How do the kernel boot parameters work (especially "toram")?

Gueven Bay gueven.bay at googlemail.com
Fri Aug 27 07:03:22 EDT 2021


Hello,

With kernel boot parameters I mean the arguments you give on the grub
command line to the kernel. Just like "toram" which on some distros
work and on many doesn't.

I googled but only found webpages listing the possible boot parameters
and maybe explaining what they do, but none where it was explained
_how_ they work.

Does a boot parameter make the kernel call a script? Does a boot
parameter reference a function inside the kernel? If some distros seem
to allow a specific boot parameter what did they do to their distros
kernel to make this parameter work? And which module or which part of
the kernel takes the boot parameters as input to do the appropriate
things?

For example: It seems that Centos (8) does not suppport "toram"
(allowing to load the whole OS into RAM), at least on my machine.
Okay, what should or can I do to get my (Centos) kernel to accept
this? Writing a script? Patching something?

(Maybe my questions are not really clear, just ask me, please.)

Thanks.



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