kernel panic

k5knt · 03-24-2005, 02:00 PM

I'm currently running Fedora Core 3 with the 2.6.10.770_FC3 kernel.
I wanted to take a look at Zen Linux, so I downloaded the Zen Linux Gnome live CD iso.
After burning the cd, I tried it and it failed to start X. I rebooted and now I get a kernel panic when I boot FC3. Here are the last few lines of the boot process:

Code:

Mounting root filesystems 
ReiserFS: dm-0: found reiserfs format "3.6" with standard journal 
ReiserFS: dm-0: using ordered data mode 
ReiserFS: dm-0: journal params: device dm-0, size 8192 journal first block 18,
max trans len 1024, max batch 900, max commit age 30, max trans age 30
ReiserFS: dm-0: checking transaction log (dm-0) 
ReiserFS: dm-0: Using r5 hash to sort names 
Switching to new root 
exec of init (/bin/sh) failed!!!: 13 
umount /initrd/dev failed: 13 
kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!

It then hangs.

How do I fix this?

Thanks.

Kent, K5KNT

brundles · 03-26-2005, 06:17 AM

Have you checked the md5 checksum for the ISO image? From the output I'd suggest checking that - if it's fine the reburn the image, if not the redownload the ISO then reburn.

k5knt · 03-26-2005, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by brundles
Have you checked the md5 checksum for the ISO image? From the output I'd suggest checking that - if it's fine the reburn the image, if not the redownload the ISO then reburn.

I didn't check the md5 checksum, but I think you may have misunderstood my post. The kernel panic is when I tried to boot my installed Fedora Core 3, not the Zen Linux live CD.

Anyway, the CD is now in my growing pile of "useless" CD's and I have reinstalled Fedora Core 3.

Kent

brundles · 03-26-2005, 08:34 PM

Sorry about that Kent - you're right, having reread the original post I got the boot up the wrong way around

mr805newbie · 04-22-2007, 02:07 AM

FYI I'm getting this error in Mandriva 2007 also.

fire-tick · 06-25-2007, 12:48 PM

I am also having this problem with Fedora 7. I went to the Fedora-specific forum first for help, but received none. I always check my md5sums. I know the CD boots fine. It installed fine. But when booting, I get kernel panic.

If anyone could offer some possible reasons for this, that would be very helpful.

Agrouf · 06-25-2007, 04:05 PM

You get kernel panic but for which reason?
It is important to know what is displayed before the kernel panic.
Are you using LVM? Which file system are you using?
Please post more information.

Anyway, you can try to make a new initrd file with the correct setup from the boot CD (try rescue, chroot to your system and run mkinitrd)

sundialsvcs · 06-26-2007, 07:24 PM

This message is misleading, because it implies that the problem you should be focusing upon is here, when in fact the root cause of the problem occurred earlier. The "attempted to kill 'init'" message is actually the last piston that the machine will typically cough-up before it dies ... a death caused by a message that will have occurred sooner.

The actual problem in this case is:

Code:

 exec of init (/bin/sh) failed!!!: 13

When the init process (which is "the origin of all things" in a Linux system) was unable to do that, it died. But... the init process is not allowed to "die." The message really should have been:

Code:

Oh, my!  'init' died!  
But 'init' is not allowed to die!  Oh dear... I can't possibly continue.  
All I can think of to do right now is to panic! 
(Koff! Koff! Ka-pooie!  I'm comin', Martha! It's the big one!  Aaack!)
(System halted.)

Jeiku · 06-27-2007, 03:56 AM

Have you tried booting into single user mode from a CD and testing the init binary and/or the /bin/sh binary? It may be something like a missing library for example.

Try booting via a CD, mount your Fedora partition and try running the /sbin/init (and also /bin/sh) on that partition to see if it gives any errors - post them here if you get any.

(Just an hunch that's all!

)

fire-tick · 06-27-2007, 09:09 AM

Q: is there a way to copy the text that comes up during boot (without having to manually write it)?

Jeiku · 06-27-2007, 10:09 PM

Use the dmesg command

fire-tick · 06-28-2007, 07:36 AM

I was able to copy the following text from the boot screen:

Code:

Waiting for driver initialization.
Trying to resume from /dev/sdb1
No suspend signature on swap, not resuming.
Creating root device.
Mounting root filesystem.
mount: could not find filesystem '/dev/root'
Setting up other filesystems.
Setting up new root fs
setuproot: moving /dev failed: No such file or directory
no fstab.sys, mounting internal defaults
setuproot: moving /proc failed: No such file or directory
setuproot: moving /sys failed: No such file or directory
Switching to new root and running init.
unmounting old /dev
unmounting old /proc
unmounting old /sys
switchroot: mount failed: No such file or directory
Booting has failed.
Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!

Then the computer freezes, and the keyboard lights blink. Though this is not the exact same path to kernel panic as what k5knt posted, but the common thread appears to be: 'switching to new root', and 'unmount failed'.

Quote:

Code:

Switching to new root 
exec of init (/bin/sh) failed!!!: 13 
umount /initrd/dev failed: 13 
kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!

I hope this helps. Thanks too for any help I can get.

f-t

Agrouf · 06-28-2007, 11:41 AM

Unfortunately, the problem dates back from before the part of log you provided.
Indeed, "mount: could not find filesystem '/dev/root'" means that linux can not mount the root filesystem, most probably because it was not able to create the dev file, probably because some modules are missing.
Could you please try to post more of the log?

Also please try this :
Boot from CD and select rescue mode at grub screen. Answer questions and do :

Code:

chroot /mnt/sysimage
mkdir /tmp/initrd
cp /boot/initrd* /tmp/initrd
cd /tmp/initrd
gunzip<initrd* | cpio -i -d
cat init

This will display the init script that linux is executing at boot.
near the end of it, you will see something like that :

Code:

echo Creating root device.
mkrootdev -t something -o defaults,ro somewhere

It will be interesting to know what something and somewhere are, so as to know which filesystem it is trying to mount for your root partition and see if the somewhere indeed contains the something file system and if all the modules are insmoded for this file system.

Regards

Edit : note that you can boot your kernel in quiet mode (option quiet) ; it will reduce the output only to errors, so you can actually see them.

fire-tick · 06-28-2007, 12:58 PM

Thanks Agrouf. I'll try booting from the CD and checking out the init file. I'll also try Jeiku's suggesiton of:

Quote:

try running the /sbin/init (and also /bin/sh)

I saw your EDIT to boot in quiet mode -- I'll try that. If you need to see more of the boot log, I don't know how to get that. Jeiku suggested the "dmesg" command, but I am not familiar with that, nor how to use/execute it. If someone could explain, that would be great.

Also, I should note that I installed with both the Fedora 7 Live CD, and the Fedora 7 Installation CD, and got kernel panic both times I tried to boot directly after installation. I can't be sure that the errors were the same, but the end result was.

Agrouf · 06-28-2007, 02:12 PM

IMHO, /sbin/init won't help you because your system didn't mount the root partition, therefore it didn't access the init file, therefore the problem can't be there.
The program that isn't working is the init in the initrd file.
With all respect, I don't think dmesg can help you either, since the log files are written nowhere (since the partitions are not mounted linux can't access any file, but those in the initrd because it is copied to ram by grub).
If you have a live CD, you can mount your boot partition and check your initrd file.
It is located at /boot ; the command :
gunzip<initrd_file | cpio -i -d
extracts the initrd file.
We just need to know which file system (ext2? ext3? reiserfs?) you are using and on which kind of hardrive it is installed (USB? SATA? LVM? RAID? IDE?)