Mailing List Archive: [PATCH] 2024-01-30-installkernel-use-rename: add news item

After user feedback we have decided to rename the systemd flag to
systemd-kernel-install so it is not enabled automatically on systemd
profiles.

Best regards,
Andrew

Title: installkernel systemd USE flag renamed to systemd-kernel-install
Author: Andrew Ammerlaan <andrewammerlaan@gentoo.org>
Posted: 2024-01-30
Revision: 1
News-Item-Format: 2.0
Display-If-Installed: sys-kernel/installkernel

/sbin/installkernel is a script called by the kernels 'make install' as well
as by the distribution kernels post install phase. sys-kernel/installkernel
provides two paths for installing the kernel:
- the traditional installkernel, or
- systemd's kernel-install

In installkernel versions lower then 20, systemd's kernel-install was
automatically used on systemd profiles via the automatic enabling of the
"systemd" USE flag. In version 20 and up, this USE flag was renamed to
"systemd-kernel-install", and it is therefore no longer enabled
automatically,
regardless of the selected profile.

User Action Required (systemd-boot users)
====================

Systemd-boot requires using systemd's kernel-install.

Users of systemd-boot should therefore:
- ensure that the "systemd-kernel-install" USE flag is enabled
when upgrading to >=sys-kernel/installkernel-20.

User Action Required (users of other bootloaders and custom scripts)
====================

Users who wish to (continue to) use systemd's kernel-install instead of the
traditional installkernel should:
- enable the "systemd-kernel-install" USE flag

See also: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Installkernel

I'm retracting the previous draft news item
"2024-01-30-installkernel-use-rename" and replacing it with the one below.

After further discussion we have decided that it is better to have
systemd's kernel-install use a 'backwards compatibility' layout by
default to solve the problems that users have encountered. This allows
us to keep USE=systemd as is (and therefore have kernel-install enabled
by default on systemd profiles). It does require introducing a new
USE=systemd-boot which users of systemd-boot should enable to ensure
systemd-boot's native layout is used to install the kernels.

Best regards,
Andrew

Title: installkernel new USE flag systemd-boot
Author: Andrew Ammerlaan <andrewammerlaan@gentoo.org>
Posted: 2024-01-30
Revision: 1
News-Item-Format: 2.0
Display-If-Installed: sys-kernel/installkernel[systemd]
Display-If-Installed: sys-apps/systemd[boot]
Display-If-Installed: sys-apps/systemd-utils[boot]

/sbin/installkernel is a script called by the kernels 'make install' as well
as by the distribution kernels post install phase. sys-kernel/installkernel
provides two paths for installing the kernel:
- the traditional installkernel, or
- systemd's kernel-install

In sys-kernel/installkernel versions lower then 20, systemd's kernel-install
would default to the layout used for systemd-boot (layout=bls). To improve
backwards compatibility with the traditional installkernel this is no longer
the case in versions 20 and up. Instead the default layout setting when
no other
USE flags are enabled is a compatibility layout similar to the traditional
installkernel (layout=compat).

User Action Required (systemd-boot users)
====================

Users of systemd-boot should:
- enable the "systemd-boot" USE flag
when upgrading to >=sys-kernel/installkernel-20.

See also: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Installkernel