initramfs: switch to passwd -d -R in scripts/lib/initramfs.sh:initramfs_finalize_customization() for shadow-aware passwordless root (aligned with 9423b708 intent), drop sed and chpasswd paths, and add validation diagnostics. common: normalize INSTALL_DIR/COMPONENTS_DIR/KERNEL_DIR/DIST_DIR to absolute paths after sourcing config to prevent validation resolving under kernel/current. Dockerfile: include shadow (for passwd/chpasswd), ensure openssl and openssl-dev present; remove perl. config: introduce ZEROOS_PASSWORDLESS_ROOT default true and comment password vars. docs: NOTES.md updated with diagnostics and flow.
