linux-kernel - Re: The policy on initramfs decompression failure

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Message-ID: <496D8B55.2000901@knaff.lu>
Date:	Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:51:01 +0100
From:	Alain Knaff <alain@...ff.lu>
To:	Theodore Tso <tytso@....edu>, "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	Al Viro <viro@....linux.org.uk>, Alain Knaff <alain@...ff.lu>
Subject: Re: The policy on initramfs decompression failure

Theodore Tso wrote:
>    failed-initramfs-decode=panic      Panic on failed initramfs
>    failed-initramfs-decode=partial    If the initramfs fails part-way in, 
>    				      decode what you can and let the boot
> 				      system see what files could be fully
> 				      decypted
>    failed-initramfs-decode=allow      If the initramfs decryption fails
>    				      part-of-the-way in, continue the
> 				      boot, but do not provide the partial
> 				      initramfs --- i.e., this is the 
> 				      all-or-nothing option

Interesting approach... but wouldn't it make more sense to have that be
global? Or else, eventually every single panic will have such a
tri-state switch, with associated option parsing and overhead, leading
to bloat.

> If this is too complicated, I'd be happy with the "panic on failed
> initramfs".  After all, the user can always simply delete the initrd
> specifier from their grub boot configuration, and simply retry the
> boot....

Exactly!

Regards,

Alain

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