Kernel Update And Boot Failure, new kernel won't boot Options

[geop2003]

After updating the kernel, I rebooted and got the following messages as the
messages on the console:

kmod: failed to /exec/modprobe -s -k block-major-8, error=2
VFS: cannot open root device "sda12" or 08:0c
Please append a correct "root=" boot option
Kernel panic VFS: unable to mount root fs on 08:0c

I then restarted the machine selected the old kernel and it booted successfully
using grub.

rebooting to the old 2.4.18-3smp kernel I can display the following:

HAL9000: /root > more /etc/grub.conf
# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd0,9)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/sda12
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,9)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-28.7smp)
root (hd0,9)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-28.7smp ro root=/dev/sda12 max_scsi_luns=128
initrd /initrd_qlogic-2.4.20-28.7smp.img
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-28.7)
root (hd0,9)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-28.7 ro root=/dev/sda12 max_scsi_luns=128
# initrd /initrd_qlogic-2.4.18-3smp.img
title Red Hat 7.3
root (hd0,9)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.18-3smp ro root=/dev/sda12 max_scsi_luns=128
#initrd /initrd-2.4.18-3smp.img
initrd /initrd_qlogic-2.4.18-3smp.img
title Red Hat 9
root (hd0,2)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-8smp ro root=LABEL=/ apic max_scsi_luns=128
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-8smp.img
HAL9000: /root > fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 4427 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 17849 143372061 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdc: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 17849 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 17849 143372061 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdd: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 17849 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdd1 1 17849 143372061 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sde: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 17849 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sde1 1 17849 143372061 83 Linux
HAL9000: /root >

While booted in the old kernel I tried to run mkinitrd to get a new image for
the updated kernel.

console returned:

/sbin/mkinitrd: [:
/lib/modules/2.4.20-28.7/./kernel/drivers/addon/qla2200/qla2300.o: binary
operator expected

I checked the mkinitrd man but found no mention of binary operator
I also checked the 2.4.20-28.7 kernel directories which appeared to have been
copied pretty much verbatim from the 2.4.18-3 directories.

Any suggestions on how to get the updated kernel to boot so I can run mkintird
in the new kernel?

[Jim]

Which new kernel are your trying to boot to. You have a bunch of your initrd lines commented out so none of those kernels will boot. And you have the one kernel thats on a different drive. (h0,2). Is that suposed to be there?

Tell us which of those kernels is the "good one" and "new one" and we might be able to help you a little more.

[geop2003]

The new kernel that I want to boot to is Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-28.7smp)
root (hd0,9)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-28.7smp ro root=/dev/sda12 max_scsi_luns=128
initrd /initrd_qlogic-2.4.20-28.7smp.img

The old kernel is Red Hat 7.3
root (hd0,9)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.18-3smp ro root=/dev/sda12 max_scsi_luns=128
#initrd /initrd-2.4.18-3smp.img
initrd /initrd_qlogic-2.4.18-3smp.img

I can get the old kernel 18-3 smp (and the RedHat 9.0 on hd0,2) to boot at his time but not the 28.7

Thank you for your willingness to provide some advice.

[Jim]

what what is this /dev/sda12 that you set as the root? And why are you trying to have it loaded as the root?

[Termina]

Is sda12 by chance a USB hard drive? If so, what partition(s) are on it?

It seems that your new kernel doesn't support the fs on it (or atleast that's how it seems to me). If you recompile your kernel and make sure it supports vfat, ntfs, and all that jazz, it might work.

[hughesjr]

OK ... it looks like you have your drives confused.

This (2.4.20-28.7) looks like a RH9 kernel, not a RH7.3 kernel ... are you sure it is installed on (hd0,9) and not (hd0,2)?

try this:


title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-28.7smp)
root (hd0,2)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-28.7smp ro root=LABEL=/ apic max_scsi_luns=128
initrd /initrd_qlogic-2.4.20-28.7smp.img


Where did the kernel upgrade come from ... and where did the qlogic initrd come from? You can't use the old initrd from the old kernels ... the new kernel (if it was installed via an rpm) should have an initrd ... if you need to change the initrd, you will have to rebuild it...

[geop2003]

That was due to my predecessor for the construction of a fibre-channel card link to a storage device.

I modified the grub.conf file to eliminate the remainder of the line following the smp

kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-28.7smp ro root=/dev/sda12
to be
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-28.7smp

Rebooted but it failed.

I then rebooted to 18-3smp and tried to do a mkinitrd for the new kernel. I still got the binary operator expected message so I figured I would reboot to see how far (ie number of messages I recieved to the console ) the system got to the console before it quit.

Using the kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-28.7smp ro root=/dev/sda12 with the initrd /initrd_qlogic-2.4.20-28.7smp.img the dang thing booted with a huge number of errors. A number of these deal with disk devices.


I did a uname -a and it returned 2.4.20-28.7smp.

Doing an fdisk -l returned:


Disk /dev/sda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 4427 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 4 32098+ de Dell Utility
/dev/sda2 5 826 6602715 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 * 827 839 104422+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda4 840 4427 28820610 f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 840 2307 11791678+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 2308 2568 2096451 82 Linux swap
/dev/sda7 2569 2699 1052226 83 Linux
/dev/sda8 2700 2764 522081 83 Linux
/dev/sda9 2765 2829 522081 83 Linux
/dev/sda10 2830 2842 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sda11 2843 2907 522081 83 Linux
/dev/sda12 2908 4427 12209368+ 83 Linux

but none of the devices listed below (these are available in the old kernel)


Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 17849 143372061 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdc: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 17849 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 17849 143372061 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdd: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 17849 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdd1 1 17849 143372061 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sde: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 17849 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sde1 1 17849 143372061 83 Linux

sda12 is not a USB device

What can I do now to try and straighten out the disk problems?

Thanks for your comments. I just wish I knew why it booted this last time and not previously.