Summary:
* add openssh-client to the builder image and mount host SSH keys into the dev container when available
* switch RFS to git builds, register the zosstorage source, and document the extra Rust component
* wire zosstorage into the build: add build_zosstorage(), ship the binary in the initramfs, and extend component validation
* refresh kernel configuration to 6.12.49 while dropping Xen guest selections and enabling counted-by support
* tighten runtime configs: use cached mycelium key path, add zosstorage zinit unit, bootstrap ovsdb-server, and enable openvswitch module
* adjust the network health check ping invocation and fix the RFS pack-tree --debug flag order
* update NOTES changelog, README component list, and introduce a runit helper for qemu/cloud-hypervisor testing
* add ovsdb init script wiring under config/zinit/init and ensure zosstorage is available before mycelium
Summary of changes (with references):\n\nModules + PHY coverage\n- Curated and normalized stage1 list in [config.modules.conf](config/modules.conf:1):\n - Boot-critical storage, core virtio, common NICs (Intel/Realtek/Broadcom), overlay/fuse, USB HCD/HID.\n - Added PHY drivers required by NIC MACs:\n * realtek (for r8169, etc.)\n * broadcom families: broadcom, bcm7xxx, bcm87xx, bcm_phy_lib, bcm_phy_ptp\n- Robust underscore↔hyphen aliasing during copy so e.g. xhci_pci → xhci-pci.ko, hid_generic → hid-generic.ko:\n - [bash.initramfs_copy_resolved_modules()](scripts/lib/initramfs.sh:990)\n\nFirmware policy and coverage\n- Firmware selection now authoritative via [config/firmware.conf](config/firmware.conf:1); ignore modules.conf firmware hints:\n - [bash.initramfs_setup_modules()](scripts/lib/initramfs.sh:229)\n - Count from firmware.conf for reporting; remove stale required-firmware.list.\n- Expanded NIC firmware set (bnx2, bnx2x, tigon, intel, realtek, rtl_nic, qlogic, e100) in [config.firmware.conf](config/firmware.conf:1).\n- Installer enforces firmware.conf source-of-truth in [bash.alpine_install_firmware()](scripts/lib/alpine.sh:392).\n\nEarly input & build freshness\n- Write a runtime build stamp to /etc/zero-os-build-id for embedded initramfs verification:\n - [bash.initramfs_finalize_customization()](scripts/lib/initramfs.sh:568)\n- Minor init refinements in [config.init](config/init:1) (ensures /home, consistent depmod path).\n\nRebuild helper improvements\n- [scripts/rebuild-after-zinit.sh](scripts/rebuild-after-zinit.sh:1):\n - Added --verify-only; container-aware execution; selective marker clears only.\n - Prints stage status before/after; avoids --rebuild-from; resolves full kernel version for diagnostics.\n\nRemote flist readiness + zinit\n- Init scripts now probe BASE_URL readiness and accept FLISTS_BASE_URL/FLIST_BASE_URL; firmware target is /lib/firmware:\n - [sh.firmware.sh](config/zinit/init/firmware.sh:1)\n - [sh.modules.sh](config/zinit/init/modules.sh:1)\n\nContainer, docs, and utilities\n- Stream container build logs by calling runtime build directly in [bash.docker_build_container()](scripts/lib/docker.sh:56).\n- Docs updated to reflect firmware policy, runtime readiness, rebuild helper, early input, and GRUB USB:\n - [docs.NOTES.md](docs/NOTES.md)\n - [docs.PROMPT.md](docs/PROMPT.md)\n - [docs.review-rfs-integration.md](docs/review-rfs-integration.md)\n- Added GRUB USB creator (referenced in docs): [scripts/make-grub-usb.sh](scripts/make-grub-usb.sh)\n\nCleanup\n- Removed legacy/duplicated config trees under configs/ and config/zinit.old/.\n- Minor newline and ignore fixes: [.gitignore](.gitignore:1)\n\nNet effect\n- Runtime now has correct USB HCDs/HID-generic and NIC+PHY coverage (Realtek/Broadcom), with matching firmware installed in initramfs.\n- Rebuild workflow is minimal and host/container-aware; docs are aligned with implemented behavior.\n
initramfs: anchor relative paths to PROJECT_ROOT in [bash.initramfs_validate()](scripts/lib/initramfs.sh:799) and [bash.initramfs_create_cpio()](scripts/lib/initramfs.sh:688) to avoid CWD drift. Add diagnostics logs.
kernel: anchor kernel output path to PROJECT_ROOT in [bash.kernel_build_with_initramfs()](scripts/lib/kernel.sh:174) to ensure dist/vmlinuz.efi is under PROJECT_ROOT/dist.
helper: add [scripts/rebuild-after-zinit.sh](scripts/rebuild-after-zinit.sh) to incrementally rebuild after zinit/modules.conf/init changes. Default: initramfs-only (recreates cpio). Flags: --with-kernel, --refresh-container-mods, --run-tests. Uses --rebuild-from=initramfs_create when rebuilding kernel.
init: add early debug shell on kernel param initdebug=true; prefer /init-debug when present else spawn /bin/sh -l. See [config/init](config/init:1).
modules(stage1): add USB keyboard support (HID + host controllers) in [config/modules.conf](config/modules.conf:1): usbhid, hid_generic, hid, xhci/ehci/ohci/uhci.
- Fix dependency resolution to use built modules from /lib/modules/6.12.44-Zero-OS instead of fresh container
- Fix stage1/stage2 configuration mismatch (only using stage1 modules as intended)
- Fix firmware parsing to ignore comments in modules.conf
- Fix variable binding issues for incremental builds (FULL_KERNEL_VERSION, KERNEL_OUTPUT)
- Module resolution now properly expands 31 → 48 modules with dependencies
- Firmware requirements reduced from 157 bogus → 3 correct packages
- All 48/48 resolved modules validated as available .ko files
- Fix container output visibility with proper TTY handling and debug mode
- Fix build order: kernel modules built before initramfs creation
- Implement two-stage kernel build to resolve chicken-and-egg dependency
- Fix sed command issues in kernel configuration with direct execution
- Add diffutils package to container for proper kernel build support
- Enhance NIC module/firmware correlation with intelligent selection
- Fix module staging logic: all NICs loaded in stage1 before network up
- Add smart firmware installation based on module requirements
- Create comprehensive function documentation (scripts/functionlist.md)
- Add debug container script for troubleshooting
Major fixes:
* Container builds now show real-time output
* Kernel builds work with proper GNU diff support
* Module/firmware selection optimized for common hardware
* Build process handles dependencies correctly
* Documentation provides complete function reference