How to mount any kind of filesystem with the Linux command line?

I'm using Buildroot to generate an embedded Linux with a kernel v. 2.6.39, which in the end starts busybox. Everything works fine when building with Initramfs as "rootfs". But Initramfs isn't the best for my needs, so i want to switch to other fs like SquashFS or even better not compressing it at all.

Anyways i can't figure out how to tell the kernel it shall boot for instance the SquashFS file. What i do know, is that this is done by some kernel command line parameters. Unfortunately i can't find more about this with different search engines or here. And so it doesn't work. It always ends, as expected, with a kernelpanic.

And how is it done if I haven't got it compressed and therefor it just has to be copied from Flash to RAM ?

Any (even small) hints are welcomed!

Thank you

firstly let me say that for such a small post count, you are doing very well to have a go at such a large amount of compile time to compile everything to get a working Linux onto an embedded device

maybe you could name the embedded device?

You might find, there are a heap of Linux distros already ported to that device?

Typically they have an ARM processor and depending on the version number and single core, dual or quad etc....you may find an image or 2 can be quickly downloaded and tested.

2) Puppy is quite well known to have multiple squashfiles at boot up
you may like to research that distro

I am not an expert in that area but typically they use "appending" squash file systems

let me explain

first squashfile as the basic stuff....but someone wants extra files so adds them and creates a second squashfile

puppy allows multiple squash files to be booted in one hit

you of course appear to be trying to do it all in one squashfile?

################

a quick google gives

http://puppylinux.org/wikka/Squashfs?redirect=no

image of how it works
http://puppylinux.com/development/pup2layers.png

http://puppylinux.com/development/howpuppyworks.html

good luck

no no... I'm not talking about a distro, actually I'm not sure why you think I was. The last instance to be started is an application. To make it easy here let's say I just want to start BusyBox. So the bootsequence is: Bootloader (Bootstrap, U-Boot) --> Linux Kernel --> FS/Busybox. Mounting another FS afterwards (when system is ready), like you mentioned, shouldn't be a problem either.

Everything is running smoothly with initramfs, but how can I switch to the others for exmaple SquashFS? How to tell the kernel, when he finished now start "...". I'm pretty sure it's about the kernel command line, or parameters given by the bootloader. But I don't know the parameters

The linuxlite (x86) distro boots from a squashfs image. You could take a look at how it does it.

# mount -o loop -t iso9660 distro.iso /mnt

Originally Posted by Shadow_7 The linuxlite (x86) distro boots from a squashfs image. You could take a look at how it does it. # mount -o loop -t iso9660 distro.iso /mnt

Is that written in the command line ?

Originally Posted by embLinux Is that written in the command line ?

Basically, with the # representing as root, or prefix'd with sudo for some distros. Some distros may have a gui way of mounting an iso filesystem. But I'm not familiar with those at the moment.

Hi

I have a problem with this

Bootloader (Bootstrap, U-Boot) --> Linux Kernel ...... Mounting another FS afterwards

whats stopping you from having what ever is booting from having that filesystem partition/folder included in the fstab?

sorry for thinking of distros.....its my defining feature....grins like a sheep

and if I am right, you may like to see that TinyCore's microcore distro is
essentially
a kernel
a rootfs (called an initramfs image)
with a busybox

Core is the base system which provides only a command line interface and is therefore recommended for experienced users only. Command line tools are provided so that extensions can be added to create a system with a graphical desktop environment. Ideal for servers, appliances, and custom desktops.

http://tinycorelinux.net/downloads.html