# Guide for controller build

The controller is a set of functions and scripts inside the initramfs image which is a product created by dracut package
To read more about the controller's concep read man gse.5, while to read more about the controllers options read man ctfse.1
Both of those man pages are under t he docs directory inside the project's git directory

Note: Before you attempt to build the controller, your system (the one you use for the build) must support (include) the following packages:
	- sys-apps/pciutils
	- sys-fs/btrfs-progs
	- sys-fs/cryptsetup
	- app-crypt/gnupg
	- sys-block/open-iscsi
	- sys-block/nbd
	- net-fs/nfs-utils
	- net-nds/rpcbind
	- dev-libs/openssl
	- app-admin/syslog-ng
	- sys-fs/device-mapper
	- net-misc/dhcp
	- sys-apps/iproute2

The above packages are required for the dracut modules to function. A guid and detailed list about those can be found at: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Dracut


To build the controller, run
	-	Create a kernel image with the modules and builtins you wish
	-	Build the controller:
	-		cd bin
	-		./gse --build-controller --opt1 --opt2 --opt3 ...
			
The created image will be saved inside dist.d directory. To use this image you need to create a bootable device.
The device can be any physical medium that can be made bootable and support bootloader functions.

The methos based on the drive's interface variate
You can find a guide about configuring the devices for boot at the Gentoo wiki: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64/Full/Installation#Introduction_to_block_devices
And you can find more informations about grub(if you choose grub as the bootloader) at: https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html

When you have a bootable medium there are only 4 steps left.
	1) Move the kernel & controller image to the bootable medium
	2) Update the grub.cfg entries to link on those images
	3) Pass the following parameters at grub.cfg kernels cmdline:
		- root=LABEL=SYSFS
		- rd.neednet=1
		- ip=dhcp
		- ctetc=1
		Example: linux /vmlinuz-4.12.5-gentoo root=LABEL=SYSFS rd.neednet=1 ip=dhcp
	4) Create 3 partitions on the device/s you want with the following labels: SYSFS BACKUPFS BOOTFS
		The BOOTFS label must be given to the bootable partition you created.
		Example, if you wish to use /dev/sdb2 for system, /dev/sdc2 for backup partition
			and your bootloader is on /dev/sda2 and all those partitions host ext4 filesystem, then:
			e2label /dev/sda2 BOOTFS && mkfs.ext4 -L SYSFS /dev/sdb2 && mkfs.ext4 -L BACKUPFS /dev/sdc2

	There is 1 more Label that can be created on anextra partition, but it is not essential for the boot process
	
	This is: USERDATAFS. The USERDATAFS should be given at any drive that you wish to use for storage.
	The USERDATAFS label provides an extra security layer from the controller, since all controller's actions are shielded on a device with such a label.

When done, plug the bootable medium to a machine and boot it. If everything was done as should, the process should fetch an image, configure it and boot it.