Hi all,
I am trying to compile the 2.6.10 kernel using my beginners guide to linux admin book. I downloaded 2.6.10 from kernel.org like it says. The problem is that when I compile, it will not boot the new kernel. It gets hung up, gives a few error messages such as pivot point error, & says something like "Kernel panic try passing init= to the kernel". Sometimes it says it can't mount the root file system which I know is an ext3 partition. Sometimes it says something about VFS but I forget what.

I have searched forums everywhere on this subject, tried recompiling with various combinations of ext2 and ext3 builtin or included as modules. I have tried "mkinitrd -fv initrd_new-2.6.10.img 2.6.10" and reconfigured lilo to use it. I have tried compiling my 2.6.3.7mdk kernel with (almost) the same .config file and it works fine.

How to I get 2.6.10 to run?

Also where is the error log for the bad boot? I don't see it in boot.log.

Thanks!
Brian

There will be no log as the root filesystem doesn't mount. Have you edited the Makefile for "install_path=/boot/"? If vmlinuz is in / directory just copy it to /boot/ along with System.map and re-run lilo.

I actually don't use "make install". I have heard it causes problems so I manually copy the bzImage file, and System.map files to /boot/ with the version number appended, then manually update lilo.conf with vim and run lilo. Thanks for the suggestion though.

whatever you do you have to build in support for your filesystem into the kernel and not as a module for your file system. if you dont it wont boot.

I have tried it with support for ext3 compiled into the kernel (yes selected, not a module), as well as many other combinations of ext3 and ext2 etc. The boot process does take place. It goes through some hardware detection then tries to mount the root file system and this is where I beleive it hangs. I do not have any formats on my hardrives but swap and ext3. This is a confusing problem.

Thank you for your suggestions.

-Brian

i had this same problem and i think that i didn't have lilo pointing to the correct images and boot location. You might want to check that.

menuconfig
make bzImage
make modules && make modules_install
cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-new
cp System.map /boot/System.map-new
cp .config /boot/config-new
mkinitrd /boot/initrd-new.img 2.6.10
vi on lilo and then run lilo and make sure lilo is pointing to the right places!!!
hopefully that helps.

aetucker1:
What does the .config file do for you in the boot folder? I have done everything you mentioned so many times my fingers are bleeding. I have also successfully recompiled my kernel for various hardware features in the past with success, but I always used Mandrake's 2.6.3-7mdk kernel that comes as an RPM. This is my first experience with a downloaded kernel.

My book does not mention copying the .config file to /boot. I know that this is what menuconfig stores its settings in for compiling the kernel. I will certainly try it when I get back home.

My hardware by the way is an AMD64 (I am compiling it for 5/686 for the time being), ASUS motherboard K8N-E which has SATA and Raid using an nVidia(yuck) chipset.

Thanks for your suggestion aetucker1,
Brian

it really doesn't do anything. it just copies it over to a safe spot so you dont have to go through menuconfig again.
i dont really know what to tell you about the kernel. there might be some sort of extra stuff in the normal kernel as opposed to the mdk kernel. that might be worth asking in the forum.