How to stop installkernel from making an initramfs?

[ExecutorElassus]

So, I understand installkernel recently changed its behavior to install and use dracut. Prior to this, the way I've installed a kernel was this:

Code: Select all

/usr/src/linux # make -j17 && make -j17 modules_install
# make install
# genkernel --lvm --mdadm --kernel-config=/usr/src/linux/.config initramfs
# nano /boot/grub/grub.cfg % (to manually edit the grub file to point to the new files)

I've disabled dracut through the USE flag. Now, however, the second command still puts an initramfs file into /boot, which I do not want. How do I stop it from doing this?

Cheers,

EE

[Nowa]

I've disabled dracut through the USE flag. Now, however, the second command still puts an initramfs file into /boot, which I do not want. How do I stop it from doing this?

Which version of dracut and which version of installkernel? With the latest versions of both no initramfs should be generated if the dracut flag is disabled.

Of course, removing the dracut package will also work.

[ExecutorElassus]

On the initial run I was using installkernel-16. Then I added "-dracut" to its USE, and emerged installkernel-19 and unmerged dracut. I don't know which version it was. But after that, running `make install` still placed an initramfs file on /boot.

Are you saying that should no longer happen with my system as it's now configured?

Cheers,

EE

[Nowa]

Are you saying that should no longer happen with my system as it's now configured?

Dracut is not on your system but you still end up with an initramfs in /boot?

Either something else is generating one (unlikely), or you still have a left over initrd file at /usr/src/linux-x.y.z/arch/x86/boot/initrd (or equivalent for your architecture).

Unfortunately the traditional installkernel (USE=-systemd) generates it at the same place as the kernel image, so if you drop initramfs generation (i.e. set USE=-dracut) this file will still be left behind and it will still get picked up by the main installkernel script. It's an annoyance in the original design that I don't think we can get rid of without breaking things elsewhere. Systemd's kernel-install (USE=+systemd) is a bit better in this regard in the sense that it will never alter the kernel source tree.