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I am trying to learn to create the vmlinuz and initrd that are shipped on installation DVD of Fedora like FC6,FC3 Suse etc etc or any other linux distribution. Which when loaded by isolinux and after asking for options starts installation on a system
1) What should I look into any specific documentation
2) how does it work without system.map file
3) how are these kernel and initrd different from the ones found in /boot
folder of a system in which linux is installed that are specific to a
particular system and load only the specific drivers .If they are not
different then how can I use these kernels and initrd to replace the
one on distribution media supplied by a linux vendor.
Ummm... that's an awful lot of questions. And I think that the very best place to begin my answer is with a bit of explanation, which might help you to "reposition" your original question..
...
The good folks who build those terrific "Linux distros" for all of us, face one essential problem: they have no idea what sort of hardware we might be running. And unfortunately, by the time that "the Linux kernel" is up-and-running, those sorts of issues need to have been sorted out!
So, the initrd ("initial RAM-disk") mechanism was conceived as a sort of "in-between moment" during which such decisions can be made.
The Linux kernel will boot, but initially it will do so only to the point where it can "mount" a "compressed floppy-disk(!!)" which is the initrd.
The initrd will now, in a primitive and "bare bones" environment, determine which kernel-modules need to be loaded to support the current hardware, and will load them.
When initrd has finished, the Linux system will boot.
On some systems, such as Knoppix, the initrd stage really does have "true investigative responsibilities." On others, the installer-program merely determines in-advance what initrd must do and then builds an initrd image that "does exactly that."
which might help you to "reposition" your original question..."
I would like to know how to reposition my question I have been asking on many forums but did not yet made myself clear.
...
Quote:
in a primitive and "bare bones" environment, determine which kernel-modules need to be loaded to support the current hardware, and will load them.[*] When initrd has finished, the Linux system will boot.[/list]On some systems, such as Knoppix, the initrd stage really does have "true investigative responsibilities." On others, the installer-program merely determines in-advance what initrd must do and then builds an initrd image that "does exactly that."
want to know more about "bare bones" environment and true investigative responsibilities.
I think I have got a bit of answer the kernel image and initrd that I said on installation DVD is generic kernel image which is used for installations http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handboo...?part=1&chap=7
control f with option generic
My question is what is the difference between the kernel images that are on the installation media inside openSUSE-10.2-GM-DVD-i386.iso/boot/i386/loader/
(name linux and initrd )
and the kernel images that are on the system after a fresh installation has taken place inside /boot/ folder
which was able to boot the system instead of starting installation
Ok so I got what was actually I was searching for I am posting this as a reference if some one by mistake read this and is willing to do same as I did with some other distribution after reading this link go here http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...=1#post2935301
you copy the initrd from the distribution DVD and the one on your boot folder inside the system
and do as root
gzip -dc initrd | cpio -id
you will see a lot of directories and some executables
do this for both the initrd's the one on boot folder and the one in installation media
the difference comes in
modules which they load
I am not sure about the udev or devfs which the initrd on installation cd or dvd does .
Actually the difference comes in the init script which you see for both the initrd's the init extracted from the initrd of installation cd or dvd
has a linuxrc script which starts installaion by calling the installer which in my case was yast and in case of fedora is anaconda and debian has its own.
I have tried to explain what ever possible now this should help you.
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