mkosi-initrd(1)

📦
version 27.1 · 6 versions
, in arch rolling

💅 mkosi-initrd(1) — the general commands manual, but make it cute

okay so bestie, welcome to mkosi-initrd(1) 🌸 this one lives in the General Commands Manual section, and honestly? she's giving "small wrapper, big main character energy." ✨

🎀 NAME 🎀

mkosi-initrd — builds initrds or unified kernel images for the current system, using mkosi. yes, the current one. the one you're literally on right now. icon behavior tbh 💅

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

mkosi-initrd [options...]

that's it. that's the whole vibe. options go in, initrd comes out. 🔥

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so mkosi-initrd is a wrapper on top of mkosi — think of mkosi as the genius older sister and mkosi-initrd as the chill little sibling who handles the boring parts for you 🫶

her whole job? simplifying the generation of initrds and Unified Kernel Images for the current running system. no cap, that's the entire mission statement. slay. 👑

💖 OPTIONS 💖

  • --kernel-version=, -k — which kernel version do we look in for the kernel modules to include? 👀 defaults to the kernel version of the running system (uname -r), because obviously we assume you like the one you booted. (note the = on the long form, bestie, it wants the value.)
  • --format=, -t — the output format, pick one:
    • cpio — a CPIO archive
    • uki — a unified kernel image, with the image chilling in the .initrd PE section
    • directory — generates the image directly in a local directory

defaults to cpio. periodt. 💅

  • --output=, -o — the name to use for the generated output image file or directory (depends on your format, iykyk). defaults to initrd.
  • --output-dir=, -O — path to the directory where all the generated artifacts get placed. defaults to the current working directory, cute and simple 🎀
  • --generic, -g — builds a generic initrd without host-specific kernel modules. the whole point: it should let your local system boot on different hardware 🌈 but — and this is the important but — it's still tied to the kernel version of the running system, or whatever you set with --kernel-version=. so, portable-ish. not fully untethered. know the difference bestie 💀
  • --profile= — sets the profiles to enable for the initrd. by default, all profiles are disabled 🙈 and here's the menu:
    • lvm — enables support for LVM
    • network — enables support for network via systemd-networkd
    • nfs — enables support for NFS. heads up: it requires networking in the initrd, either via the network profile or some other custom method of your choosing 🧚
    • pkcs11 — enables support for PKCS#11
    • plymouth — provides a graphical interface at boot (animation + password prompt) 🎀✨
    • raid — enables support for RAID arrays
  • --debug — enable additional debugging output. more words! more info! 🫶
  • --debug-shell — spawns a debug shell in the sandbox if a sandboxed command fails. very "when things go wrong, we go in" energy 🔍
  • --debug-sandbox — runs mkosi-sandbox with strace. yes. that strace. peak investigative girlboss behavior 💀
  • --show-documentation, -D — shows the man page for mkosi-initrd. meta. love that for us 📖
  • --show-summary, -S — shows the summary of configuration. a lil recap moment 💅
  • --version — shows the package version. 🏷️
  • --help, -h — shows brief usage information. the classic. the blueprint. the "help me help you" 🫶

🌸 CONFIGURATION 🌸

okay so config for mkosi-initrd gets read from these directories, in increasing order of priority:

  • /usr/lib
  • /usr/local/lib
  • /run
  • /etc

so yes, /etc wins. it always wins. main character directory fr 👑

under any of those directories you can use:

  • mkosi.conf.d/ — for config files
  • mkosi.extra/ — for extra files to include in the initrd
  • and so on ✨

for the full details, go read the Configuration Settings and FILES sections in mkosi(1). she has lore. 🦋

for configuration files, use drop-ins — like /etc/mkosi-initrd/mkosi.conf.d/local.conf 🎀 that's the pattern, memorize it, it's giving "just put it in the right folder and everything works."

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

  • mkosi(1) — the big sister. go read her. 💜

and that's the page, bestie 🫶 signing off from the mkosi-initrd(1) manual page in the General Commands Manual — that footer is genuinely just mkosi-initrd(1), no date, no version stamp, that's the whole send-off, so consider this your official cute goodbyeeee 💖✨🎀

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