kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs in 08:02
 

Hi everybody.
I need some help with kernel compiling, I´am installed a Debian Woody Stable in my box.
There is something I doing wrong or something It´s missing me up.
Tried to compile the kernel 2.4.26 thousands times but I know the problem is the support of SCSI Module.
my fstab is:

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
/dev/sda2 / ext3 errors=remount-ro 0 1
/dev/sda1 none swap sw 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/fd0 /floppy auto user,noauto 0 0
/dev/cdrom /cdrom iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0
/dev/sda3 /home ext3 defaults 0 2

look at my root mount point and my type ext3 in /dev/sda2!!

¨
I do make menuconfig in /usr/src/linux and set the SCSI Support as <M> also the SCSI disk support <M>.
then the SCSI low level Drivers I´m using a BusLogic SCSI Card so I set <M> in the BusLogic support Card.
Then I go to the Fil Systems and I set staticly the next:
* "Virtual memory file support"
* "Ext3 Journalling file system support"
* "Second extended fs Support (etx2)"
and nothing else with de file systems

in the "Block device" put the flag * in RAM disk support - initial ram disk (initrd) support with 4096 size.

When I finish this I do:

make dep;make clean;make bzImabe;cp System.map /boot/System.map-2.4.26; cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.26;make modules;make modules_install; mkinitrd -o /boot/initrd-2.4.26.img /lib/modules/2.4.26

Then
I create the symblinks in my / (root)
ln -s /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.26 /vmlinuz
ln -s /boot/initrd-2.4.26.img /initrd.img

and my lilo.conf file is:

lba32
boot=/dev/sda
root=/dev/sda2
install=/boot/boot-menu.b
map=/boot/map
delay=20
prompt
timeout=100
vga=normal
default=Linux

image=/vmlinuz
label=Linux
initrd=/initrd.img
read-only

image=/vmlinuz.old
label=LinuxOLD
read-only
optional

I do the lilo command when I modify anything in my lilo.conf file.
And even do rdev for looking my root partition, to be sure at all.
And when the Debian it needs to look in the /etc/modules.conf so I create a file in /etc/modutils/scsi and add the line alias scsi_hostadapter BusLogic.
Then I run the update-modules command to add the line in the modules.conf file.

so after all that...!!!
I still get the same error...!!!
kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs in 08:02

quick check: make sure you have devfs in pseudo file systems enabled (not needed to boot automatically if you use udev, but without devfs, though it's obsolete, my kernel will fail to boot even if I do use udev), and that you have support for your fs type (like ext3) and so on...and that your machine architecture is correct (either i386 or, if you have pentium, use pentium, if athlon, then athlon, and so on...)

Well I checked that and it´s not enabled, then my arquitecture is fine, and I´ve enabled the Compressed ROM file support (I think that is the cramfs support but for better compression initrd)
Now I get a diffrent error, when load a kernel enter in a loop with the line kmod: failed to exec /sbint/modprobe -s -k binfmt-0000, errno = 8.

all this when check staticly the Compressed ROM file Support

i suggest compiling in scsi support and not building a initrd kernel. if you need initrd read the krenel-related docs in /usr/share/doc.
i suggest *not* using /usr/src/linux use /usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.26 (the origional tar -jxf output):
patch as needed
make menuconfig (or whatever)
make-kpkg clean
make-kpkg --revision=mypc.001 kernel_image
move old modules in /lib/modules away
dpkg -i kernel-image-2.4.26_mypc.001_i386.deb

sl mritch.

to edit my previous post a bit:

it seems like I have a bug or something in this distro..don't know yet. I understand that devfs, as it's obsolete now, should not be needed if using udev. however, I can't boot my kernels if I don't include devfs, though I don't use it but udev..so it's a checkpoint at least. I am not quite sure what causes this behaviour on my kernels, but I guess the problem disappears at least when updates come...meantime, I try to study this.

Well then I am going to try it, check the devfs but really don´t know what´s the problem, if I compile with static SCSI support I haven´t got any trouble. But I´m interisting to try anothers methods of compiling.

Thanks a lot!

Sebastian

just an idea...

i once had troubles booting from scsi with devfs. but it was a cd-distribution made with bootcdwrite and the mobo didn't support the scsi-bios. since devfs uses the /dev/scsi/host1/bus0/target2/lun0/part1 thing you may try giving this for root= instead of /dev/sdx.

sl mritch.

Re: kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs in 08:02
 

I think you should be including these drivers with the option Y. Using M means that you have to load the drivers after boot with modconf. Since you cannot boot without them you won't get to the stage of being able to insert them.

Instead of doing a symlink to the initrd.img just use the instruction in LILO;
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.26.img
I found grub much better at handling new kernels.
Hope this helps

kernel panic
 

i got the following error message:


EXT3-fs: ide0(3,3): couldn't mount because of unsupported optional features (8000800).
mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/hda3. or too many mounted file systems
pivot_root: Device or resource busy
umount: /.initrd/proc: not found
umount: /.initrd: not found
rmdir: not found
EXT2-fs: ide0(3,3):couldn't mount because of unsupported optional features (8000804)
EXT3-fs: ide0(3,3):couldn't mount because of unsupported optional features (8000800)
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 03:03


kindly help me.. please..

Re: kernel panic
 

Can you post me your fstab, It seems this kind of error due to maybe you forgot to compile the right fs for your linux, perhaps the fs that you´re using is ext3 and forgot to compile ext2 fs, I don´t Know exactly.
I need more details about your linux box. fstab and what items do you selected in the block part of the kernel configuration

C-ya

Cart before the horse?
 

I had a similar problem where I tried to mount my ide drive using module support.

Kernel Panic vfs: unable to mount root fs on 03:03

I could boot to Linux (previous kernel) no problem using the ide as part of the kernel (y in config kernel) but when I selected it as a module and recompiled the kernel, it choked (m in config kernel).

I figure it had to do with trying to load a module on a root fs that wasn't mounted yet because the module wasn't loaded - hence the subject line.

An alternative is to run initrd (initial ram disk) using your boot loader or at the boot command line. Which seems too complicated for me.