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#257467 - 01/06/2005 13:27 Need help with a linux problem
SonicSnoop
addict

Registered: 29/06/2002
Posts: 531
Loc: Triangle, VA
I am in the process of setting up a Gentoo system and I got all the way to the point where im suppose to reboot, however it comes up with:
Code:

VFS: Cannot open root device "hde3" or unknown-block(0,0)
Please append a correct "root=" boot option
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)



As far as the hde thats the correct drive, in fact the only hard drive in the system. hde1 is /boot, hde2 is swap, and hde3 is /
I installed grub for the bootloader here is my grub.conf

Code:

default 0
timeout 30
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title=Gentoo Linux 2.6.11-r9
root (hd0,0)
kernel /kernel-2.6.11-gentoo-r9 root=/dev/hde3



my fstab looks like this:

Code:

/dev/hde1 /boot ext2 defaults,noatime 1 2
/dev/hde3 / ext3 noatime 0 1
/dev/hde2 none swap sw 0 0
/dev/cdroms/cdrom0 /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,ro 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0



i verified in my bios nothing shows up on primary master or slave and secondary master is the dvd drive and secondary slave is a zip drive. so the hard drive is on another ide controller. it shows up in knoppix as hde. I also checked my config file for the kernel and I have ext2 and ext3 in it as Y. If I am missing something please let me know and ill add it. Also please keep in mind I know enough to follow walk through tutorials not much more then that.Thanks!
_________________________
-D Modifying and Tweaking is a journey, not a destination................................ MKIIa : 60gig - 040103286 - Blue - v2 + PCATS tuner MKIIa : 20gig - 040103260 - Blue - v3a8 + Mark Lord Special Edition Cherry Dock

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#257468 - 01/06/2005 13:47 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: SonicSnoop]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Does the BIOS recognise the other IDE controller? Is there any reason why you can't use the primary IDE channel on your machine.

EDIT: My main machine boots off a SATA drive and that works because I've got the SATA chipset driver compiled into the kernel. Maybe you didn't compile support for your IDE controller in. Can't offer any more help right now as I'm about to leave work....
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#257469 - 01/06/2005 13:52 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: andym]
SonicSnoop
addict

Registered: 29/06/2002
Posts: 531
Loc: Triangle, VA
I woud change it but the box is like burried under a couple other pcs and a monitor and would just be a big hassle. It has worked on it before. I just removed a working version of gentoo from it but was filled with a bunch of unneeded crap so i just decieded would be best to wipe it clean. as far as it showing up in the bios i dont think so. its got a very plain bios. the drive works fine in knoppix. in fact im chrooted into that drive now.
_________________________
-D Modifying and Tweaking is a journey, not a destination................................ MKIIa : 60gig - 040103286 - Blue - v2 + PCATS tuner MKIIa : 20gig - 040103260 - Blue - v3a8 + Mark Lord Special Edition Cherry Dock

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#257470 - 01/06/2005 13:54 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: SonicSnoop]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
I assume then it actually finds and decompresses the kernel? Sounds like lack of driver.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#257471 - 01/06/2005 13:58 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: andym]
SonicSnoop
addict

Registered: 29/06/2002
Posts: 531
Loc: Triangle, VA
Im not sure, how could I tell? I do know on the grub screen I hit the c to get the grub command line I type kernel / and hit tab and i see the kernel in the boot directory if that means anything. i guess i could try redoing the kernel. I thought i picked everything id need and a few things i probobly didnt need but the help said it would be ok. did just about every file system under the sun
_________________________
-D Modifying and Tweaking is a journey, not a destination................................ MKIIa : 60gig - 040103286 - Blue - v2 + PCATS tuner MKIIa : 20gig - 040103260 - Blue - v3a8 + Mark Lord Special Edition Cherry Dock

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#257472 - 01/06/2005 14:05 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: SonicSnoop]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
Try changing the grub boot line to use root="LABEL=/" instead of hardcoding the device.

I'm guessing they've made the classical blunder of using a different kernel for run-time than the one used for installation.. different kernels mean different devices detected etc.. and different device addresses.

Modern distro's cope with this by using filesystem labels (eg. the line above) instead of hard coding drive name strings..

[EDIT] It's either that, or a missing initrd= line in the grub config.[/EDIT]

If this is your first serious foray into Linux, then dump Gentoo and use (K)Ubuntu instead. Much much MUCH more pleasant.

Cheers


Edited by mlord (01/06/2005 14:07)

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#257473 - 01/06/2005 14:10 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: mlord]
SonicSnoop
addict

Registered: 29/06/2002
Posts: 531
Loc: Triangle, VA
Quote:
Try changing the grub boot line to use root="LABEL=/" instead of hardcoding the device.


