diff options
Diffstat (limited to '')
| -rw-r--r-- | debian/README | 37 |
1 files changed, 37 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/debian/README b/debian/README new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7fa0c61 --- /dev/null +++ b/debian/README @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +initramfs-tools +=============== + +The Linux kernel may boot using an "initramfs", an archive of files +that it unpacks into an in-memory file system at the beginning of the +boot process. This archive must contain its own init program which +the kernel will run as the first user process. In a Debian system, +the initramfs is responsible for: + +* Loading essential driver modules +* Setting up a network connection, if required +* Setting up layered storage devices, if required +* Resuming from hibernation (suspend-to-disk), if possible +* Checking and mounting the root and /usr file systems +* Handing over to the main init system + +initramfs-tools is designed to be extensible, and many other packages +provide these and additional features in the initramfs. + +On x86 systems, the initramfs can also contain CPU microcode updates +that the kernel will apply at a very early stage. These are provided +by the (non-free) intel-microcode and amd64-microcode packages. + +Debian's official kernel packages require the use of an initramfs, +since drivers and filesystem code are built as modules that need to be +loaded before the file systems can be mounted. Custom kernel packages +that have this code built-in may still need an initramfs to set up +layered storage devices or to provide microcode updates. + +If initramfs-tools is installed, it will generate an initramfs +automatically whenever a kernel is installed or upgraded (and remove +it when the kernel is removed). If only initramfs-tools-core is +installed, you can run mkinitramfs to generate an initramfs. + +The initramfs-tools(7) manual page documents the supported parameters +and how to extend initramfs-tools. There are additional manual pages +for the various commands and configuration files. |