kernel panic: VFS: unable to mount root fs on 09:02
 

Dear Friends
I have install and update my new kernal from 2.4.7-10 to 2.4.7-18. Highly appreciate if anyone can help.

Thanks
Francis

The following are existing information on my test server.
---------------------------------------------------------
Red hat 7.2 version
GNU C compiler - gcc-2.96-98
Existing kernal version is Kernal-2.4.7-10
Server is to be configure as software raid 1 with two hard disks configure as primary
using grub as linux boot loader

Procedure of building my kernel
-------------------------------
1)log in as root
2)Upack the source (untar) in usr/src/linux
3)make clean
4)make menuconfig - The following are the setting select as part of kernel not modules

Processor type and features -
(setting cpu-Atholon/duron/k7, select SMP support,

Filesystems - kernal automounter version 4 support, Dos Fat fs support, MSDOS fs support,
UMDOS : Unix -like file system on top of standard MSDOS fs,
vFat (windows 95) fs support, Second extended fs support,
System V/Xenix/V7 Coherent :

Sound card support -
Creative Ensoniq AudioPCI 97 (ES 1371)
USB Support - UHCI ( Intel PIx4,.....)

Loadable module support -
Set version info. on all module symbol
kernel module loader

Plug and Play configuration -
select all

Block device -
Normal PC floppy disk support

Networking option -
Packet socket
Unix domain sockets
TCP/IP networking
IP : Multicasting

ATA/IDE/MFM/RLL Support -
ATA/IDE/MFM/RLL Support
and many more

5)make dep
6)make
7)make bzImage
8)make modules
9)make install
10)make modules_install
11)Configure Grub


Error message received during boot time (after kernel configuration)
------------------------------------------
Request_module[block-major-9]:Root fs not mounted
VFS: cannot open root device "md2" or 09:02
Please append a correct "root=" boot option
kernel panic: VFS: unable to mount root fs on 09:02

df
-----
Filesystem 1k-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/md2 9050536 1326716 7264076 16% /
/dev/md1 49638 12379 34696 27% /boot
none 59292 0 59292 0% /dev/shm

Grub.conf
---------
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.7-10)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.7-10 ro root=/dev/md2
initrd /initrd-2.4.7-10.img

title Red Hat Linux (2.4.7-18 myker.01july2002)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /bzImage.myker.01july2002 ro root=/dev/md2

why did you upgrade to 2.4.7-18 and not to 2.4.18????

zLinuxz
I need to upgrade my kernel from 2.4.18 to 2.4.7-10. When I do rpm -q kernal. It show that my runing kernel is 2.4.7-10.

I need to have a dual boots using the grub boot loader. One is for the previsous kernel and the other is for the new kernel.

Why I need to upgrade my kernel. I need to install freeswan for work establish the vpn on my test linux server.

Your help is highly appreciated

eehhhmm, I think you really meant to say that you wanted to upgrade your kernel from 2.4.7-10 to 2.4.18
What I suggest is go to www.kernel.org
download the latest kernel (obviously 2.4.18), then configure, make it, and install it. Then move the kernel image to the /boot folder...then add it to lilo.conf and then re-run lilo, and then just boot from the new kernel when you selected it in the lilo boot screen. Then if your boot goes well, and everything works, you can erase the old kernel from the lilo boot, :)
voila!

zLinuxz

I have done that but it seem not to work. Some book show me the step that I need to rename the old system.map and recreate the new link for the system.map. But what actually it is going to do with the rebuilding my kernel and to make it boot up.

I have downloaded the kernel 2.4.18 It still doesn't work. Did I miss up any step ? My procedure is according to www.tldp.org/howto/kernel-howto-2.html

Appreciate if you can help

eehmm, well the problem with those steps might be that:

"The page cannot be found, The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable."

so that's not much help is it?, :p

zLinuxz, this is probably the page x2000koh is referring to.

http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Kernel-HOWTO-2.html

This is only my doubt:

You seem to have raid partitions ( /dev/md* )

Did you add support for raid?

Well any way, I am not good at raid.

Thank linux expert (zLinuxz and linuxcool)

In my test server, I have software raid, That mean I install two hard disk and make both as primary and floppy as slave.

I use disk durid to do the partitioning, swap and software raid.

I try to use another machine to rebuild my kernel but this time no raid just one hard disk but it doesn't seem to work.

Why it is doesn't work is there any modules that I miss out or the setting of my system file that not allow my configuration to read or mount the correct dirve.

Your help is highly appreciated.