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I've Slackware 10.2, kernel 2.4.x. The / fs is on ext3 on device /dev/hda2. Use lilo to boot.
I compiled kernel 2.6.17.11 with ext3 fs support. Updated lilo.conf and executed it. Rebooted and got this error message:
<snip>
VFS: Cannot open root device "032" or unknown-block(3,2)
Please append a correct "root=" boot option
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(3,2)
</snip>
For some reason the new kernel is not able to find my / fs. I've specified the / (/dev/hda2) in lilo.conf. Ext3 support is built-in and not in modules.
And, I'm still able to boot using the old kernel. I trawled the net searching for an answer, and realised that lot of guys are encountering the same problem with kernel 2.6.x!! Is this a known issue? Any solutions?
Exact same thing happened. . . Slackware, Ext3 filesystem, compiled 2.6.17 kernel, Lilo. . . Kernel panic! Can't mount root. Took me a weekend to figure it out.
Re-run kernel config, make sure Ext3 file system is selected to compile in (not as a module), and rebuild.
I too had this problem under Gentoo (well, actually, still have...) when I compiled the 2.6.17 kernel. I made sure that ext3 (for that is what my root is on) support was compiled in, and have tried it with ReiserFS also. I haven't found a solution yet (then again, I just started looking). Any tips?
You can also use the "Search" function at the top of the menu, on keys "VFS: unable to mount root", searching in the "Titles Only" option, as this question has been asked in 78 different threads. It's usually one of two things, as I wrote here (different hardware and filesystem, same concept):
Depends on what the root filesystem has been set to. Your root=/dev/whatever is translated into a number. Check out devices.txt in /usr/src/linux/Documentation. It's usually 3,something due to...
Quote:
3 block First MFM, RLL and IDE hard disk/CD-ROM interface
0 = /dev/hda Master: whole disk (or CD-ROM)
64 = /dev/hdb Slave: whole disk (or CD-ROM)
Also depends on how the disk controllers are setup. I've got a /dev/hda1 and also a /dev/hde1 as roots in two machines.
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