Kernel panic

mr805newbie · 05-31-2007, 07:10 PM

Hello Everyone,
I installed M 2007 Official on a machine which I changed the motherboard on. I have a dual boot system with XP. After I installed M2007 it seemed to be a successful installation to the point where it asks me reboot and it spits out the DVD. Well when I choose "Linux" in LILO it freezes at the blue boot screen. I chose the failsafe which displays the verbose mode and I get a nasty error message. I know for sure the hard drive is configured correctly because XP boots fine.

This is what I get. Any suggestions on what this means?

Quote:

Red Hat nash version 4.12.17mdk starting
Loading jbd.ko module
Loading ext3.ko module
Mounting /proc filesystem
Mounting sysfs
Creating device files
Mounting tmpfs on /dev
Creating root device
Trying to resume from /dev/hdb6
Unable to access resume device (/dev/hdb6)
echo: cannot open /proc/suspend2/do_resume for write: 2
Mounting root filesystem /dev/root
mount: error 6 mounting ext3 flags defaults
well, retrying without the options flags
mount: error 6 mounting ext3
will, retrying read-only without any flag
mount: error 6 mounting ext 3
Switching to new root
ERROR opening /dev/console!!!!: 2
unmounting old /proc
unmounting old /sys
switchroot: mount failed: 22
Initrd finished
Kernel panic – not synching: Attempted to kill init!

wartstew · 06-01-2007, 12:04 AM

I got this once. I can't remember for sure why, but I think (and it looks like from your posted log) that the kernel can not find the root file system on /dev/hdb6 (2nd ATA type hard drive, extended partition #6).

A likely cause is that the kernel was not configured to deal with your hard drive controller hardware. Can you describe what you are running? SATA, IDE-RAID, etc?

Another possibility is that the Mandrake installer got confused as to where it put your root file system of the type of file system that it is.

I think you should be able to boot up on the Mandrake install CD and escape to a shell and investigate what is going on and fix the configuration. Unfortunately I haven't run Mandrake for a number of years so I can't help you much further concerning the details of what their installer does or how their kernel is configured. Once you get a shell from the install CD, you should be able to verify that there is a root file system on /dev/hdb6, and what kernel drivers are required to see it.

If this computer dual boots into "the evil empires OS" then what kind of disk controller does it think it has and what its "storage manager" say about the layout of the hard drives.

PS: Don't give up, it is possible to make this work, I get very strange hardware combinations to run Linux often. It just takes a little research.

salahuddin_66 · 06-01-2007, 12:28 AM

check if your HDD config move to master from slave (cable position change due to motherboard change)

may be hdb move to hda (check it)

and if still you are getting this errors give an installation with hda (changing the position to master)

wolfger · 06-01-2007, 06:36 AM

I had same/similar problem with my recent Gentoo install, and it was because I misidentified the root filesystem in Grub as /dev/hdb1 (boot) when it should have been /dev/hdb3 (root). I don't remember much about LiLo, but I'd check for something along the same lines.

gurl4sh25 · 06-01-2007, 07:00 AM

Hi,

I'ved encounter this type of error, but i'm not sure if this is similar to yours, and the reason for this is that i have a bad/corupt disk installer, after i burned a new one, everything is ok. But as i have said, i'm not sure if this is the same reason why you encountered a kernel panic.

judeb · 06-01-2007, 07:14 AM

Hello, as above, this happens if you change your motherboard or hard-disk, or even the position of the drives on the controller card, if there is an option in Mandrake to repair the system (by booting from the CD) then pick that, otherwise it's a reinstall, sometimes you can repair the fstab files or Mandrake can repair it.

ybkosher · 06-01-2007, 02:37 PM

You can try using a Live CD to run lilo from (and to backup, although you said this was a new install so that may not apply).

This is a useful Live CD if you're ok on the command line.
http://www.sysresccd.org/Main_Page

You can mount the root partition of you hard-drive, chroot there and then run lilo. That may fix it.

ernie · 06-01-2007, 11:15 PM

Since you are getting a kernel panic the boot loader has done its job successfully. Going back to your original post, you say you changed the main board ... Did you change the board before or after installing Mandriva 2007? The error messages you posted indicate the kernel was unable to mount the root file system (/dev/root). If you changed the main board after you installed Mandriva, is it possible you changed the order in which your IDE devices are connected? For example, if the hard drive was connected as the primary master device (hda), and is now connected as the secondary master device (hdc), it will have a new drive assignment. The easiest way to fix such a problem would be to connect your drives in the original order. This could be as simple as switching the ribbon cables where they connect to the main board.

HTH,

mr805newbie · 06-03-2007, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wartstew

I got this once. I can't remember for sure why, but I think (and it looks like from your posted log) that the kernel can not find the root file system on /dev/hdb6 (2nd ATA type hard drive, extended partition #6).

A likely cause is that the kernel was not configured to deal with your hard drive controller hardware. Can you describe what you are running? SATA, IDE-RAID, etc?

Another possibility is that the Mandrake installer got confused as to where it put your root file system of the type of file system that it is.

I think you should be able to boot up on the Mandrake install CD and escape to a shell and investigate what is going on and fix the configuration. Unfortunately I haven't run Mandrake for a number of years so I can't help you much further concerning the details of what their installer does or how their kernel is configured. Once you get a shell from the install CD, you should be able to verify that there is a root file system on /dev/hdb6, and what kernel drivers are required to see it.

