Syslinux - Mar 2013 - order of APPEND and INITRD

Igor asked about APPEND:
 > In other words: Can I break up a long line into multiple lines
 > in 5.01 or 5.10pre now or is that still not supported?

I also wonder: can one control whether the INITRD parameter gets 
prepended or appended? Right now it seems to be placed after APPEND 
parameters, but might be more useful if it came first.

The Debian/Ubuntu installers will copy parameters after "--" in the 
syslinux config into the grub.cfg to become permanent additional kernel 
parameters for the final installed kernel. Since syslinux seems to place 
the INITRD parameter *after* the APPEND parameters, you would end up 
with a bogus initrd parameter on the installed kernel. Consequently the 
Debian/Ubuntu installers don't seem to use INITRD at all and just have a 
really long APPEND statement.

I recall seeing some discussion on this list of getting rid of INITRD, 
but meanwhile, any harm in having its value precede that of APPEND on 
the kernel parameter line? Then 'APPEND' would become true to its name!

Alex

On Fri, Mar 15, 2013 at 6:48 PM, Alexander Perlis <aperlis at
math.lsu.edu> wrote:
> Igor asked about APPEND:
>> In other words: Can I break up a long line into multiple lines
>> in 5.01 or 5.10pre now or is that still not supported?
Multiple uses of APPEND functions to override at this time.  I
actually pull a trick like what you're looking for with cmd.c32.

LABEL linux
LINUX vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=base.gz base-options

LABEL linux2
COM32 cmd.32
APPEND linux initrd=rd1.gz,rd2.gz extended-options

LABEL linux3
COM32 cmd.c32
APPEND linux extra-option

Calling "linux" results in the command line "vmlinuz
initrd=base.gz
base-options" with vmlinux loaded as a kernel and base.gz as the sole
initrd.  Calling "linux2" results in the command line "vmlinuz
initrd=base.gz base-options initrd=rd1,rd2 extended-options" with
vmlinuz loaded as a kernel and rd1 and rd2 loaded as initrds.  If
using initramfs (CPIO.GZ), rd1 will be unpacked first followed by rd2.
 Calling "linux3" results in the command line "vmlinuz
initrd=base.gz
base-options extra-option" and the same kernel/initrd as "linux".
> I also wonder: can one control whether the INITRD parameter gets prepended
> or appended? Right now it seems to be placed after APPEND parameters, but
> might be more useful if it came first.
This is its definition: on the end of the line, append a
"initrd=myinitrd.gz" value.  Of course, IPAPPEND also gets in there
> The Debian/Ubuntu installers will copy parameters after "--" in
the syslinux
> config into the grub.cfg to become permanent additional kernel parameters
> for the final installed kernel. Since syslinux seems to place the INITRD
> parameter *after* the APPEND parameters, you would end up with a bogus
> initrd parameter on the installed kernel. Consequently the Debian/Ubuntu
> installers don't seem to use INITRD at all and just have a really long
> APPEND statement.
>
> I recall seeing some discussion on this list of getting rid of INITRD, but
> meanwhile, any harm in having its value precede that of APPEND on the
kernel
> parameter line? Then 'APPEND' would become true to its name!
But APPEND is true to its name as it appends parameters directly to
the target binary.  It's just a matter of perspective.  Personally, I
avoid INITRD in favor of the above techniques.

-- 
-Gene