LinuxQuestions.org - [SOLVED] Kernel hang during boot process (Slack 13.1 stable w/ kernel 2.6.33.4-smp)

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Kernel hang during boot process (Slack 13.1 stable w/ kernel 2.6.33.4-smp)

Hi guys! I guess I'm back with a new problem!

I installed a fresh copy of Slackware 13.1 (stable) on one of my media servers and I am experiencing something strange.... When I power up the machine, I see the kernel booting, no errors, until it gets to the point where it says:

...
RPC: Registering udp transport module.
RPC: Registering tcp transport module.
RPC: Registering tcp NFSV4.1 backchannel transport module.

and then randomly freeze there.... Well the machine is not totally frozen because the cursor still blinks. But it will never continue... Like I said, this happens on a random basis... After a reset, it might go through or simply stall at the same spot.

I remember after installing Slack 13.1, I rebooted the machine but forgot to remove the DVD from the player, so the install routine started up, and froze at the same point when it was loading the kernel for the setup programs...

My mobo is a MSI k9N platinum.

I never had this problem before.... (well I never used 13.1 before). Since I got this machine, I used slack 12.2 and slack 13-current with success.

This problem makes the machine extremely unreliable because I intent to use it as a backup and media server, so chances I will WOL the machine and use it remotely... if that happens, im screwed.

Thanks for feedback!

From my dmesg:

Quote:

RPC: Registered udp transport module.
RPC: Registered tcp transport module.
RPC: Registered tcp NFSv4.1 backchannel transport module.
pci 0000:01:00.0: Boot video device

I suspect your problem is due to a graphics device.

That make some sense, but how come I can (sometimes) boot normally and use the machine perfectly?? If it was a hardware problem with the video adapter, I would have problems on the run as well no?

It seems that the problem is that the graphics adapter is not being successfully recognised or initialised at every boot.
Do you have the latest BIOS update installed?
http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=do...=1&prod_no=252

allend,

those smart guys at MSI are only supporting windows.... no ISO's to burn to a CD and boot, no .bin files that I can work with in linux.... what do you suggest?

Anyways, no I think I dont have the latest BIOS. It seems my version is fro 2006 and they have a 2008 version on the MSI website...

Here's what I have in dmesg (around the moment if would hang, I inserted a note):

Code:

...

NET: Registered protocol family 2

IP route cache hash table entries: 32768 (order: 5, 131072 bytes)

TCP established hash table entries: 131072 (order: 8, 1048576 bytes)

TCP bind hash table entries: 65536 (order: 7, 524288 bytes)

TCP: Hash tables configured (established 131072 bind 65536)

TCP reno registered

UDP hash table entries: 512 (order: 2, 16384 bytes)

UDP-Lite hash table entries: 512 (order: 2, 16384 bytes)

NET: Registered protocol family 1

RPC: Registered udp transport module.

RPC: Registered tcp transport module.

RPC: Registered tcp NFSv4.1 backchannel transport module.



****IF IT HANG, IT WILL BE EITHER HERE****



pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping

pci 0000:00:00.0: Found enabled HT MSI Mapping



********OR HERE********



pci 0000:06:00.0: Boot video device

PCI: CLS 64 bytes, default 64

audit: initializing netlink socket (disabled)

type=2000 audit(1277596358.384:1): initialized

highmem bounce pool size: 64 pages

VFS: Disk quotas dquot_6.5.2

Dquot-cache hash table entries: 1024 (order 0, 4096 bytes)

DLM (built May 12 2010 22:42:00) installed

Installing knfsd (copyright (C) 1996 okir@monad.swb.de).

NTFS driver 2.1.29 [Flags: R/W].

ROMFS MTD (C) 2007 Red Hat, Inc.