If this computer dual boots into "the evil empires OS" then what kind of disk controller does it think it has and what its "storage manager" say about the layout of the hard drives.

PS: Don't give up, it is possible to make this work, I get very strange hardware combinations to run Linux often. It just takes a little research.

This was a fresh install using a mother board which only has 1 IDE interface. By fresh install I mean a brand new motherboard and a recycled hard disk which was formatted during this installation. I'm using an IDE interface on the hard disk. I'm running a standard IDE cable hard drive. No STATA or RAID configuration.

Quote:

I think you should be able to boot up on the Mandrake install CD and escape to a shell and investigate what is going on and fix the configuration.

What do you mean by "investigate what is going on"? I can't get anywhere on this disk after this lock up.

Quote:

If this computer dual boots into "the evil empires OS" then what kind of disk controller does it think it has and what its "storage manager" say about the layout of the hard drives.

I don't know how this would help me. I wouldn't know how to translate this into a Linux configuration.

Quote:

Don't give up, it is possible to make this work, I get very strange hardware combinations to run Linux often. It just takes a little research.

I try not to, everyone helping out here is greatly appreciated. It's just frustrating that when things break in Linux is takes months versus a few hours in Windows to "fix" or get running.

mr805newbie · 06-03-2007, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salahuddin_66

check if your HDD config move to master from slave (cable position change due to motherboard change)

may be hdb move to hda (check it)

and if still you are getting this errors give an installation with hda (changing the position to master)

I tried this once but I never verified the BIOS was detecting the difference. I'll try it again and let you know the outcome.

mr805newbie · 06-03-2007, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfger

I had same/similar problem with my recent Gentoo install, and it was because I misidentified the root filesystem in Grub as /dev/hdb1 (boot) when it should have been /dev/hdb3 (root). I don't remember much about LiLo, but I'd check for something along the same lines.

Even If I really understood what the meant, I still would have no idea on how to implement this change.

mr805newbie · 06-03-2007, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gurl4sh25

Hi,

I'ved encounter this type of error, but i'm not sure if this is similar to yours, and the reason for this is that i have a bad/corupt disk installer, after i burned a new one, everything is ok. But as i have said, i'm not sure if this is the same reason why you encountered a kernel panic.

After I try changing the drive from Master/Slave, I will try to burn a new dvd from my iso image and reinstall completely.

mr805newbie · 06-03-2007, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ernie

Since you are getting a kernel panic the boot loader has done its job successfully. Going back to your original post, you say you changed the main board ... Did you change the board before or after installing Mandriva 2007? The error messages you posted indicate the kernel was unable to mount the root file system (/dev/root). If you changed the main board after you installed Mandriva, is it possible you changed the order in which your IDE devices are connected? For example, if the hard drive was connected as the primary master device (hda), and is now connected as the secondary master device (hdc), it will have a new drive assignment. The easiest way to fix such a problem would be to connect your drives in the original order. This could be as simple as switching the ribbon cables where they connect to the main board.

HTH,

No, this motherboard was used to reinstall Mandriva 2007 Official. There has not been any hardware "swapping" whatsoever. I partitioned Windows XP and Mandriva installed without any errors. I then reboot after the install this is where it freezes with the initial message in this thread.

keratos · 06-03-2007, 03:50 AM

If you are still interested...

Here is a brief synopsis (in layman terms):

The kernel is the 'brains' of the outfit with linux. It is loaded by the grub/lilo multiboot loaders. The kernel is the heart of the beast.

Once loaded, the first,very first, CPU process that executes is "init". Init can never be killed/terminated (normally!). Init forks off a whole host of processes including operations on the "root" filesystem and upto the login screen!

The root filesystem is by default the hard disk partition containing your linux installation (although this can be changed via boot parameters at lilo/grub time).

Now, it is important to recall that init can never be killed. All processes can be traced back to some process that eminated from init (not quite like that but I'm in laymen terms).

Your problem here is that something is wrong with the root filesystem, /dev/root according to your post, perhaps some boot-time flags, perhaps a disk error, perhaps a motherboard switch, for some reason the init process cannot deal with/find/load your root filesystem so it is giving up, it has to because there is no "valid" installation if you want to think of it so. So, your kernel has discovered that init is giving up or "Attempting to be killed" (a process is "killed" when it terminates).

Init cannot be killed, so far as the kernel is concerned. It's the kernel's "little baby". Kernel cannot allow this so suspends the system with a "Panic!". That's what the panic is all about.

Incidentally, the "ERROR opening /dev/console" is due to the fact that no /dev directory(device) exists because of course this resides on the root filesystem (normally) and the root filesystem has not been loaded.

The fix:-

Hopefully this is simply a case of correcting boot time parameters, so...

I guess because your are posting here you are booting some form of linux. Can you open a terminal window? If so we can explore this and hopefully fix, using grub/lilo (I prefer grub!).

If you can open a terminal, enter these commands and post the output here:

Code:

cat /proc/partitions
cat /etc/lilo.conf
cat /boot/grub/menu.lst

mr805newbie · 06-06-2007, 01:34 PM

Quote:

I guess because your are posting here you are booting some form of linux. Can you open a terminal window? If so we can explore this and hopefully fix, using grub/lilo (I prefer grub!).

I'm assuming I would have to download "grub" and install it on a bootable CDROM/DVD so I can boot from it? Nothing on the hard disk that has to do with Linux will boot. I'll research grub, boot from it and post my results.

Do you think it matters that my motherboard only has 1 IDE connector?