PM, Ben Hutchings <b...@decadent.org.uk> wrote: > > On Sat, 2010-12-11 at 13:14 -0800, Evan Broder wrote: > >> Package: initramfs-tools > >> Version: 0.98.1 > >> Severity: normal > >> Tags: patch > >> User: ubuntu-de...@lists.ubuntu.com > >> Usertags: origin-ubuntu natty ubuntu-patch > >> > >> If you pass a root= argument with a numeric device number > >> (i.e. root=0806), that's currently resolved by running mknod to create > >> a /dev/root device with an appropriate major/minor number and setting > >> ROOT=/dev/root (the parse_numeric function in scripts/functions). > > [...] > > > > Maybe this feature should simply be deprecated. What do you use it for?
I strongly object as long as GRUB and especially GRUB2 are such a mess that they either forcefully invade the MBR and/or need additional undocumented sector space in track 0 (which destroys e.g. recovery mechanisms on notebooks) or refuse to go into (only) a partition boot sector at all (GRUB2)! This is also the answer to you question what I use 'it' for, namely simply LILO. > I don't use the feature myself; I was fixing the bug on behalf of a > user that reported it in Ubuntu, since it seemed simple to fix with a > low chance of regressing other behavior. I've CC'd him to find out. > > Ruediger, can you expand on why you're using root=0806 instead of > root=/dev/sda6 or a UUID or some other means of specifying the root > device? Of course, and I'm glad to. Because I actually use 'root=/dev/sda6' in LILO's /etc/lilo.conf - and have always done so. It is from there, that the problems arise, 'root=0806' was just used to demonstrate how(!) "wait-for-root" fails. The following is how I 'believe', but have not tested(!), that the problem arises: LILO transfers the 'root=/dev/sda6' into its 'map' or bootparameter section for the next start by analyzing the 'root'-device and then stores its minor and major number there. With the next start it just transfers the 'root=0806' information to the kernel and no '/dev/sda6'; from there "parse_numeric" picks up the information and (previously) mknod'ed a /dev/root device. This is(/was) what "wait-for-root" isn't(/wasn't) able to handle. In principle it is "wait-for-root" that is to blame for the problem, but modifying "parse_numeric" seems ok for me, as it doesn't seem to break the structure. You can still do both, mknod a /dev/root and set some variable to a udev-friendly information. Please keep in mind, that accuracy goes before(!) accelleration or cutting features. I've seen so many "/dev"-mechanisms come and go, that I don't want to sacrifice the - at least to my knowledge - o n l y non-intruding boot-method (for an i386-system), LILO, to some pseudo accelleration mechanism that might go away with the next distribution version. Thanks and best regards, Ruediger Oberhage -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
