[for-next][PATCH 13/21] docs: bootconfig: Add how to embed the bootconfig into kernel

From: Steven Rostedt
Date: Wed Apr 27 2022 - 15:38:03 EST


From: Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@xxxxxxxxxx>

Add a description how to embed the bootconfig file into kernel.

Link: https://lkml.kernel.org/r/164921228987.1090670.16843569536974147213.stgit@devnote2

Cc: Padmanabha Srinivasaiah <treasure4paddy@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Sami Tolvanen <samitolvanen@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Masahiro Yamada <masahiroy@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Linux Kbuild mailing list <linux-kbuild@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@xxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Steven Rostedt (Google) <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++---
1 file changed, 28 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst
index a1860fc0ca88..d99994345d41 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst
@@ -158,9 +158,15 @@ Each key-value pair is shown in each line with following style::
Boot Kernel With a Boot Config
==============================

-Since the boot configuration file is loaded with initrd, it will be added
-to the end of the initrd (initramfs) image file with padding, size,
-checksum and 12-byte magic word as below.
+There are two options to boot the kernel with bootconfig: attaching the
+bootconfig to the initrd image or embedding it in the kernel itself.
+
+Attaching a Boot Config to Initrd
+---------------------------------
+
+Since the boot configuration file is loaded with initrd by default,
+it will be added to the end of the initrd (initramfs) image file with
+padding, size, checksum and 12-byte magic word as below.

[initrd][bootconfig][padding][size(le32)][checksum(le32)][#BOOTCONFIG\n]

@@ -196,6 +202,25 @@ To remove the config from the image, you can use -d option as below::
Then add "bootconfig" on the normal kernel command line to tell the
kernel to look for the bootconfig at the end of the initrd file.

+Embedding a Boot Config into Kernel
+-----------------------------------
+
+If you can not use initrd, you can also embed the bootconfig file in the
+kernel by Kconfig options. In this case, you need to recompile the kernel
+with the following configs::
+
+ CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED=y
+ CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE="/PATH/TO/BOOTCONFIG/FILE"
+
+``CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE`` requires an absolute path or a relative
+path to the bootconfig file from source tree or object tree.
+The kernel will embed it as the default bootconfig.
+
+Just as when attaching the bootconfig to the initrd, you need ``bootconfig``
+option on the kernel command line to enable the embedded bootconfig.
+
+Note that even if you set this option, you can override the embedded
+bootconfig by another bootconfig which attached to the initrd.

Kernel parameters via Boot Config
=================================
--
2.35.1