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Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd

From "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net>
Newsgroups linux.debian.user
Subject Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd
Date 2021-06-05 21:30 +0200
Message-ID <CmK9z-73B-3@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
References <CmIAN-62P-1@gated-at.bofh.it> <CmJdv-6v0-3@gated-at.bofh.it>
Organization linux.* mail to news gateway

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Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> writes:
> On Sat, Jun 05, 2021 at 12:46:13PM -0500, Martin McCormick wrote:
> > I have a plan but I need some more information.  Is there any
> > personalization done by the boot setup process?
> 
> Yes. One of the GRUB's tasks is to supply kernel which is about to boot
> with root=... cmdline parameter. Root filesystem UUID can be used for
> this.
> 
> 
> > Do our UUID's or any other specific information pertaining to the
> > installation make it in to the initrd files?
> 
> In Debian - no, unless you include it there for some bizarre reason.
> It's not needed for the things initrd usually does.
> 
> 
> >       If that is so, then two computers using the same
> > processor type should be able to use copies of the same initrd files
> > and the only thing that is personalized on an individual computer
> > is all the grub configuration in which the UUID's of at least /
> > and /swap partitions are sprinkled throughout grub.cfg and
> > /etc/default/grub.
> 
> It's not the CPU difference you need to worry about.
> Different SATA controllers, video cards, NICs - i.e. what they call
> periphery devices - those things require different kernel modules that
> should be (or could be) used in early boot process, and therefore need
> to be included in initrd.
> 
> Luckily, Debian uses initramfs-tools for building initrd, and
> initramfs-tools should build initrd with everything and a kitchen sink
> included (MODULES=most in /etc/initramfs-tools/initramfs.conf).
> 
> 
> >       One should be able to write a program to get the
> > appropriate UUID's out of fstab on the working system
> > and translate them in to corresponding UUID's for the system on
> > the operating table.
> 
> Er, they've invented filesystem labels for exactly this many decades
> ago.
> 
> 
> >       As an aside, one ought to be able to do something like
> > this.  It makes life a lot simpler.  Both systems are using the
> > same kernel and versions of the same processor the only real
> > differences are the UUID's.
> 
> Perfectly possible for the last 15 years or so. Assuming Debian and
> MODULES=most, of course.
> 
> Reco
> 
> 
It sounds like I haven't missed anything obvious so I will see if
I can write a perl script or some other text-muncher that will
recreate the grub configuration of the working system but with
the UUID's of the non-working system plus a grub.cfg file exactly
like the grub.cfg file on the system that refuses to boot but
with the correct UUID labels describing the boot partition on
that system plus a copy of the kernel and it's module directory.

	As for partition labels, I have always thought the name
was much easier to deal with than the 36 randomly-selected
characters that make up the UUID on a unix partition but UUID
labels are supposed to be unique and are what you encounter today
so I will see if I can make the script modern compatible.

	Thanks to you and deloptes@gmail.com.

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Thread

A Grub Boot Question about initrd "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2021-06-05 19:50 +0200
  Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2021-06-05 20:10 +0200
  Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> - 2021-06-05 20:30 +0200
    Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2021-06-05 21:30 +0200
  Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2021-06-05 21:30 +0200
    Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2021-06-05 23:30 +0200
      Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2021-06-06 01:20 +0200
      Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2021-06-06 01:50 +0200
      Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd Cindy Sue Causey <butterflybytes@gmail.com> - 2021-06-06 02:20 +0200
        Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd Gene Heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2021-06-06 04:30 +0200
        Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd "Andrew M.A. Cater" <amacater@einval.com> - 2021-06-06 14:30 +0200
  Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd Andrei POPESCU <andreimpopescu@gmail.com> - 2021-06-06 13:20 +0200
    Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2021-06-06 20:40 +0200
      Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2021-06-06 22:40 +0200
        Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2021-06-07 00:00 +0200
          Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2021-06-07 03:10 +0200
          Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2021-06-07 04:40 +0200
            Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2021-06-07 14:20 +0200
            Grub Success at Last "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2021-06-09 00:20 +0200
              Re: Grub Success at Last, but way offtopic Gene Heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2021-06-09 01:00 +0200
    Re: A Grub Boot Question about initrd David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2021-06-07 20:40 +0200

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