What's the straight scoop on booting?

[Jim Haynes]

The manuals say that the system when booting fires up /usr/etc/init.  In
my younger days a system came up with the root filesystem mounted but
without /usr mounted.  I'm not sure I like the new arrangement; I'm
working with some configurations where /usr is just a bunch of symlinks to
other places.  What is the copy of init in /sbin for?  Do I have to have
/usr mounted at boot time?  haynes at ucscc.ucsc.edu haynes at ucscc.bitnet