Hi,
I have downloaded the RedHat Kernel Source and followed the steps of kernel compilation and i am able to boot from my new kernel. I didn't add any new modules to it. But when i proceed the steps again and tried to boot i get the following error.

Creating root device
Mounting root filesystem
kjournald starting. Commit interval 5 seconds
EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode
mount: error 2 mounting none
Switching to new root
WARNING: can't access(null)
exec of init ((null)) failed!!! 14
umount /initrd/dev failed: 2
Kernel Panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!

I could not find what i messed up.
Thanks for any help.

It looks it has problems mounting the / partition using the new kernel. Most common reason is no support for the filesystem. Look into /etc/fstab and see which filesystem is used for /. Then look into your kernel config. That filesystem must be compiled into the kernel or be available in initrd image. It may be also worth it to see if the initrd file that is used with the new kernel has been created for it (don't use one from the old kernel).

Or that it doesn't know how to find it. Many distros use the initrd sequence at startup, so you need to make sure that the entire make-sequence has been properly done.

Let me explain the message:
kernel panic - not syncing: attempted to kill init

• kernel panic -- "you're dead, Jim." The system has reached a state where execution cannot continue.
• not syncing -- this is not a description of the problem, nor its cause. It actually means that, when the system died, it was not trying to write ("sync") unsaved changes to disk. This is good news: it was successful at writing unsaved changes to disk before it halted.
• attempted to kill init -- init, or "process #1," is a special process in Linux/Unix systems which must always exist. It cannot be killed; it must not die. This message indicates that it somehow did die.
• This entire message is actually "just the last shuddering gasp of breath" that the system took before it fell over. The reason for the failure will be found in messages that precede this one.

Thank u for ur time. I have checked my /etc/fstab file. The filesystem used for / is ext3 only and the config file of my new kernel too consists

CONFIG_EXT3_FS=m
CONFIG_EXT3_FS_XATTR=y
CONFIG_EXT3_FS_POSIX_ACL=y

I have created a new initrd file for that kernel by
mkinitrd -v -f /boot/new.img 2.6.9-22
When i boot from new kernel i get the same error
Any other solution to solve this issue.
Thanks

I got it . After make modules_install instead of creating initrd image by mkinitrd i give
and now my new kernel is booting up. But, i could not find why the initrd image created by mkinitrd shows Kernel Panic error.
Thanks.

Dear Sayoji,

You were almost at the solution, when u found the

CONFIG_EXT3_FS=m
CONFIG_EXT3_FS_XATTR=y
CONFIG_EXT3_FS_POSIX_ACL=y

In your .config file CONFIG_EXT3_FS='y' instead of 'm' and that is why you are getting the error, so please do the make config step again, and when you found the option "CONFIG_EXT3_FS" give 'y' to enable the EXT3_FS parttion, because Redhat supports the EXT3 and in the cofig you are not enabling that option.

Hope this will help, pls reply me after doing this step.

Thanks,
Nishant