initrd weirdness

[Bill Campbell]

On Thu, Feb 02, 2006, Net Llama! wrote:
>I'm trying to create a custom SuSE boot/install CD.  I extracted the
>initrd that comes with the SusE-10 (x86_64) and made a few minor changes
>to autoyast.xml (an xml file), however when I put the initrd back together
>again with cpio and gzip it, the size of it is almost 3 times larger than
>the original, and I can't figure out why.  My changes were just some plain
>text tweaks, certainly nothing that would increase the size more than a
>few bytes, much less many MB.

Unless you're doing something fairly wierd in your install, I think it's
easier to put any modules that aren't in the normal SuSE set found on their
installalation in a modules directory on a floppy, along with the
appropriate info file, copy the SuSE Installation DVD/CDs to a directory on
a server, then do a network install from the stock CD.

We do a lot of autoyast installs in which the only thing we have on the
installation floppy is the modules directory with the specific modules we
need for the installation, and an info file which defines the NFS mount for
the install, and the autoyast file is also on the server.

Putting the autoyast XML file on the server eliminates having to figure out
the pseudo-scsi device when the info file is on a USB floppy or other USB
device.

The attached info file is the one we're using for SuSE Linux Enterprise 9
for machines using a mini-itx main board and SATA drives.

This info file allows us to use vncviewer or a browser to monitor and
answer questions during the installation.

Bill
--
INTERNET:   bill at Celestial.COM  Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
URL: http://www.celestial.com/  PO Box 820; 6641 E. Mercer Way
FAX:            (206) 232-9186  Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820; (206) 236-1676

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	-- Buckminster Fuller
-------------- next part --------------
# hostip: 192.168.253.63
# SuSE SLES9 configuration

install: nfs://192.168.253.44/backups/installs/sles9

netdevice: eth0

# A-OPEN X-Cube with broadcom 10/100/1000
# insmod: tg3

# ASUS Bookshelf, Alden # 3
insmod: sis900

# VIA APIA mini-ITX
# insmod via-rhine
# insmod mii

# autoyast: floppy://autoinst.xml
# autoyast: nfs://192.168.253.44/backups/installs/suse93pro/

# autoyast: device://sda/auto_hda.xml
# autoyast: # nfs://192.168.253.44/backups/installs/sles9/auto_hda.xml

# autoyast: device://sdb/auto_sda.xml
autoyast: nfs://192.168.253.44/backups/installs/sles9/auto_sda.xml

vnc: 1

vncpassword: install