9 dracut.modules - dracut modules
14 dracut uses a modular system to build and extend the initramfs image. All
15 modules are located in _/usr/lib/dracut/modules.d_ or in _<git-src>/modules.d_.
16 The most basic dracut module is _99base_. In _99base_ the initial shell script
17 init is defined, which gets run by the kernel after initramfs loading. Although
18 you can replace init with your own version of _99base_, this is not encouraged.
19 Instead you should use, if possible, the hooks of dracut. All hooks, and the
20 point of time in which they are executed, are described in <<stages>>.
22 The main script, which creates the initramfs is dracut itself. It parses all
23 arguments and sets up the directory, in which everything is installed. It then
24 executes all check, install, installkernel scripts found in the modules, which
25 are to be processed. After everything is installed, the install directory is
26 archived and compressed to the final initramfs image. All helper functions used
27 by check, install and installkernel are found in in the file _dracut-functions_.
28 These shell functions are available to all module installer (install,
29 installkernel) scripts, without the need to source _dracut-functions_.
31 A module can check the preconditions for install and installkernel with the
32 check script. Also dependencies can be expressed with check. If a module passed
33 check, install and installkernel will be called to install all of the necessary
34 files for the module. To split between kernel and non-kernel parts of the
35 installation, all kernel module related parts have to be in installkernel. All
36 other files found in a module directory are module specific and mostly are hook
37 scripts and udev rules.
41 == Boot Process Stages
43 dracut modules can insert custom script at various points, to control the boot
45 These hooks are plain directories containing shell scripts ending with ".sh",
46 which are sourced by init.
47 Common used functions are in _dracut-lib.sh_, which can be sourced by any script.
51 The _cmdline_ hook is a place to insert scripts to parse the kernel command line
52 and prepare the later actions, like setting up udev rules and configuration
55 In this hook the most important environment variable is defined: root. The
56 second one is rootok, which indicates, that a module claimed to be able to parse
57 the root defined. So for example, **root=**__iscsi:....__ will be claimed by the
58 iscsi dracut module, which then sets rootok.
62 This hook is executed right after the cmdline hook and a check if root and
63 rootok were set. Here modules can take action with the final root, and before
68 Now udev is started and the logging for udev is setup.
72 In this hook, you can set udev environment variables with **udevadm control
73 --property=KEY=_value_** or control the further execution of udev with
78 udev is triggered by calling udevadm trigger, which sends add events for all
79 devices and subsystems.
83 In the main loop of dracut loops until udev has settled and
84 all scripts in _initqueue/finished_ returned true.
85 In this loop there are three hooks, where scripts can be inserted
86 by calling /sbin/initqueue.
90 This hook gets executed every time a script is inserted here, regardless of the
93 ==== Initqueue settled
95 This hooks (initqueue/settled) gets executed every time udev has settled.
97 ==== Initqueue timeout
99 This hooks (initqueue/timeout) gets executed, when the main loop counter becomes
100 half of the rd.retry counter.
102 ==== Initqueue finished
104 This hook (initqueue/finished) is called after udev has settled and
105 if all scripts herein return 0 the main loop will be ended.
106 Abritary scripts can be added here, to loop in the
107 initqueue until something happens, which a dracut module wants to wait for.
111 Before the root device is mounted all scripts in the hook pre-mount are
112 executed. In some cases (e.g. NFS) the real root device is already mounted,
117 This hook is mainly to mount the real root device.
121 This hook is called before cleanup hook, This is a good place for
122 actions other than cleanups which need to be called before pivot.
126 This hook is the last hook and is called before init finally switches root to
127 the real root device. This is a good place to clean up and kill processes not
131 === Cleanup and switch_root
133 Init (or systemd) kills all udev processes, cleans up the environment,
134 sets up the arguments for the real init process and finally calls switch_root.
135 switch_root removes the whole filesystem hierarchy of the initramfs,
136 chroot()s to the real root device and calls /sbin/init with the specified
139 To ensure all files in the initramfs hierarchy can be removed, all processes
140 still running from the initramfs should not have any open file descriptors left.
