debian bug 453294 this fix breaks upgrade etch -> lenny

[Rudy Gevaert]

Hi Henning

On Tue, Apr 07, 2009 at 02:56:18PM +0200, Henning Sprang wrote:
> Hi Rudy,
> 
> Rudy Gevaert wrote:
> > With the newer initramfs-tools package in Lenny we couldn't install our
> > Xen virtual machines anymore.
> 
> How exactly are you installing them, and what types of VM?
> Are you doing paravirtual VM's via xen's nfsroot booting method?

xen virtual machines

xen nfsroot
 
> Did you read the wiki about xen installation?

In the past I did :) this how I got our setup working (in the past).

> The things there should help.
> 
> It may be important to know for you that the order of boot options given
> to the kernel is important.

I can come into that, however in my opinion initramfs init script was
maybe changed in such a way that it breaks some setups.  The change was
initiated by Thomas, so I was wondering why...

> If it's not right, the boot will fail and the errors are not really
> pointing you to the solution. (I was there for a while, until I found
> the solution by accident).

The problem is that the init script in initramfs checks when
root=/dev/nfs,  $BOOT must be empty and only the it will set  BOOT=nfs

BOOT is always local or nfs. See /etc/initramfs-tools/initramfs.conf so
BOOT is never set to nfs in that part of the script.  It will only be
set to nfs when BOOT="" in the config file.  But this will disable using
the same initramfs for netinstall and local booting.

The only way arround is when creating the virtual xen machine to let it
boot with nfsroot options and also set boot=nfs on as an extra option.

I still don't know why the check was added in the init script.  Thomas?
 
> You could also install xen VM's on Lenny with xen-tools, integrating FAI
> as a hook there - this is also documented in the wiki.

I have a look at that, I didn't know it was possible. But is probably
not a direction we will follow.

I have been using our current setup for 2 (maybe even more) years
without any change.

Thanks in advance,
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Rudy Gevaert          Rudy.Gevaert at UGent.be          tel:+32 9 264 4734
Directie ICT, afd. Infrastructuur  Direction ICT, Infrastructure dept.
Groep Systemen                     Systems group
Universiteit Gent                  Ghent University
Krijgslaan 281, gebouw S9, 9000 Gent, Belgie               www.UGent.be
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