Dracut, the replacement for mkinitrd

This document (000021654) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 6
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5

Situation

In a mixed environment of upgraded servers and freshly installed servers, it was noticed that some servers have mkinitrd installed and some do not.

Resolution

In all SLES12 versions, mkinitrd is provided by the package dracut.
In SLES15 versions up to SLES15 SP3, mkinitrd is provided by the package dracut.
In SLES15 versions starting with SLES15 SP4 and later, mkinitrd is provided by the package dracut-mkinitrd-deprecated.
After SLES15 SP4, the package dracut-mkinitrd-deprecated is no longer installed by default.

In SUSE Micro 5.0 > 5.2, mkinitrd is provided by the package dracut.
In SUSE Micro 5.3 & 5.4, mkinitrd is provided by the package dracut-mkinitrd-deprecated.
In SUSE Micro 5.5 and later, mkinitrd is not available

If mkinitrd is not installed and it is needed, install the package dracut-mkinitrd-deprecated (if available).

Cause

Changes regarding which package provides mkinitrd and also a change between SLES15 service packs in the rules governing if dracut-mkinitrd-deprecated is installed by default.

Additional Information

Note that mkinitrd has been deprecated for some time and has for many years functioned as a compatibility wrapper that calls dracut.

Dracut replaces mkinitrd and unless there is some specific reason why mkinitrd is required (such as scripting needs or legacy applications), dracut should be called directly.

Note that a server prior to SLES15 SP5 that has been upgraded to a later service pack will likely have mkinitrd installed, where as, a server freshly installed with SLES15 SP5 or later, will by default, not have mkinitrd installed.

For specific switches available with mkinitrd and dracut, see the man pages.

Q. What does the name 'dracut' stand for?

A. It's the name of a town in Massachusetts. It does not indicate the purpose of the utility (unlike the name mkinitrd).

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.