JFS: nTxBlock = 8003, nTxLock = 64029

SGI XFS with ACLs, security attributes, large block/inode numbers, no debug enabled

SGI XFS Quota Management subsystem

I see the boot video device is just next after the series of "enabled HT blablabla..." stuff...

lspci says:

Code:

06:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation G73 [GeForce 7300 GT] (rev a1)

Thats accurate. Is that card known to be incompatible with 2.6.33-smp? That machine is acting as a file server, I dont even have amonitor connected to it. Normally, I would only use a very basic VGA card ot even an integrated adapter, but I got the mobo and the videocard for cheap together and back then I did not want to build a server...

Which kernel are you using? Generic or huge-smp? From your post it seems that you are still
using huge-smp kernel - but this an install kernel - I guess you made your install not completely blind.

Try to boot your system from CD-ROM install (or DVD). In the runlevel 3. so, eg.

[CODE

boot: huge.smp root=/dev/sda2 rdinit= ro 3

/CODE]

(/dev/sda2 it the slack partition on my computer of course)

Or do such trick. Run the kernel from the install and check dmesg. Save the output somwhere on hard
disk (or on USB stick).

At least you will have both dmesg's and they should be identical (up to the INIT)

Quote:

those smart guys at MSI are only supporting windows.... no ISO's to burn to a CD and boot, no .bin files that I can work with in linux.... what do you suggest?

Download the .zip file from the link that I gave earlier, unpack it and read the instructions carefully! You CAN brick your system if you are not careful!
From the link I gave earlier:

Quote:

Attention:
Users who download BIOS from here (not using Live Update) should use the flash utility included in the downloaded compressed file when doing the BIOS update.

The last time I updated the BIOS on a computer with an MSI motherboard, I just created a floppy disk with the update on that, booted from the floppy and performed the update. As I recall the disk actually used a Win98 boot. Anyway, it is all standalone. There is no need to worry about any Linux tools.

Quote:

Anyways, no I think I dont have the latest BIOS. It seems my version is fro 2006 and they have a 2008 version on the MSI website...

I do note that the BIOS update 1.3 dated 2006-08-09 has this comment:

Quote:

Improve SLI mode compatibility with GFX7XXX Graphics

Quote:

Is that card known to be incompatible with 2.6.33-smp?

I very much doubt that it is incompatible. I am typing this from a system successfully running the 2.6.33.4 kernel with an nVidia GeForce 7300 LE.

Did I emphasise that it is very important to understand exactly what you are doing when updating the BIOS? It is not hard, but has the potential to leave you with an expensive pile of junk.

igadoter, I've already tried what you are suggesting. It generates the same content as a normal dmesg during a normal run... Like I said previously, a boot from the install DVD could also result in a hang at the same location in the kernel initialization. No differences vbetween booting straight or from an install DVD/CD....

allend, the flash utility is a .exe file...

from their readme or whatever its called file:

Quote:

5. Boot your system from a Win98 or WinME boot-floppy.
How to make boot floppy in case your don’t have it ready:
For Win9X, You can type [C:\ format a:/s] from the DOS prompt.
For WinMe, You can make a boot floppy from control panel--> add/remove program-->make boot floppy. Remove autoexec.bat & config.sys file if there's any.
For Win2000, there's no way to make boot floppy, so you have to either use Win9X or WinME boot floppy.
For WinXP, you can make a DOS boot disk. Go to Your Computer, right click drive A:, select Format, select copy system files.*

Thats all Windowd related instructions.. Could I create a bootable CD and or a USB stick and go from there? The other problem I did not mention before is the lack of a floppy drive on that machine...

Quote:

Could I create a bootable CD and or a USB stick and go from there?

I found this on the MSI site - http://forum.msi.com.tw/index.php?topic=122350.0
For a bootable CD it gives this link.
http://www.linuxinsight.com/how-to-f...ppy-drive.html
For a bootable USB stick it gives this link.
http://www.bay-wolf.com/usbmemstick.htm

flashing the BIOS seems to have fixed the problem!

also the procedure listed on http://www.linuxinsight.com/how-to-f...ppy-drive.html works very well!

Thanks !!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpallard (Post 4016339)

Oh, there are many differences. First all (as I understand) booting from CD-ROM means booting the kernel
which is placed on CD (not the kernel on a hard drive).