Possible approaches:

1) Use the target system option also in installer with initramfs instrumented not to apply the option in initramfs but pass it to the stage2 which would be patched (a whitelist extended) to pass such option to the installed system boot options.

This may require nasty hacks in anaconda dracut modules (hiding the option early in intramfs and passing it to anaconda before switch root).

2) Use installer specific (inst. namespaced) option that would just add the option to the target system boot options. Seems as a preferred solution to me.

Approach 2) looks like a safer way, so I vote for it as well.

(In reply to Jan Stodola from comment #2)
> Approach 2) looks like a safer way, so I vote for it as well.

Agreed.

Thanks, Radek

Do we already know how is the NM supposed to be enabled on the target system, ie the boot option to be used?

^^^ Lubo, any ideas?

Thomas, would you be able to answer my question in comment #4?
We'd need to get the patch in before feature freeze and I need to now how the boot option would look like. I am not able to reach Lubomir.

> Do we already know how is the NM supposed to be enabled on the target system, ie the boot option to be used?

I don't know, but looking at 

https://github.com/dracutdevs/dracut/blob/7d47d1c423cabfd125a2bf15c5d72732a6334024/modules.d/35network-manager/nm-config.sh

it seems this is not a NetworkManager specific question.

If NetworkManager is in initrd, then it will be enabled by boot options that are documented in `man dracut.cmdline`. Especially rd.neednet=1 seems relevant here. So, it depends on wheter initrd was generated to include NetworManager.


But probably I misunderstand something here. Can you clarify your question?

If I am not mistaken, the idea which came out from an email discussion was that for 8.2 NM would be always (by default) in initrd but enabled by a special boot option as an opt-in. Installer will add its own option to enable the feature on installed system (not supporting NM in initramfs yet, this is planned for 8.3 when we have adequate test coverage), ie add the option to the installed system boot options.

Maybe I should wait for Lubomir to be sure we are on the same boat here.

Hello Sharon, per comment #12 this seems to be going to be moved to 8.3.
The chances the feature will hit Beta are minimal now. In any case we don't have enough information from NetworkManager to be able to document the feature at the moment.

From our last meeting with thaller and lnykryn it seems we are just going to document how to regenerate iniramfs with NM module enabled: bug 1783996.

As for support in anaconda - ie generating the initramfs right during installation we would describe a solution using kickstart %pre-install script.

I've checked this should be working in current RHEL 8.2:

%pre-install
mkdir -p /mnt/sysimage/etc/dracut.conf.d
echo 'add_dracutmodules+=" network-manager "' > /mnt/sysimage/etc/dracut.conf.d/enable-nm.conf
%end

I'll attach lsinitrd diff of the intramfs.

Created attachment 1645807 [details]
lsinitrd diff of initramfs generated by anaconda with NM network module enabled (comment #18)

(In reply to Radek Vykydal from comment #19)
> Created attachment 1645807 [details]
> lsinitrd diff of initramfs generated by anaconda with NM network module
> enabled (comment #18)

Just a note: won't we be missing something like ip tool in initramfs ? The concern was raised also in https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1727904#c13.

(In reply to Radek Vykydal from comment #20)
> Just a note: won't we be missing something like ip tool in initramfs ? The
> concern was raised also in
> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1727904#c13.

reported: bug 1784358

Support for NM in initramfs has been completed in bug 1727885 and bug 1626348, so this bug is not needed any more.
I'm closing this bug, please re-open if you disagree.