Kernel

The flow In order to decrypt the root filesystem, the kernel uses a initial ram disk (initramfs). The initramfs provides an temporary filesystem from which extra kernel modules can be loaded, it also contains a set of scripts used to boot the system including scripts to decrypt the user’s root filesystem. This initramfs image is a file stored un-encrypted next to the kernel image. However, unlike the kernel image, it is not signed by the kernel publisher as the iniramfs is generated locally and can be modified by the user....

To boot the Linux Kernel, most distro use a bootloader and one of the most popular is GRUB. But did you know you can directly boot the Kernel without using a bootloader? DISCLAIMER: This is only for fun and learning, I do not advise anyone to do that on their main system. Be safe, use a VM. VM setup Just a quick recap of what is needed (mostely stolen from powersj’s excelent blog post)....