Unable to mount root File system

C-Sniper · 12-09-2007, 08:53 AM

so from what i have been reading in the above posts, Theoretically, if i just modify my kernel to say "y" on the ext3 file system support the issue should solve itself, correct?

also onebuck... thanks for explaining it but there was also another problem regarding a hardware issue hence the re-install.

**edit**
guess it's not theoretical, it works. Thanks!

H_TeXMeX_H · 12-09-2007, 01:38 PM

Yes, that's what must be done.

Think of it this way:

1) The kernel boots, and soon tries to mount your root partition.
2) The kernel "realizes" that it cannot mount the root partition because support for your filesystem (in this case ext3) was NOT compiled in, but compiled as a module. Now, where is the module with ext3 support ? In '/lib/modules/$(uname -r)'. Now, there is an obvious problem ... a catch22: How can the kernel get the module it needs to mount the root partition, if the module it needs is on the root partition it is trying to mount ? Answer: it can't, so ...
3) The kernel panics and gives you that message.

pappy_mcfae · 12-10-2007, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C-Sniper

so from what i have been reading in the above posts, Theoretically, if i just modify my kernel to say "y" on the ext3 file system support the issue should solve itself, correct?

Correct. it may not be "proper", vis a vis, the way the more learned among us do it, but it works...and when you cut away the crap, that's all that really matters, now isn't it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by C-Sniper

also onebuck... thanks for explaining it but there was also another problem regarding a hardware issue hence the re-install.

**edit**
guess it's not theoretical, it works. Thanks!

If anything I said was helpful, then you are most welcome!

Blessed be!
Pappy

pappy_mcfae · 12-10-2007, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H

Yes, that's what must be done.

Think of it this way:

1) The kernel boots, and soon tries to mount your root partition.
2) The kernel "realizes" that it cannot mount the root partition because support for your filesystem (in this case ext3) was NOT compiled in, but compiled as a module. Now, where is the module with ext3 support ? In '/lib/modules/$(uname -r)'. Now, there is an obvious problem ... a catch22: How can the kernel get the module it needs to mount the root partition, if the module it needs is on the root partition it is trying to mount ? Answer: it can't, so ...
3) The kernel panics and gives you that message.

Thanks for the explanation. I figured it was something along those lines. It makes sense that until the root partition is mounted, nothing else in the file system will be accessible.

I have read about initrd supposedly being able to circumvent the above mentioned conditions, but so far, the only thing I have ever found initrd useful for is allowing the proper functioning of hal in Slackware 12. Initrd allows access to the root media through konqueror...definitely a nice feature to have.

Blessed be!
Pappy

H_TeXMeX_H · 12-10-2007, 02:37 PM

Yeah, initrd is another solution. It stands for init-RAM-disk (or "boot loader initialized RAM disk" from the man page ... read it for more details), it loads whatever you want, in this case modules from the disk into RAM on boot (init), thus giving the kernel access to things it might need, like a module used in mounting your filesystem.