NAME

mkinitfs - Generate an initramfs

SYNOPSIS

mkinitfs [OPTIONS] [KERNELVERSION]

mkinitfs collects files from the root file system and creates a compressed initramfs from it.

-b BASEDIR: Dont use files from the root file system, use specified path instead.
-c CONFIGFILE: Use configfile instead of /etc/mkinitfs/mkinitfs.conf.
-C ALGORITHM: Compress initramfs using gzip (default), xz, zstd, lz4 or none.
-f FSTAB: Use fstab instead of /usr/share/mkinitfs/fstab.
-F FEATURES: Use specified features.
-h: Print this help.
-i INITFILE: Use initfile as init instead of /usr/share/mkinitfs/initramfs-init.
-k: Do not clean up temporary files.
-K: Also copy host apk keys to initramfs.
-l: Do a dry run and only list files that would have been used.
-L: List all available features.
-n: Don't include kernel modules or firmware into the initramfs.
-o OUTFILE: Set another outfile.
-P FEATURESDIR: Prepend features.d search path. Use this if you want to define your own features outside of the system-wide directories.
-q: Quiet mode.
-s: Include modloop signature.
-t TMPDIR: Use tempdir when creating initramfs image.

/etc/mkinitfs/mkinitfs.conf: Default configuration file. It contains the list of default features in the format of features="...".
/etc/mkinitfs/features.d/FEATURE.modules: Contains a list of kernel modules. Using the feature will cause the given kernel modules to be included in the initramfs. The modules are given by their filesystem paths, relative to /lib/modules/KERNELVERSION/.
/etc/mkinitfs/features.d/FEATURE.files: Contains a list of absolute file names which will be included into the generated initramfs if the feature is enabled.
/usr/share/mkinitfs/initramfs-init: Shell script which will be placed as /init in the initramfs. This functions as the first executed program in early userspace.

Written by Natanael Copa <ncopa@alpinelinux.org>, Timo Teräs <timo.teras@iki.fi> and others.

Alpine Linux GitLab: <https://gitlab.alpinelinux.org/alpine/mkinitfs/-/issues>