2.6.2 kernel boot error

Seventh · 02-12-2004, 11:06 AM

I've just installed Kernel 2.6.2 on a Dell D800 laptop. Pretty much the most minimal install I could get on it in terms of the modules.

I get this far:

boot:
Loading Linux...................................
Uncompressing Linux... Ok, Booting the kernel.
Linux version 2.6.2 (root@debian) (gcc version 2.95.4 20011002 (Debian prerelease)) #6 Thu Feb 12 12:03:49 EST 2004
BIOS-provided physical RAM map:
BIOS-e820 0000000000000000 - 000000000009f000 (usable)
BIOS-e820 000000000009f000 - 00000000000a0000 (reserved)
BIOS-e820 0000000000100000 - 000000003ffb0800 (usable)

And that's it. Just hangs right there. Prior kernels boot with no problem at all.

Any insight appreciated. TIA.

busbarn · 02-12-2004, 11:17 AM

Are you using grub or lilo? I had a laptop (toshiba) that wouldn't boot with acpi, so I had to turn it off in grub. You might try looking at power management in your kernel config and turn off acpi and see if you can get it to boot.

Seventh · 02-13-2004, 07:47 AM

LILO (per request, it's a lab machine, personally I prefer Grub).

Not much by way of BIOS regarding ACPI, and I've tried booting it with the acpi=no argument, both to no avail.

Seventh · 02-16-2004, 05:42 PM

^ bump ^

m_yates · 02-16-2004, 07:42 PM

Seventh,

Here is an idea: Extract a debian kernel image and use that config file for compiling your own kernel. Just go to www.debian.org and find the 2.6.2 kernel image file from unstable and save it to your hard drive, then:

dpkg -x kernel-image-2.6.2*.deb /tmp
cp /tmp/boot/config-2.6.2* /usr/src/linux/.config
cd /usr/src/linux
make menuconfig

Now you can make a few tweaks to the configuration and save it before compiling your own kernel. At least that way you know you are starting with a working configuration file. I've always run into trouble configuring a kernel from scratch. ....In fact, I like this idea so much I might try upgrading from my 2.4.24 kernel

Seventh · 02-18-2004, 08:12 AM

Ok, I'm here:

http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/unstable/

But I don't see any kernel images. Am I in the wrong spot?

Thanks as always, any help is muchly appreciated.

- S7

m_yates · 02-18-2004, 09:22 AM

http://packages.debian.org/unstable/base/

Has base packages, including a variety of kernel images. Different versions of the 2.6.2 kernel are there for different processors (686=pentium and k7=athlon).

Seventh · 02-18-2004, 11:07 AM

Hrm, are those supposed to be only 8k?

On the other side of things, I'm reinstalling for the 14th consecutive time today. This time I reinstalled (because og the "unable to mount root" error, and the whole installation was in capital letters for some obscure reason.

Reboot, kernel panic...

*goes insane*

Seventh · 02-18-2004, 12:37 PM

Ok, started from scratch:

Installed base system from Woody 3.0 (kernel 2.2.20).
Did my make menuconfig, picked my stuff (basically just the tg3 driver, built into the kernel, not as a module).
made bzImage, compiled fine.
made modules, compiled fine.

Then this error:

Code:

make modules_install
(runs, goes fine until:)
depmod:parport_ieee1284_epp_write_data
make: *** [modinst_post] Error 1

*scratches head*

Seventh · 02-18-2004, 12:54 PM

And now I'm back..

Here:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=146779

*continues to go insane*

m_yates · 02-18-2004, 01:48 PM

I found this, as I am now considering upgrading to the 2.6.3 kernel myself:

http://www.desktop-linux.net/debkernel.htm

Make sure you also follow the link to:

http://kerneltrap.org/note/view/799

and make sure you have upgraded the necessary packages. I would be more help if I had actually done the upgrade myself, but I haven't gotten to it yet. Hope it turns out right.

Seventh · 02-18-2004, 03:50 PM

I took off for the day to avoid any premature lighting-on-fire of aforementioned laptop. That looks promising though - thank you very, very much for the legwork.

Seventh · 02-20-2004, 09:29 AM

Well, I'm giving this a whirl now. Some of the dependencies (for example, efs2progs) I can't figure out how to install. They're extracted, but I don't see any modules to insmod, nor is there any working Makefile. Typical.

I followed These instructions you listed, and got to this part:

1) Type: make-kpkg buildpackage -rev Custom.1 kernel_image

Which just fires me out a delightfully typical-debian slew of errors. I'd post a log, but building the kernel has made both my new and old kernels panic, so I'm reinstalling from scratch for at least the 50-60th time.

I have honestly never been so disgusted with a piece of software in my 10+ years of IT and Engineering support and development. I can honestly say that this is the absolute worst OS I've ever had the displeasure to work with.

/rant off /apologytoeveryone

Anyhow. Now I'm trying to install e2fsprogs, with a howto I found here:

http://www.fr.linuxfromscratch.org/v...e2fsprogs.html

I enter this command:

Code:

../e2fsprogs-1.34/configure --prefix=/usr --with-root-prefix="" \
    --enable-elf-shlibs

Which gives me:

Code:

: bad interpreter: No such file or directory.

And I plow forward and google some more.

m_yates · 02-20-2004, 10:02 AM

To install e2fsprogs;

apt-get install e2fsprogs

If you want the latest version from unstable;

apt-get -t unstable install e2fsprogs

Just make sure your sources.list file includes unstable repositories.

Someone gave me a link to a working config file for a 2.6.2 kernel http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/scormier/config-2.6.2

Well, I tried upgrading to the 2.6.3 kernel and was able to build the kernel-image deb and install it. However, it wouldn't boot, probably because of a bad config of the kernel. You can follow the thread I posted here: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7951 Some others have ran into similar problems.

I'll have to try again with the new config file later. It takes a really long time to compile on my 900 mHz processor.

Seventh · 02-20-2004, 10:32 AM

Heh, can't apt it, because the root of all my evils is a non-working Broadcom 5700 card, which was the actual reason behind all of this kernel upgrading.

apt from the Woody CD (which I'm installing from) says that the version I have now is current.

Gonna try 2.6.3 and see if any happiness comes from there. On the brightside I'm learning a ton, but 3 weeks to get one system working with a simple network/xterm is a little on the humiliating side. Hopefully once I get all this figured out, I'll be able to help out a bit more around here instead of pestering you all with my neverending slew of questions.

Thanks very much as always.