[SOLVED] New kernel crashing out

business_kid · 06-30-2014, 09:36 AM

This one goes very early. I get a 'normal' first screenful of 25 lines, then screen 2 is the registers and it's gone. The kernel doesn't even get near booting devices. Below the registers is this(spaces every 4 digits are mine):

Code:

Kernel Offset 0x0 from 0xffff ffff 8100 0000 (relocation range 0xffff ffff 8000 0000 - 0xffff ffff 9fff ffff

I suspect that address is a tad crazy. Anyone know where to go for this sort of thing? I'm fiddling, checking & recompiling, of course, but I'd love to have a guess where it came from.

Edit: Hoping you can see the attachments - Screen 1 and the Crash out, which is a call trace. Sorry one of them is upside down.

Richard Cranium · 06-30-2014, 07:24 PM

The attachments are too small to read, I'm afraid.

metaschima · 06-30-2014, 09:38 PM

Do you use lilo ? Make sure to run lilo before rebooting.

business_kid · 07-01-2014, 03:25 AM

Thanks for looking.
Yes, I had run lilo, and renamed since my last kernel. I made a couple of tries with the old config, and then started from scratch
make defconfig
make allmodconfig
make localmodconfig

That does most of it. Then
make menuconfig. The second one of these comes out fairly well usually. The first one had no sata driver (!) and crashed out looking for root, after 10 mins of debug testing :-//. I've been too long away from kernel building to 'make oldconfig' & guess. Time I read some help again. I have a stable kernel to run on and will post when I am running. I want to keep the size small, so slackware's standard issue kernels do not fit the bill.

ReaperX7 · 07-01-2014, 03:48 AM

When you use a Slackware kernel, you want to use:

Code:

make oldconfig

And select the defaults for new options presented then build the kernel. Follow this and you should be okay:

Code:

cd /usr/src/linux
cp -v /boot/config-* /usr/src/linux/.config
make oldconfig
make -j4
make modules_install
cp -v System.map /boot/System.map-3.15.2
cp -v .config /boot/config-3.15.2
cp -v arch/x86/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-3.15.2

Then rerun lilo to update the kernel path for the boot loader. To be honest, the size of the kernel doesn't really matter much as even with Huge, the RAM and Disk space requirements are fairly fickle. You could always just trim out unneeded drivers and leave the rest in Huge as-is and still have a fully featured kernel that doesn't require an initramfs.

Didier Spaier · 07-01-2014, 04:40 AM

Instead of

Code:

cp -v /boot/config-* /usr/src/linux/.config

do this:

Code:

zcat /proc/config.gz > /usr/src/linux/.config

to take as a basis your running kernel's configuration.

metaschima · 07-01-2014, 12:11 PM

See:
http://docs.slackware.com/howtos:sla...git_repository
plenty of must have built-in drivers are listed.

business_kid · 07-02-2014, 06:00 AM

Thanks for that link.

I'm going here, but not on the kernel I like. I need to shift off the standard issue kernels and it's a pain trying to find everything. The real problem, I have discovered, is that I don't know my own box very well.

hf2046 · 07-02-2014, 09:31 AM

I suggest reading Greg Kroah-Hartman's book, "Linux Kernel in a Nutshell" (it's free). Many helpful tips on getting a working config for a custom kernel and building the kernel the right way (or at least how most kernel developers do it).

http://www.kroah.com/lkn/

business_kid · 07-03-2014, 03:45 AM

Reading over, as I kind of have what I'm looking for atm thanks. I'm missing one sound module perhaps.

The default kernel seems to be for a memoryless embedded poly-cpu SERVER with storage, network storage, terabytes of ram, umpteen video cards, with everything from ISA through RAID to the most exotic and unheard of comms protocols; which box is being used for kernel development, programming/debug and sending encrypted packets in obtuse protocols through obscure network and Industrial connections:-)).

They badly need to organize sub menus in alphabetical order. The kernel is really at the stage where the average guy will struggle to make a kernel of his choice. They also badly need the obsolete separated from the current.

Didier Spaier · 07-03-2014, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by business_kid

The kernel is really at the stage where the average guy will struggle to make a kernel of his choice.

Being an average guy, I use a kernel provided by my distribution

I'm not sure that you realize the time and experience it needs to tune each and every option so that all software shipped in Slackware work as expected, while dealing with possible security issues, and so many kinds of hardware. Why not benefit of that hard work Pat is doing for all of us?

Of course there are cases where you need to re-compile your kernel or upgrade it but then taking as a basis the config file of your running kernel or one of those provided by Slackware makes things way easier and safer.

business_kid · 07-03-2014, 08:22 AM

Yeah, that's what I usually do. I really ran into trouble because I am tight on hd space and know my own box very poorly. This is my first Intel based box in years. I started with that defconfig, and got the sickest thing imaginable. I had previous configs and could do an 'oldconfig'. But building your own forces you to educate yourself.

This has been very good for me, because I never realised how much electronic industrial stuff has found it's way into the linux kernel. Even after I get sorted (Everything works except skype is silent), I will be back to that kernel config again, if I get the time.