Bristol Digest, Vol 639, Issue 7

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Today's Topics:

1. Re: Module Queries (was Grub2 and Fedora 23) (Peter Hemmings)
2. Re: Module Queries (was Grub2 and Fedora 23) (Steve King)
3. Re: Module Queries (was Grub2 and Fedora 23) (Alex Butcher)
4. Re: Module Queries (was Grub2 and Fedora 23) (Peter Hemmings)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2016 17:53:46 +0100
From: Peter Hemmings <peternsomerset@virginmedia.com>
To: Bristol and Bath Linux User Group <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] Module Queries (was Grub2 and Fedora 23)
Message-ID: <56FD561A.7060001@virginmedia.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

Now at least I get something!

On 30/03/16 22:29, David Smith wrote:
> cpio --extract < /boot/initramfs-4.4.6-300.fc23.x86_64.img

[peter@laptop ~]$ mkdir /tmp/foo
[peter@laptop ~]$ cd /tmp/foo
[peter@laptop foo]$ cpio --extract <
/boot/initramfs-4.4.6-300.fc23.x86_64.img
26 blocks
[peter@laptop foo]$ ls
early_cpio kernel
[peter@laptop foo]$ cat early_cpio
1
[peter@laptop foo]$ cd kernel
[peter@laptop kernel]$ ls
x86
[peter@laptop kernel]$ cd x86
[peter@laptop x86]$ ls
microcode
[peter@laptop x86]$ cd microcode
[peter@laptop microcode]$ ls
GenuineIntel.bin
[peter@laptop microcode]$ cd genuineIntel.bin
bash: cd: genuineIntel.bin: No such file or directory
[peter@laptop microcode]$ cd GenuineIntel.bin
bash: cd: GenuineIntel.bin: Not a directory
[peter@laptop microcode]$ cat GenuineIntel.bin

? 0
???

??v?\????@???6?GG?_X?[L??z?}7??u?o[Uf?????H?1?.9B10?Eo0? ?V??uh(?`Z????Y???}????
u
?A?????????$h?rf9k????aAE???
?3.??6???6?ck?|???&?`q?n?`?c??y?a????X?RC?|??
?d??8z@?:}?????.n??W??DV??11
??~f?V?,zl???G?!?#????
??%;??L&?????O?{t%?=??????i?;t'?m???|x?(?;?q??<??S#???l?}H8]?db?~?W???)^??O???x;y??#??\??*??zq?1?;?-??N??(????"?T??f~?tTA?Em=?????hq&YsH?_xb?C+???A8?"?[?vx??????w3Y$,j?H?(????rv?%%p:?X[?[_????4,
o????4.z???8U?>|?
-d?G?!C_T{=???q|?2,??%?i8??5???=?s?uX?$??4#bd?|u?F??????{{V/??=?x?????z?N??j?L?{i`?Dd)?????=&}?-WH??>=A?l???????p?1??L
U???u?B?U???nA??ip{lq@O:??k?0??V|??o??
?8??~??L
????g??4?Ym?I?Z?]?f??!@L.b???.??X#?k?W??r???^?!??4?*?e?"?2??t??~????P?Y????w??9d??o^ES?@?s1-??????+v??????Yh?>?!?7l??S
?:
but not what I expected!

Is this a Fedora quirk or me!?

Regards

--
Peter H



------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2016 09:44:11 +0100
From: "Steve King" <debian@invux.com>
To: "Bristol and Bath Linux User Group" <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] Module Queries (was Grub2 and Fedora 23)
Message-ID:
<bf67139b312489f996d90fa6b88eff88.squirrel@dazzle.invux.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1


> Now at least I get something!
>
> On 30/03/16 22:29, David Smith wrote:
>> cpio --extract < /boot/initramfs-4.4.6-300.fc23.x86_64.img
>
> [peter@laptop ~]$ mkdir /tmp/foo
> [peter@laptop ~]$ cd /tmp/foo
> [peter@laptop foo]$ cpio --extract <
> /boot/initramfs-4.4.6-300.fc23.x86_64.img
> 26 blocks
> [peter@laptop foo]$ ls
> early_cpio kernel
> [peter@laptop foo]$ cat early_cpio
> 1
> [peter@laptop foo]$ cd kernel
> [peter@laptop kernel]$ ls
> x86
> [peter@laptop kernel]$ cd x86
> [peter@laptop x86]$ ls
> microcode
> [peter@laptop x86]$ cd microcode
> [peter@laptop microcode]$ ls
> GenuineIntel.bin
> [peter@laptop microcode]$ cd genuineIntel.bin
> bash: cd: genuineIntel.bin: No such file or directory
> [peter@laptop microcode]$ cd GenuineIntel.bin
> bash: cd: GenuineIntel.bin: Not a directory
> [peter@laptop microcode]$ cat GenuineIntel.bin

some binary removed (try cat -v, or od next time )

> but not what I expected!
>
> Is this a Fedora quirk or me!?
>

Well, that is confusing.

