diff --git a/meta-yocto/conf/local.conf.sample.extended b/meta-yocto/conf/local.conf.sample.extended
index 06d7abc01b..a2cb81bc1c 100644
--- a/meta-yocto/conf/local.conf.sample.extended
+++ b/meta-yocto/conf/local.conf.sample.extended
@@ -241,3 +241,25 @@ FORTRAN_forcevariable = ",fortran"
 RUNTIMETARGET_append_pn-gcc-runtime = " libquadmath libgfortran"
 export BUILD_FC = "${CCACHE}${BUILD_PREFIX}gfortran ${BUILD_CC_ARCH}"
 export FC = "${CCACHE}${HOST_PREFIX}gfortran ${HOST_CC_ARCH}"
+
+#
+# Kernel image features
+#
+# The INITRAMFS_IMAGE image variable will cause an additional recipe to
+# be built as a dependency to the what ever rootfs recipe you might be
+# using such as core-image-sato.  The initramfs might be needed for
+# the initial boot of of the target system such as to load kernel
+# modules prior to mounting the root file system.
+#
+# INITRAMFS_IMAGE_BUNDLE variable controls if the image recipe
+# specified by the INITRAMFS_IMAGE will be run through an extra pass
+# through the kernel compilation in order to build a single binary
+# which contains both the kernel image and the initramfs.  The
+# combined binary will be deposited into the tmp/deploy directory.
+# NOTE: You can set INITRAMFS_IMAGE in an image recipe, but
+#       INITRAMFS_IMAGE_BUNDLE can only be set in a conf file.
+#
+#INITRAMFS_IMAGE = "core-image-minimal-initramfs"
+#INITRAMFS_IMAGE_BUNDLE = "1"
+
+
diff --git a/meta/classes/image.bbclass b/meta/classes/image.bbclass
index 84f638c099..4a0946c8e3 100644
--- a/meta/classes/image.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/image.bbclass
@@ -130,6 +130,10 @@ python () {
     d.setVar('MULTILIB_VENDORS', ml_vendor_list)
 
     check_image_features(d)
+    initramfs_image = d.getVar('INITRAMFS_IMAGE', True) or ""
+    if initramfs_image != "":
+        d.appendVarFlag('do_build', 'depends', " %s:do_bundle_initramfs" %  d.getVar('PN', True))
+        d.appendVarFlag('do_bundle_initramfs', 'depends', " %s:do_rootfs" % initramfs_image)
 }
 
 #
@@ -629,3 +633,11 @@ do_package_write_deb[noexec] = "1"
 do_package_write_rpm[noexec] = "1"
 
 addtask rootfs before do_build
+# Allow the kernel to be repacked with the initramfs and boot image file as a single file
+do_bundle_initramfs[depends] += "virtual/kernel:do_bundle_initramfs"
+do_bundle_initramfs[nostamp] = "1"
+do_bundle_initramfs[noexec] = "1"
+do_bundle_initramfs () {
+	:
+}
+addtask bundle_initramfs after do_rootfs
diff --git a/meta/classes/kernel.bbclass b/meta/classes/kernel.bbclass
index e039dfc15c..8cf66ce7dc 100644
--- a/meta/classes/kernel.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/kernel.bbclass
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ INHIBIT_DEFAULT_DEPS = "1"
 KERNEL_IMAGETYPE ?= "zImage"
 INITRAMFS_IMAGE ?= ""
 INITRAMFS_TASK ?= ""
+INITRAMFS_IMAGE_BUNDLE ?= ""
 
 python __anonymous () {
     kerneltype = d.getVar('KERNEL_IMAGETYPE', True) or ''
@@ -19,7 +20,15 @@ python __anonymous () {
 
     image = d.getVar('INITRAMFS_IMAGE', True)
     if image:
-        d.setVar('INITRAMFS_TASK', '${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}:do_rootfs')
+        d.appendVarFlag('do_bundle_initramfs', 'depends', ' ${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}:do_rootfs')
+
+    # NOTE: setting INITRAMFS_TASK is for backward compatibility
+    #       The preferred method is to set INITRAMFS_IMAGE, because
+    #       this INITRAMFS_TASK has circular dependency problems
+    #       if the initramfs requires kernel modules
+    image_task = d.getVar('INITRAMFS_TASK', True)
+    if image_task:
+        d.appendVarFlag('do_configure', 'depends', ' ${INITRAMFS_TASK}')
 }
 
 inherit kernel-arch deploy
@@ -72,9 +81,82 @@ KERNEL_SRC_PATH = "/usr/src/kernel"
 
 KERNEL_IMAGETYPE_FOR_MAKE = "${@(lambda s: s[:-3] if s[-3:] == ".gz" else s)(d.getVar('KERNEL_IMAGETYPE', True))}"
 
