Hi.

Just compiled my own kernel, with help from kind souls, for the first time.

Well my new kernel booted and i got this:


A quick google gave me this:


I dont even know what this is! (im a n00b) but i think the guide i was using suggested using it, and also think it was enabled in genkernel (i was using the oldkernel config file as a guide too)

Someone on the gentoo forums suggested it has something to do with grub and that the (0,0) suggests this.

Here is my grub.conf :

The 2.6.7-r5 kernel is working fine with "root (hd1,0)" so the 2.6.8-r3 should do, right? (2.6.7 grub 'code' is for a kernel compiled using genkernel).

I defo added support for ext2 and ext 3 support into the kernel.

I am well and truly out of my depth here.

Any suggestions??

Thanks much.

Looking at your grub file:

title=Gentoo 2.6.7-r5
root (hd1,0)
kernel /kernel-2.6.7-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/ram0 init=/linuxrc real_root=/dev/hdd4 vga=795
initrd /initrd-2.6.7-gentoo-r5

title=Gentoo 2.6.8-r3
root (hd1,0)
kernel /kernel-2.6.8-gentoo-r3 root=/dev/hdd4 vga=795

^^^ no initrd no root=/dev/ram0 init=/linuxrc real_root=/dev/hdd4

man initrd
"The special file /dev/initrd is a read-only block device.
Device /dev/initrd is a RAM disk that is initialized (e.g.
loaded) by the boot loader before the kernel is started.
The kernel then can use the the block device /dev/initrd's
contents for a two phased system boot-up.

In the first boot-up phase, the kernel starts up and
mounts an initial root file-system from the contents of
/dev/initrd (e.g. RAM disk initialized by the boot
loader). In the second phase, additional drivers or other
modules are loaded from the initial root device's con-
tents. After loading the additional modules, a new root
file system (i.e. the normal root file system) is mounted
from a different device.
"


No expert in your dist and or in kernel compiling done it loads of times, but not went into details

root=/dev/ram0 init=/linuxrc real_root=/dev/hdd4

But this basically says that your working kernel uses the two step approach and your self compiled doesn't and you are landing in Nirvana.

Have you tried the two step approach for your not working kernel ?

hdd is quite somewhere, second disk. I can remember I had linux once on a second non (0.1) disk and it went all bollocks, but that's all ages ago. Maybe the ram root thing is needed to get to your hdd. But I aint no kernel hacker ... Sorry if its a stupid suggestion and you know all this

Oh and one of my last kernel disasters went into Nirvana when I did load disk support as module ..

Thanks for the suggestions Neil, much appreciated.

have allready tried. The initrd is for kernels compiled using "genkernel". My 2.6.7-r5 was. The 2.6.8 was done using make. Disk support is not loaded as a module.

I have (kind of) sorted it out. This was my first attempt at compiling my own kernel and i have learned how the proccess works, even though i configured it wrong! After much stress i realeased that there was nothing stopping me doing a "make menuconfig" on my exisiting working kernel which i compiled with genkernel. I did this, added what i needed and removed things i was sure i did not need. I then compiled, changed the symlink, copied it over to /boot, altered grub and violla!! Ok, so its not the 2.6.8-r3 kernel, but as a n00b its more than enough for me.

I think in the future i will use this method again, just genkernel the new image then make menuconfig it and change what i need. Ok, ok you could say this is cowering away from the problem but i think i will wait till i get to know linux better before i try a 'manual' compile again.

Thanks again.