mkinitcpio is the initramfs generation tool written for Arch Linux.
A new release of mkinitcpio has been tagged. The release can be downloaded from Gitlab:
https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/mkinitcpio/mkinitcpio/-/releases/v41
CHANGES WITH v41
New Features:
* `--include` is a new switch that allows you to include files or
directories into the image. This can be used to overwrite binaries,
files or complete directories.
* `add_initcpio_binary` has been added to help hooks find packaged
binaries. This is used in install/base to install the busybox init
script and the library functions.
Changes in mkinitcpio:
* Previously the mkinitcpio code had several conditions for MESON_TEST
to support looking up files in the development directory. This has
changed to several new environment flags that can be optionally set
and help mkinitcpio find the correct library, configuration and helper
files.
* `--cmdline` now accepts a directory instead of only files.
Changes in mkinitcpio.conf:
* In the examples the block hook has been moved infront of sd-encrypt.
Changes in hooks:
* install/base now includes the ufs kernel modules.
* install/systemd now includes the libseccomp and libacl so-names.
* install/systemd now includes the service overrides into the initramfs
image.
* install/systemd now includes /usr/lib/systemd/systemd and symlinks
/init to this binary. This helps support systemctl soft-reboot.
* install/sd-vconsole now checks if /etc/vconsole.conf exists before
attempting to add it into the image.
* install/systemd has added new libs from the new .dlopen note section.
* install/sd-shutdown now includes `libmount.so`.
* install/sd-ecnrypt now includes the nvpcr files from /usr/lib/nvpcr/.
* install/systemd and install/udev now includes the hardware database
files from /usr/lib/udev/hwdb.bin and /etc/udev/hwdb.bin.
* install/sd-encrypt-opensc now includes a custom pcscd service and
socket file into the image.
* install/mdadm_udev now includes the `mdadm-last-resort@` services.
Changes in packaging:
* The kernel-install hook now forwards the verbose flag (-v) to the
command.
* `mkinitcpio-generate-shutdown-ramfs.service` now does word splitting
properly.
* The default systemd hooks from meson.build now has the `keymap` hook
removed from the HOOKS array.
Contributions from: Adam Maroti, Christian Hesse, David Foerster,
Diego Viola, Felix Pehla, Gilbert Gilb's, Jelle van der Waa,
Marcos Mello, Markus Hansmair, Morten Linderud, Pierre-Alain TORET,
Robin Candau, Ronan Pigott, Sebastian Wiesner, Sébastien Luttringer,
Vladimir LAVALLADE, Vladimir Stoiakin
- 2026-04-26
--
Morten Linderud
PGP: 9C02FF419FECBE16