Kernel panic while installation...........(URGENT Please)
 

Hi all ,
I am trying to install LINUX from PXE.
I have reached a point where the i get messages of LOADING VMLINUZ.............................ready followed by some messages .

After some messages i am getting KERNEL PANIC.
the following is the messages which i get before KERNEL PANIC messages.

.......
......
Using IPI No-Shortcut mode
Time: tsc clocksource has been installed
md : Autodetecting Raid arrays
md: Autorun ...
md: ...autorun Done

EXT2-fs :Unable to read superblock isofs_fill_super : bread failed , dev=md1, iso_blknum=16, block=32
No filesystem could mount root, tried: ext2 iso9660
Kernel Panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(9,1).


The target is an COMPACT Flash memory.(It has Windows installed on it ).
Tried to use google but could not resolve.
( In urgent need )

This is my /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default
default linux
prompt 1
timeout 300

label linux
kernel image/os/vmlinuz
initrd=image/os/initrd.img ramdisk_size=32768


Thank You
Ashish Mishra

It is unable to mount root filesystem. Where is it? You need to define/create root filesystem that can be mounted.

You need the whole linux filesystem - /, /etc, /bin, /sbin, /usr, /home, empty /proc, /tmp, etc that can be mounted.

Hi ,

I am trying to install Linux on Industrial PC with compact flash on it.
Also can u please let me know how can i crete the filesystem.

I have partioned using mkfs but still no progress.

Also it is showing doesn't contain a valid partition table..............................WHAT DOES IT Mean
( Sorry if i am missing something ) . Please let me know


[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 5099 40957686 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 5100 19456 115322602+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5 5100 10198 40957686 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda6 10199 10211 104391 83 Linux
/dev/hda7 10212 19456 74260431 8e Linux LVM

Disk /dev/sda: 4034 MB, 4034838528 bytes
125 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1016 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 7750 * 512 = 3968000 bytes

Disk /dev/sda doesn't contain a valid partition table
[root@localhost ~]# file -s /dev/sda
/dev/sda: Linux rev 1.0 ext2 filesystem data (large files)
[root@localhost ~]# mkfs -t ext2 /dev/sda
mke2fs 1.39 (29-May-2006)
/dev/sda is entire device, not just one partition!
Proceed anyway? (y,n) y
Filesystem label=
OS type: Linux
Block size=4096 (log=2)
Fragment size=4096 (log=2)
493024 inodes, 985068 blocks
49253 blocks (5.00%) reserved for the super user
First data block=0
Maximum filesystem blocks=1010827264
31 block groups
32768 blocks per group, 32768 fragments per group
15904 inodes per group
Superblock backups stored on blocks:
32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912, 819200, 884736

Writing inode tables: done
Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done

This filesystem will be automatically checked every 26 mounts or
180 days, whichever comes first. Use tune2fs -c or -i to override.

Thank You
Ashish

EXT2-fs: corrupt root inode, run e2fsck .............is the error in /var/log/messages

what distro are you trying to install ?
is it this
http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/PXELINUX
if so it is not a full install , just a network boot

Pxeboot is just to boot the kernel from the Lan pxe rom. Rest is similar to normal linux startup. It needs the root filesystem to be mounted after the kernel bootup which it cannot mount. Reason -
1. The partition is linux, but no filesystem system on it - /, /etc, /bin, etc.
2. It is present but not mapped. Filesystem can exist under networked /tftpboot folder or physical device on the booted device.
I think it searches /etc/fstab setting to mount the filesystem.

You should have run
'fdisk /dev/sda' and deleted and created a new partition on it before running mkfs. hence the error.

Hi Milind ,
With all test i can think and do i have done.

Can u please tell me how :
1. Create an Filesystem on target(Compact Flash)

2. How to map this Filesystem on target
or
How to create the filesystem in /tftboot

3. What should i do in /etc/fstab..........


These are the things i have done recently::
1. Used fdisk /dev/sda , then mkfs , then e2fsck ..........With no error
But when i try to boot i again have that "KERNEL PANIC"

2. I had an Laptop , so i tried on that
But the result is the same "KERNEL PANIC"

Also my Laptop has an RHEL5 running (So at least now it has the filesystem).



Or i am still messing & missing some point .............


Please help me

Thank You
Ashish

Hi ,
Just passed through the error.
There was an syntax error in /tftboot/pxelinux.cfg/defalut

Thanks for your help.
@ milind :- waiting for your reply( So that i can at least understand much info )
Thank You
Ashish

append root=/dev/sda1 to the kernel options in pxelinux.cfg where /dev/sda1 is the partition where your linux filesystem resides. This should work. But I haven't tried it.

Installing and running linux from pxe are two different things.
If you want to install linux follow guidelines here : http://linux-sxs.org/internet_serving/pxeboot.html (read from sr. 9 onwards) The procedure is for RHEL.
For debian & ubuntu its a bit different.

For running linux using Pxeboot where the linux filesystem resides on a NFS share read
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/doc...ini-HOWTO.html
This also has details of creating your linux filesystem.

I used slax distro that I installed on a USB disk. It has a pxeserver preconfigured. I had ran more than 15 pcs over pxe with it.

I had also installed debian using pxeboot and installer image on my http server.

But I have not been able to create a filesystem myself to be shared over nfs. I was unable to bring down the size of the system below 1gb with all the tools I needed and left this task incomplete.

You can use a damn small linux or any other small linux and install it on your compact disk or pc and copy the whole filesystem to wherever you want on your compact disc or under /tftpboot.
RHEL has a tftpserver and gui to configure it. It only needs the root filesystem for the clients. It will provide you with an rsync command to get the filesystem from an installed client pc.

The setup you are trying may not be documented anywhere as it is not required by anyone. You want to boot a system that already has a linux filesystem, in which case you only need to configure the bootloader(grub/lilo) on that system itself.

The pxeserver is used where the bootloader and filesystem both do not reside on same system. Mostly remote linux installation and for diskless clients where there is no harddisk on clients.