142 == Network Infrastructure
148 A simple example module is _96insmodpost_, which modprobes a kernel module after
149 udev has settled and the basic device drivers have been loaded.
151 All module installation information is in the file module-setup.sh.
153 First we create a check() function, which just exits with 0 indicating that this
154 module should be included by default.
161 The we create the install() function, which installs a cmdline hook with
162 priority number 20 called _parse-insmodpost.sh_. It also installs the
163 _insmodpost.sh_ script in _/sbin_.
167 inst_hook cmdline 20 "$moddir/parse-insmodpost.sh"
168 inst_simple "$moddir/insmodpost.sh" /sbin/insmodpost.sh
171 The _pase-instmodpost.sh_ parses the kernel command line for a argument
172 rd.driver.post, blacklists the module from being autoloaded and installs the
173 hook _insmodpost.sh_ in the _initqueue/settled_.
175 _parse-insmodpost.sh_:
177 for p in $(getargs rd.driver.post=); do
178 echo "blacklist $p" >> /etc/modprobe.d/initramfsblacklist.conf
182 [ -n "$_do_insmodpost" ] && /sbin/initqueue --settled --unique --onetime /sbin/insmodpost.sh
187 _insmodpost.sh_, which is called in the _initqueue/settled_ hook will just
188 modprobe the kernel modules specified in all rd.driver.post kernel command line
189 parameters. It runs after udev has settled and is only called once (--onetime).
195 for p in $(getargs rd.driver.post=); do
202 === module-setup.sh: check()
204 _check()_ is called by dracut to evaluate the inclusion of a dracut module in
207 $hostonly:: If the $hostonly variable is set, then the module check() function
208 should be in "hostonly" mode, which means, that the check() should only return
209 0, if the module is really needed to boot this specific host.
211 check() should return with:
213 0:: Include the dracut module in the initramfs.
215 1:: Do not include the dracut module. The requirements are not fullfilled
216 (missing tools, etc.)
218 255:: Only include the dracut module, if another module requires it or if
219 explicitly specified in the config file or on the argument list.
222 === module-setup.sh: depends()
224 The function depends() should echo all other dracut module names the module
227 === module-setup.sh: cmdline()
229 This function should print the kernel command line options needed to boot the
230 current machine setup. It should start with a space and should not print a
233 === module-setup.sh: install()
235 The install() function is called to install everything non-kernel related.
236 To install binaries, scripts, and other files, you can use the functions
237 mentioned in <<creation>>.
239 To address a file in the current module directory, use the variable "$moddir".
241 === module-setup.sh: installkernel()
243 In installkernel() all kernel related files should be installed. You can use all
244 of the functions mentioned in <<creation>> to install files.
246 === [[creation]]Creation Functions
248 ==== inst_multiple [-o] <file> [ <file> ...]
250 installs multiple binaries and files. If executables are specified without a
251 path, dracut will search the path PATH=/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/bin for the
252 binary. If the option "-o" is given as the first parameter, a missing file does
253 not lead to an error.
255 ==== inst <src> [<dst>]
257 installs _one_ file <src> either to the same place in the initramfs or to an
260 ==== inst_hook <hookdir> <prio> <src>
262 installs an executable/script <src> in the dracut hook <hookdir> with priority
265 ==== inst_rules <udevrule> [ <udevrule> ...]
267 installs one ore more udev rules. Non-existant udev rules are reported, but do
270 ==== instmods <kernelmodule> [ <kernelmodule> ... ]
272 instmods should be used only in the installkernel() function.
274 instmods installs one or more kernel modules in the initramfs. <kernelmodule>
275 can also be a whole subsystem, if prefixed with a "=", like "=drivers/net/team".
277 instmods will not install the kernel module, if $hostonly is set and the kernel
278 module is not currently needed by any /sys/*...*/uevent MODALIAS.
279 To install a kernel module regardless of the hostonly mode use the form:
281 hostonly='' instmods <kernelmodule>
284 === Initramfs Functions