How to load initramfs only on-demand?

[Woody Wu]

Hi,

I will be using initramfs to do some special task on my system, such as,
format a nand flash and burn in the real root file system.  But these tasks
will be rarely needed and I dont want to pay for loading an
initramfs-embedded kernel image every time, since it takes time loading
bigger mage from flash by boot loader. So I hope thing could be somewhat
looks like that, if user press a key in the boot loader stage, the
boot loader could load an initramfs cpio.gz from a special nand partition
into a fixed memory location. Then via a kernel parameter, the memory
address of the initramfs could be recognized by the kernel, and only at
this time the kernel goes the initramfs booting stage, otherwise kernel
will do the normal booting and mounting the real root file system.

My question is, is there such a kernel parameter to do the job? Probably
there is a non-parameter solution like passing the initramfs address in a
register when a boot loader transfer control to the kernel, but this is not
an option to me since my boot loader (u-boot) does not support doing
this. Thanks.

BR,
-wood


-- 
Life is the only flaw in an otherwise perfect nonexistence
    -- Schopenhauer

woody
public key at http://subkeys.pgp.net:11371 (narkewoody at gmail.com)
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