linux-kernel - Re: Broken initrd compression settings in 3.13

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Message-ID: <CA+55aFyzVE91GZCD7sNzGn4x=MUjXM9SU0a_UFvVVDfxquXMzA@mail.gmail.com>
Date:	Fri, 20 Dec 2013 18:36:24 -0800
From:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:	Jeff Layton <jlayton@...hat.com>
Cc:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	P J P <ppandit@...hat.com>, Jan Beulich <JBeulich@...e.com>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Broken initrd compression settings in 3.13

On Fri, Dec 20, 2013 at 6:33 PM, Jeff Layton <jlayton@...hat.com> wrote:
>
> Perhaps a better solution for this would be to instead export an
> env var with a list of the compression algorithms that the kernel
> supports. Then installkernel or dracut could use that info to make a
> semi-intelligent decision based on that and what tools are installed.
>
> ...or maybe a separate env var for each one that it supports:
>
>     $INITRD_COMPRESS_LZ4
>     $INITRD_COMPRESS_BZIP2
>     $INITRD_COMPRESS_GZIP
>
> ...etc.

Agreed, either of those would work.

Of course, so does just "distro selects whatever compression method it
thinks is best, and when you compile a kernel for that distro, you
need to make sure that that kernel knows how to uncompress the
initrd".

Which quite frankly is the sanest approach of all. *Especially*
considering that right now we default to supporting all the initrd
compression methods.

And it has the advantage of not needing anything like this at all.

When you compile a kernel, you already need to compile in support for
the stuff the distro needs. This is no different, really.

So I think the whole "kernel tells the distro what compression method
to use" approach is broken and silly, and the wrong way around.

              Linus
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