bzImage OK but vmlinuz not booting

Pearlseattle · 08-31-2010, 06:41 AM

Hello

This is a question that was asked already a lot of times, but I don't seem to find the right answer.

I use Linux (Gentoo) since many years.
I always used gentoo-kernels which I configured and compiled. Once it was done I usually got a "vmlinux"-file and a "bzImage"-file. I always used to copy the "bzImage"-file to my boot partition and I configured Grub accordingly and everything was fine.

Last week I compiled in my VM not only gentoo-kernels, but as well a xen-kernel (for my domU).
Once it was done compiling the Xen-kernel (used the usual command "make -j2 && make modules_install") it didn't generate a "bzImage"-file, but a "vmlinuz" file. I therefore took the vmlinuz-file, copied it as usual to the boot partition and configured Grub to use that one, but with this time Grub doesn't want to boot and returns each time the error

Code:

Error 13: Invalid or unsupported executable format
Press any key to continue...

I tried with both "vmlinuz" and "vmlinux" but neither worked.
I have no clue what I should to - should I try to somehow generate a "bzImage" (tried "make bzImage" after a "make clean", but it tells me that it doesn't find any bzImage to create), convert vmlinux/z to bzImage or make Grub somehow boot using vmlinuz?

Are there any "tricks" to make Grub boot using a vmlinux/z?

I can say that it's not a problem of the partitioning or setup config in Grub, as in the same grub.conf I have other 2 kernels (bzImage) which boot without problems only the config section that has to do with the vmlinuz/x doesn't want to boot.

Desperation...

Thank you

quanta · 08-31-2010, 10:03 AM

It seems you are mixing normal kernel and kernel with Xen support. If you compile the normal kernel, there is only bzImage was created in arch/i386/boot/. And if you compile the kernel with Xen support, the kernel image called vmlinuz:
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handboo...?part=1&chap=7
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/xen-guide.xml

Pearlseattle · 08-31-2010, 10:31 AM

Apparently my description was a bit confusing, as what you just wrote is exactly what I meant.
And the question is: how do I boot using "vmlinuz" instead of "bzImage"?

quanta · 08-31-2010, 10:43 AM

Read the second link which I given above, pay attention at GRUB config paragraph:

Code:

title Xen 3.0 / Gentoo Linux 2.6.x.y
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/xen.gz
module /boot/kernel-2.6.x.y-xen0 root=/dev/hda3

Pearlseattle · 08-31-2010, 10:48 AM

That's the Grub config for a dom0.
But what I am compiling is the kernel for a domU. It's the kernel of the domU that doesn't boot.
(I don't even have access to the dom0 as it belongs to the hosting company which provides me my VM)

quanta · 08-31-2010, 11:36 AM

I'm not familiar with Xen, but I think this is what you want.

Pearlseattle · 08-31-2010, 01:43 PM

No, that's not what I want, but thanks anyway.
I can configure Xen perfectly - the only problem is that I don't know how to make Grub boot not using a bzImage but a vmlinux/z.
When I try using a vmlinux/z I get:

Code:

  Booting 'Gentoo XEN'
root (hd0,0)
 Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
kernel  /boot/kernel-2.6.34-xen root=/dev/sda3

Error 13: Invalid or unsupported executable format

Press any key to continue...

My "grub.conf" looks like this:

Code:

default 1
timeout  10
#splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title Gentoo XEN
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.34-xen root=/dev/sda3

title Gentoo
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.35-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/sda3

title Gentoo OLD
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.32-gentoo-r3.old root=/dev/sda3 noapic

title Gentoo ORIGINAL
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.25-gentoo-r7.old root=/dev/hda3

Everything works apart the XEN-entry, which uses a vmlinux/z-file instead of the usual bzImage.

quanta · 09-01-2010, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pearlseattle

That's the Grub config for a dom0.
But what I am compiling is the kernel for a domU. It's the kernel of the domU that doesn't boot.
(I don't even have access to the dom0 as it belongs to the hosting company which provides me my VM)

You make me confused. I don't care about dom0 or domU. As my understand: if you compile the normal kernel, it only creates bzImage file, and you config GRUB like this:

Code:

title Gentoo works fine
root (hd0,4)
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.31-gentoo-r10_alsa_fuse_iwl3945_disabledIPv6_device_filesystem_acpi_hibernate_HighMemory_synaptics_pentium4_tuntap root=/dev/sda5

and if you compile kernel with Xen support, it creates vmlinuz (instead of bzImage), and you must config GRUB like that:

Code:

title Xen 3.0 / Gentoo Linux 2.6.x.y
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/xen.gz
module /boot/kernel-2.6.x.y-xen0 root=/dev/hda3

Hope this helps,