finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

Head_on_a_Stick · 2023-01-21 16:13:35

Just upgraded a Debian bullseye container to bookworm and converted it to a booting system and I noticed this when selecting an init system:

$ apt-file search -x '^/sbin/init'
finit-sysv: /sbin/init
runit-init: /sbin/init
systemd-sysv: /sbin/init
sysvinit-core: /sbin/init
$

So Debian bookworm now has no fewer than four different options for PID1, or five if /sbin/openrc-init is counted (which can be linked to /sbin/init and does work in that role). Impressive diversity.

I'm currently trying finit and the system boots up to a console just fine. Just have to get my wireless connection working then see if I can get it to a desktop...

finit package description wrote:

Fast init for Linux systems
Finit is a simple alternative to SysV init and systemd, reverse engineered from the EeePC fastinit ten years ago by Claudio Matsuoka - "gaps filled with frog DNA ..."
Finit supports runlevels, process monitoring, and starting services on demand using the built-in inetd, or by triggering a condition. E.g., "don't start this service until basic networking is available", or "wait until syslogd has started".

I especially like the frog DNA bit. Everybody likes frogs, right?

Tatwi · 2023-01-21 17:19:21

That's neat and the diversity is impressive.

I will keep using System V Init, because it's old, and I'm old, and we know each other so well; Why bother messing with something else when what I already have/know works fine and there are plenty of other things I'd rather do (and need to do) with my time.

MrReplikant · 2023-01-22 02:43:45

I've tried using finit, be warned it isn't complete yet. the automation of the init scripts being properly configured hasn't been added in, and it conflicts with the "init" package

Head_on_a_Stick · 2023-01-22 11:16:37

MrReplikant wrote:

the automation of the init scripts being properly configured hasn't been added in

Yeah, I would actually consider that a feature for my use case :-)

Look:

empty@P14s:~ $ pgrep -a dbus
1|empty@P14s:~ $

^ This is not possible with the other init systems.

I just start anything I want using /etc/rc.local, for example:

wpa_supplicant -B -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant-wlan0.conf
ip a add 192.168.1.55/24 dev wlan0
ip r add default via 192.168.1.254

/etc/network/interfaces is bloat! I actually prefer iwd but that needs dbus.

MrReplikant wrote:

it conflicts with the "init" package

So what?

empty@P14s:~ $ aptitude why init
Not currently installed
The candidate version 1.65.2 has priority important
No dependencies require to install init
1|empty@P14s:~ $

I think that would only be an issue if you wanted to use some bloated desktop environment. Anybody who is interested in finit most certainly wouldn't be interested in those, IMO.

So my box works just fine with plain openbox/tint2 or dwm or whatever. If I want to use sway I'll have to get dbus running but I don't want that so I'll just slum it in X for now. Even steam works.

ralph.ronnquist · 2023-01-22 11:38:50

Exciting stuff

sysvinit of course only does whatever /etc/inittab says it should do and one can have great fun as well editing that.

And you would find a rather extreme doing-nothing init in the overlay-boot package, where its startup relies on scripting that spawns desired services before entering its "init" (actually called "reaper") which merely reaps zombies.

MLEvD · 2023-01-22 21:12:48

When Bookworm is stable and finit is finished, I'll stick it on some eee pc and let you know if it's noticeably faster.

boughtonp · 2023-01-22 23:20:53

I discovered it recently, definitely considering trying it out - I found the finit website and docs significantly clearer than those of other init systems.

Not currently running Daedalus though, so will probably wait at least for the soft freeze in early Feb.

MLEvD wrote:

...I'll stick it on some eee pc...

To be clear, finit is a re-implementation of fastinit (which was an Asus proprietary init for EeePC), but finit itself is not EeePC specific.

Last edited by boughtonp (2023-01-22 23:25:50)

fsmithred · 2023-01-22 23:29:34

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

Look:
empty@P14s:~ $ pgrep -a dbus
1|empty@P14s:~ $
^ This is not possible with the other init systems.

I guess I'm not understanding what you're saying here. It is possible to run sysvinit without dbus. This is in a daedalus live-iso made last May.

user@refracta-nodbus:~$ pgrep -a dbus
user@refracta-nodbus:~$ 
user@refracta-nodbus:~$ dpkg -l |grep sysvinit
ii  live-config-sysvinit             11.0.3+devuan2                         all          Live System Configuration Components (sysvinit backend)
ii  sysvinit-core                    3.03-1devuan1                          amd64        System-V-like init
ii  sysvinit-utils                   3.03-1devuan1                          amd64        System-V-like utilities

Head_on_a_Stick · 2023-01-23 05:55:05

^ Thanks :-)

It turns out I can kill dbus under systemd as well:

archie:~$ cat /proc/1/comm
systemd
archie:~$ pgrep -a dbus
1archie:~$

The only thing I'm using that needs it is iwd but good old-fashioned wpa_supplicant works just fine.

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#1 2023-01-21 16:13:35

finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

#2 2023-01-21 17:19:21

Re: finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

#3 2023-01-22 02:43:45

Re: finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

#4 2023-01-22 11:16:37

Re: finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

#5 2023-01-22 11:38:50

Re: finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

#6 2023-01-22 21:12:48

Re: finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

#7 2023-01-22 23:20:53

Re: finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

#8 2023-01-22 23:29:34

Re: finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

#9 2023-01-23 05:55:05

Re: finit: new init system option for Devuan daedalus

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