Hello Everyone.

I have just created a Debian Package for a custom built 2.4.28 kernel, but I am having troubles installing it on a couple of boxes that have SATA drives in them. It gives me the 'ol:

"Kernel Panic Unable to Mount Root fs on 21:03"

I have it setup to try and mount root from /dev/hde2, which works fine under the 2.4.27 kernel that I built. I am wondering if they changed it back to using /dev/sda, like in the 2.4.26 kernel. Anyway, the kernel has support for the SATA drivers compiled into it, so it should work, but doesn't.

I am currently using lilo as a boot loader, without an initrd image.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

~ace

My mistake - it says, "unable to mount root fs on 21:02" not "21:03"

-ace

Hiya,
I'm having the pretty much the same problem (a couple years later , except with moving from a 2.6.7 -> 2.6.8 kernel. The kernel I'm moving from was the one built by the Debian installer, so I guess the SATA drivers are in the initrd image.
I've tried to use that same initrd image with my new kernel, but to no avail.

I've subsequently tried removing support for an initrd image, and compiling the drivers straight in. This appears to have worked (compiles OK), yet fails with the ol' kernel panic - unable to mount root fs on 8:01

Did you solve your problem? Anyone else got some clues here?
Interestingly, I compiled support for IDE devices into the kernel too (previously they were modules). Upon booting this kernel, I found that the IDE devices were all detected (just before the panic). So, the 'compiling in' procedure works - why not the same results for a SATA device?

cheers..