+copy_initramfs() {
+	echo "Copying initramfs into ./usr ..."
+	# Find and use the first initramfs image archive type we find
+	rm -f ${B}/usr/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.cpio
+	for img in cpio.gz cpio.lzo cpio.lzma cpio.xz; do
+		if [ -e "${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.$img" ]; then
+			cp ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.$img ${B}/usr/.
+			case $img in
+			*gz)
+				echo "gzip decompressing image"
+				gunzip -f ${B}/usr/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.$img
+				break
+				;;
+			*lzo)
+				echo "lzo decompressing image"
+				lzop -df ${B}/usr/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.$img
+				break
+				;;
+			*lzma)
+				echo "lzma decompressing image"
+				lzmash -df ${B}/usr/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.$img
+				break
+				;;
+			*xz)
+				echo "xz decompressing image"
+				xz -df ${B}/usr/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.$img
+				break
+				;;
+			esac
+		fi
+	done
+	echo "Finished copy of initramfs into ./usr"
+}
+
+INITRAMFS_BASE_NAME = "${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE}-initramfs-${PV}-${PR}-${MACHINE}-${DATETIME}"
+INITRAMFS_BASE_NAME[vardepsexclude] = "DATETIME"
+do_bundle_initramfs () {
+	if [ ! -z "${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}" -a x"${INITRAMFS_IMAGE_BUNDLE}" = x1 ]; then
+		echo "Creating a kernel image with a bundled initramfs..."
+		copy_initramfs
+		if [ -e ${KERNEL_OUTPUT} ] ; then
+			mv -f ${KERNEL_OUTPUT} ${KERNEL_OUTPUT}.bak
+		fi
+		use_alternate_initrd=CONFIG_INITRAMFS_SOURCE=${B}/usr/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.cpio
+		kernel_do_compile
+		mv -f ${KERNEL_OUTPUT} ${KERNEL_OUTPUT}.initramfs
+		mv -f ${KERNEL_OUTPUT}.bak ${KERNEL_OUTPUT}
+		# Update install area
+		echo "There is kernel image bundled with initramfs: ${B}/${KERNEL_OUTPUT}.initramfs"
+		install -m 0644 ${B}/${KERNEL_OUTPUT}.initramfs ${D}/boot/${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE}-initramfs-${MACHINE}.bin
+		echo "${B}/${KERNEL_OUTPUT}.initramfs"
+		cd ${B}
+		# Update deploy directory
+		if [ -e "${KERNEL_OUTPUT}.initramfs" ]; then
+			echo "Copying deploy kernel-initramfs image and setting up links..."
+			initramfs_base_name=${INITRAMFS_BASE_NAME}
+			initramfs_symlink_name=${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE}-initramfs-${MACHINE}
+			install -m 0644 ${KERNEL_OUTPUT}.initramfs ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${initramfs_base_name}.bin
+			cd ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}
+			ln -sf ${initramfs_base_name}.bin ${initramfs_symlink_name}.bin
+		fi
+	fi
+}
+do_bundle_initramfs[nostamp] = "1"
+addtask bundle_initramfs after do_compile
+
 kernel_do_compile() {
 	unset CFLAGS CPPFLAGS CXXFLAGS LDFLAGS MACHINE
-	oe_runmake ${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE_FOR_MAKE} ${KERNEL_ALT_IMAGETYPE} CC="${KERNEL_CC}" LD="${KERNEL_LD}" ${KERNEL_EXTRA_ARGS}
+	# The $use_alternate_initrd is only set from
+	# do_bundle_initramfs() This variable is specifically for the
+	# case where we are making a second pass at the kernel
+	# compilation and we want to force the kernel build to use a
+	# different initramfs image.  The way to do that in the kernel
+	# is to specify:
+	# make ...args... CONFIG_INITRAMFS_SOURCE=some_other_initramfs.cpio
+	oe_runmake ${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE_FOR_MAKE} ${KERNEL_ALT_IMAGETYPE} CC="${KERNEL_CC}" LD="${KERNEL_LD}" ${KERNEL_EXTRA_ARGS} $use_alternate_initrd
 	if test "${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE_FOR_MAKE}.gz" = "${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE}"; then
 		gzip -9c < "${KERNEL_IMAGETYPE_FOR_MAKE}" > "${KERNEL_OUTPUT}"
 	fi
@@ -219,18 +301,8 @@ kernel_do_configure() {
 		cp "${WORKDIR}/defconfig" "${B}/.config"
 	fi
 	yes '' | oe_runmake oldconfig
-
-	if [ ! -z "${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}" ]; then
-		for img in cpio.gz cpio.lzo cpio.lzma cpio.xz; do
-		if [ -e "${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.$img" ]; then
-			cp "${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${INITRAMFS_IMAGE}-${MACHINE}.$img" initramfs.$img
-		fi
-		done
-	fi
 }
 
-do_configure[depends] += "${INITRAMFS_TASK}"
-
 do_savedefconfig() {
 	oe_runmake savedefconfig
 }