How big is the file?

In my (virtual) machine, I have a file with that exact name which is a
gzipped cpio with a more complete initial ram disk image:
-rw-------. 1 root root 15520912 Mar 30 09:50
initramfs-4.4.6-300.fc23.x86_64.img

So, because it is a virtual machine, it won't have the intel microcode on
it. So there is a difference. But I don't know why you would have a ram
disk with only intel microcode in it.

Unless, the cpio archive is multiple ramdisks concatenated together. (But
I am only guessing here)

man mkinird suggests man dracut suggests lsinitrd can list the content of
an initramfs and it seems to do so on my vm.

--
Steve




------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2016 10:08:00 +0100 (BST)
From: Alex Butcher <lug@assursys.co.uk>
To: Bristol and Bath Linux User Group <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] Module Queries (was Grub2 and Fedora 23)
Message-ID:
<alpine.LRH.2.11.1604010959450.11437@zlgugi.of5.nffheflf.cev>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

On Fri, 1 Apr 2016, Steve King wrote:

>> Now at least I get something!
>> [peter@laptop kernel]$ cd x86
>> [peter@laptop x86]$ cd microcode
>> [peter@laptop microcode]$ cat GenuineIntel.bin
>
> some binary removed (try cat -v, or od next time )
>
>> but not what I expected!
>>
>> Is this a Fedora quirk or me!?
>>
>
> Well, that is confusing.

Not really; it's the Intel CPU microcode firmware image. The BIOS/UEFI
normally loads this into the CPU between POST and booting the OS, but Linux
can also update the CPU's microcode firmware during boot (handy if you're
using a motherboard that no longer gets BIOS updates, if it ever did).

If you're confused by the ramdisk image being almost empty, I expect it's
because the two Linux OSs are fighting over the various boot files (i.e.
the GRUB config and boot sector and the initramfs). If you want to
dual-boot Linux OSs (why?!?), then it's up to you (i.e. Peter, in this
case), the admin/user to figure out a process for keeping your GRUB config
and boot sector, initramfses and kernels in order - you can't expect the
distros to do that for you. In order to do that, you'll probably end up
having to rip out/disable large chunks of each distro's standard mechanism
and replacing both with one custom mechanism that works the way you want it
to work.

Or, stop dual-booting (I'd instead highly recommend running test OSes in a
virtual machine, e.g. as provided by VirtualBox).

> Steve

Best Regards,
Alex



------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2016 10:40:42 +0100
From: Peter Hemmings <peternsomerset@virginmedia.com>
To: Bristol and Bath Linux User Group <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] Module Queries (was Grub2 and Fedora 23)
Message-ID: <56FE421A.2010200@virginmedia.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed



On 01/04/16 10:08, Alex Butcher wrote:
> On Fri, 1 Apr 2016, Steve King wrote:
>
>>> Now at least I get something! [peter@laptop kernel]$ cd x86
>>> [peter@laptop x86]$ cd microcode [peter@laptop microcode]$ cat
>>> GenuineIntel.bin
>>
>> some binary removed (try cat -v, or od next time )
>>
>>> but not what I expected!
>>>
>>> Is this a Fedora quirk or me!?
>>>
>>
>> Well, that is confusing.
>
> Not really; it's the Intel CPU microcode firmware image. The
> BIOS/UEFI normally loads this into the CPU between POST and booting
> the OS, but Linux can also update the CPU's microcode firmware during
> boot (handy if you're using a motherboard that no longer gets BIOS
> updates, if it ever did).
>
> If you're confused by the ramdisk image being almost empty, I expect
> it's because the two Linux OSs are fighting over the various boot
> files (i.e. the GRUB config and boot sector and the initramfs).

Not in this case though!

I was just doing this to find how to see modules that were being loaded
so I am doing this on my PC with only fc23 and winxoze dual booting.


If
> you want to dual-boot Linux OSs (why?!?
because I was learning a bit of Wordpress and could only find mint info
on local install wish I hadn't now!! ),


then it's up to you (i.e.
> Peter, in this case), the admin/user to figure out a process for
> keeping your GRUB config and boot sector, initramfses and kernels in
> order - you can't expect the distros to do that for you. In order to
> do that, you'll probably end up having to rip out/disable large
> chunks of each distro's standard mechanism and replacing both with
> one custom mechanism that works the way you want it to work.

All too complicated for me I am afraid!

>
> Or, stop dual-booting (I'd instead highly recommend running test OSes
> in a virtual machine, e.g. as provided by VirtualBox).

OK but every time I have tried that VM ran v e r y s l o w and caused
problems shutting down.

My HW is 13 years old! I upgraded the CPU, but its only T60 with a T7200
dual core cpu 64bit and 4Gb ram.


>
>> Steve
>
> Best Regards, Alex
>
> _______________________________________________ Bristol mailing list
> Bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk
> https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/bristol

--
Peter H



------------------------------

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