# Booting Debian from a RAM disk #
This guide is adapted from http://reboot.pro/topic/14547-linux-load-your-root-partition-to-ram-and-boot-it/

What you need:
* lots of RAM
* Debian based distribution or any that supports booting from initramfs
* mkinitramfs or a tool to build a new initramfs
* some linux knowledge
* no need to create an image
* no need for Grub4Dos
* no need for a "special driver"

Step 1:
Choose a distribution thats supports booting from initramfs. (like ubuntu)

Step 2:
Install to harddisk. Make sure you split it into multiple partitions (/, /boot, /home, swap, ...).

Step 3:
Boot your new system, install updates, drivers if neccessary (this will improve performance), strip it down to the minimum. Every file will be loaded to RAM ! A fresh install uses about 2 GB auf harddisk-space.

Step 4:
modify `/etc/fstab` :

`cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak` find the line specifing the root partition and change it in:
none / tmpfs defaults 0 0* save

Step 5:
edit the local script in your initramfs:
cd /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/* make a backup of /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/local
cp local local.bak* modify local, find this line:
```
# FIXME This has no error checking

# Mount root

mount ${roflag} -t ${FSTYPE} ${ROOTFLAGS} ${ROOT} ${rootmnt}
```
change it to:
```
# FIXME This has no error checking

# Mount root

#mount ${roflag} -t ${FSTYPE} ${ROOTFLAGS} ${ROOT} ${rootmnt}

mkdir /ramboottmp

mount ${roflag} -t ${FSTYPE} ${ROOTFLAGS} ${ROOT} /ramboottmp

mount -t tmpfs -o size=100% none ${rootmnt}

cd ${rootmnt}

cp -rfa /ramboottmp/* ${rootmnt}

umount /ramboottmp
```
* save
* execute, or rebuild initramfs
mkinitramfs -o /boot/initrd.img-ramboot* replace modified local with original file
cp -f local.bak localStep 6:
* modify this file (needs a better solution)
/boot/grub/grub.cfg* copy the first boot entry and replace the /initrd line with this:
/initrd /boot/initrd.img-ramboot* label the new entry as RAMBOOT
This will boot our generated initramfs instead the original one.
Step 7:
* reboot
* choose standart boot (no ramdisk)
* choose RAMBOOT and all your files on the root partition will be loaded to a tmpfs