LinuxQuestions.org - Kernel panic

- Slackware (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/)

- - Kernel panic (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/kernel-panic-436467/)

Hey, I just compiled and installed kernel 2.6.16-2 and when i went to reboot and start it up lilo just goes blank and nothing happens. Thats fair enough, i assumed i must have messed up something silly in my .config file so i decided i'd just reboot in my old 2.4 kernel and sort it out. I rebooted and when i selected my 2.4 kernel i got this

Code:

VFS: Cannot open root device "301" or unknown block (3,1)

Please apppend correct "root=" boot option

Kernel panic - not synching - VFS could not mount root fs on (3,1)

I assumed i'd screwed up my lilo.conf so i set it back to what it was before and re-ran lilo. Im still getting the same thing though and its a bit frustrating. Everything is now the exact same as it was before my attempted kernel upgrade. Here is my lilo.conf

Quote:

LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/hda
message = /boot/boot_message.txt
prompt
timeout = 100
# Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:
change-rules
reset
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
vga = 773
# Normal VGA console
# vga = normal
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
# vga=791
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
# vga=790
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
# vga=773
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
# vga=788
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
# vga=787
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
# vga=771
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
# vga=785
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
# vga=784
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
# vga=769
# End LILO global section
# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hda3
label = Windows
table = /dev/hda
# Windows bootable partition config ends

# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda1
label = Linux
read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends

# kernel 2.6.16-12
# image = /boot/bzImage-2.6.16-2
# root = /dev/hda1
# label = kernel_2.6.16-2
# read-only
# end kernel 2.6.16-1

and my partition table

Quote:

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 764 6136798+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 765 4728 31840830 5 Extended
/dev/hda3 * 4729 9728 40162500 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda5 765 904 1124518+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda6 905 4728 30716248+ 83 Linux

I've no idea whats going on so any help is appreciated.

Thank you,
NNP

What type is your hdd? Is it SATA one?

nope its an IDE drive

Did you compile in (*) support for your root filesystem? This is normally the cause of this error.

yes i did but why would that matter anyway?

The original kernel is the one thats giving that error message. The new one is just dying without saying a thing.

I wouldnt have thought installing the new kernel would have effected the old.

Did you try to pass the correct boot option like root=/dev/hda1? Are you sure that vmlinuz link points to the correct kernel?

Yea, i tried passing root=/dev/hda1

I didnt check that vmlinuz points to the right place. I'll do that when i get home. I didnt think make or make install would change that though.

make install could change, but i'm not sure about this.

To be certain:
Did you run lilo after compiling the enw kernel?

Ok, check this out:

Quote:

# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda1
label = Linux
read-only

Quote:

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 764 6136798+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 765 4728 31840830 5 Extended
/dev/hda3 * 4729 9728 40162500 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda5 765 904 1124518+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda6 905 4728 30716248+ 83 Linux

Why is /dev/hda1 not marked as being bootable? Also, can you actually boot Windows from LILO like it's configured now? What version of Windows are you booting?

Peace...

yes, i can boot windows. Its XP.

As for the bootable flag, i didnt see that but now that i think about it that wasnt set before either and it didnt cause a problem.

In regard to the question about vmlinuz. Here is an ls -lF of my /boot as seen from knoppix

Quote:

root@ttyp0[boot]# ls -lF
total 6876
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 37 Apr 5 17:22 README.initrd -> /usr/doc/mkinitrd-1.0.1/README.initrd
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 717568 Apr 12 14:52 System.map
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 717568 Apr 12 14:56 System.map-2.6.16-2
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 608033 Jun 5 2005 System.map-ide-2.4.31
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Apr 5 17:22 System.old -> System.map-ide-2.4.31-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 512 Apr 5 17:33 boot.0300
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 196 Apr 10 14:31 boot_message.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1173018 Apr 12 14:56 bzImage-2.6.16-2
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 17 Apr 5 17:22 config -> config-ide-2.4.31
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 41760 Jun 5 2005 config-ide-2.4.31
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 5032 May 21 2004 diag1.img
-rw------- 1 root root 29696 Apr 18 20:15 map
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1173018 Apr 12 14:52 vmlinuz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1256566 Jun 5 2005 vmlinuz-ide-2.4.31
-r-------- 1 root root 1256566 Apr 5 17:32 vmlinuz.old
root@ttyp0[boot]#

I've no idea why there is a vmlinuz and a vmlinuz-ide-2.4.31. Is that the default in slackware?

micder: cant remember if i ran lilo after compiling the new kernel but i've done it several times since.

The only thing I can think of is some kind of partition hiding trickery going on, but I doubt that can be it. You got me. :)

Peace...

well i set the image= back to vmlinuz-ide-2.4.31 and i can now boot my 2.4 kernel again. It appears the new vmlinuz must be the 2.6 kernel. Odd.

Anywho, i now have to figure out why the hell the 2.6 kernel wont boot. Fun.

I'm around 99% sure that this was caused by make install, which you did. It removed ide-2.4 line and added vmlinuz line after copying bzImage into /boot/vmlinuz. Then you added your 2.6 kernel normal way.

Any suggestions on what could be wrong with the 2.6 kernel?

Is there anything i should watch out for when upgrading from 2.4 to 2.6 on slackware?

I had similar problems when I first started to build my own Linux kernel.

I tracked the problem down to 'tangled up' symbolic links.

I have learnt my lesson now and avoid having any symlinks if at all possible. Also, when building a new kernel, I never do a 'make install'. I always install the kernel image, system.map and modules manually, then I know exactly what is happening.

Toods.

To Toods: You can install modules with make install_modules. It doesn't create any symlinks, just copy modules to /lib/modules/kernel-version.

To NNP: Check that your filesystem support is compiled not as module but into the kernel;
Check that you haven't enabled SATA or SCSI disk support (they shouldn't cause problems. but it's better to check), if you have and IDE disk.
Use Slackware 2.6 kernel config and check additional required options. If it works, you can reduce the number of selected options and finally find what was causing kernel panic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alien_Hominid

To Toods: You can install modules with make install_modules----

That's good to know. Is 'make install_modules' the same effectively as 'make modules_install'?.

Toods: I think it was a typo, so yes (damn will i feel silly if it wasnt ;) )

Alien_Hominoid: What do you mean by 'Use Slackware 2.6 kernel config'. Do you mean create a fresh .config file?

Thanks,
NNP

To Toods: Sorry for very stupid previous post. :( It should be make modules_install. My fault. But it works as I said.

To NNP: ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackwar...est26.s/config.