Bug#569033: initramfs-tools: Please make the panic argument available in the rescue shell

[Ferenc Wagner <wferi@niif.hu>]

Package: initramfs-tools
Version: 0.93.4
Severity: wishlist
Tags: patch

Hi,

Sometimes one misses the error message printed by the panic helper function,
for example when attaching a serial console after the fact, or if kernel
messages resulting from udev activity obscure or scroll it away.

Please consider adding some facility like the attached patch.

Thanks,
Feri.

>From 2350475dbbf10aced5c10993e3bdcc25c3fddceb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ferenc Wagner <wferi@niif.hu>
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 17:02:35 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Export $REASON to the emergency shell spawned by the panic helper function

---
 initramfs-tools.8 |    4 ++++
 scripts/functions |    2 +-
 2 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)

diff --git a/initramfs-tools.8 b/initramfs-tools.8
index 2ba022a..55d413a 100644
--- a/initramfs-tools.8
+++ b/initramfs-tools.8
@@ -504,6 +504,10 @@ set according relevant boot option.
 \fB\fI break
 Useful for manual intervention during setup and coding an boot script.
 .TP
+\fB\fI REASON
+Argument passed to the \fIpanic\fP helper function.  Use to find out why
+you landed in the initramfs shell.
+.TP
 \fB\fI init
 passes the path to init(8) usually /sbin/init.
 .TP
diff --git a/scripts/functions b/scripts/functions
index 77de8f3..c34dd4a 100644
--- a/scripts/functions
+++ b/scripts/functions
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ panic()
 	modprobe i8042
 	modprobe atkbd
 	echo $@
-	PS1='(initramfs) ' /bin/sh -i </dev/console >/dev/console 2>&1
+	REASON="$@" PS1='(initramfs) ' /bin/sh -i </dev/console >/dev/console 2>&1
 }
 
 maybe_break()
-- 
1.5.6.5