Ok im sure this is going to make me sound extremly ignorant but do you mean literally use LABEL or am i suppose to use something else? Ill look that one up you mentioned, a long time ago i was doing linuxfromscratch in order to get just what i wanted/needed and nothing else. Gentoo just seemed like an automated version of that so kinda migrated to trying that one. I used to be ok with linux about a year or so ago but havent had time to use it until now since my last job wouldnt allow me to use it at my workstation.
_________________________
-D Modifying and Tweaking is a journey, not a destination................................ MKIIa : 60gig - 040103286 - Blue - v2 + PCATS tuner MKIIa : 20gig - 040103260 - Blue - v3a8 + Mark Lord Special Edition Cherry Dock

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#257474 - 01/06/2005 14:14 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: mlord]
SonicSnoop
addict

Registered: 29/06/2002
Posts: 531
Loc: Triangle, VA
Quote:
[EDIT] It's either that, or a missing initrd= line in the grub config.[/EDIT]



Now that I do not have, the handbook i was following only had that line in the LILO section not the grub section. in my boot dir I have
System.map-2.6.11-gentoo-r9
config-2.6.11-gentoo-r9
kernel-2.6.11-gentoo-r9
grub dir
and lost+found dir
and somehow another boot dir lol
_________________________
-D Modifying and Tweaking is a journey, not a destination................................ MKIIa : 60gig - 040103286 - Blue - v2 + PCATS tuner MKIIa : 20gig - 040103260 - Blue - v3a8 + Mark Lord Special Edition Cherry Dock

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#257475 - 01/06/2005 14:37 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: SonicSnoop]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
Quote:
do you mean literally use LABEL


Yes, Mark does mean that. Using root="LABEL = /" causes it to look for a drive which is labelled as being your root partition (/), as opposed to root=/dev/hda1, which would point it at a specific disk.

Of course, none of this will work if the driver for the IDE controller isn't loaded.
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-- roger

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#257476 - 01/06/2005 14:39 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: Roger]
SonicSnoop
addict

Registered: 29/06/2002
Posts: 531
Loc: Triangle, VA
Ooooh, like I need to add a driver to the kernel for what ever controller the hard drive is on. hmmm is there a way to tell in knoppix what it loaded for it so I can add that when I redo the kernel?
_________________________
-D Modifying and Tweaking is a journey, not a destination................................ MKIIa : 60gig - 040103286 - Blue - v2 + PCATS tuner MKIIa : 20gig - 040103260 - Blue - v3a8 + Mark Lord Special Edition Cherry Dock

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#257477 - 01/06/2005 14:43 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: SonicSnoop]
SonicSnoop
addict

Registered: 29/06/2002
Posts: 531
Loc: Triangle, VA
I tried the root="LABEL=/" and got the same result. Think im gonna try redoing the kernel config and try adding drivers for the IDE controller if I can find it.
_________________________
-D Modifying and Tweaking is a journey, not a destination................................ MKIIa : 60gig - 040103286 - Blue - v2 + PCATS tuner MKIIa : 20gig - 040103260 - Blue - v3a8 + Mark Lord Special Edition Cherry Dock

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#257478 - 01/06/2005 14:58 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: SonicSnoop]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
You could try lsmod, that would list the modules loaded by the kernel, that certainly works on the Gentoo live CDs. For example my SATA chipset uses sata_sil which shows up when boot off a live CD. When I built the kernel for the machine I compiled the sata_sil driver in (not as a module!) and that was it.

Mark's right, if you're at all unsure of what you're doing then Gentoo probably isn't for you. I started with SuSE and only progressed to Gentoo once I knew a bit more about Linux. Ubuntu seems to be really popular, I've read a lot of good stuff about it.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#257479 - 01/06/2005 15:14 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: andym]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
Sounds like the same problem I had. The fix is here (basically, make sure the driver is on the disk and set to load in your modules.conf and then make a new initrd image.)

Credit goes to SuperQ for fix.
_________________________
~ John

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#257480 - 01/06/2005 15:21 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: JBjorgen]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Yes, except the Gentoo install doesn't use initrd unless you use their Genkernel script, which real men don't use.

Just compiling the driver into the kernel does the trick, it certainly did on the sata based systems I've built.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#257481 - 01/06/2005 15:32 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: andym]
SonicSnoop
addict

Registered: 29/06/2002
Posts: 531
Loc: Triangle, VA
ive added all kinds of stuff that might be what it needed and still same deal. Ive been going at this for over 24 hours now. had it done up to the kernel then power in the neighborhood went out on me and screwed stuff up so started over and now this. I think it would probobly be best to call it a night well day and get some sleep and start back on it with a fresh mind. im sure ill get it worked out then. mind is just mush now Thank you all for your replies. I will go back through all this when i wake up
_________________________
-D Modifying and Tweaking is a journey, not a destination................................ MKIIa : 60gig - 040103286 - Blue - v2 + PCATS tuner MKIIa : 20gig - 040103260 - Blue - v3a8 + Mark Lord Special Edition Cherry Dock

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#257482 - 01/06/2005 15:48 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: SonicSnoop]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
No probs, nighty night!
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#257483 - 01/06/2005 16:17 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: andym]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
Quote:
Yes, except the Gentoo install doesn't use initrd unless you use their Genkernel script, which real men don't use.


Ah. I've not had the chance to play with Gentoo yet. I'll go away now.
_________________________
~ John

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#257484 - 01/06/2005 16:30 Re: Need help with a linux problem [Re: JBjorgen]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
I was only kidding, the script does everything for you so it takes some of the fun (honest!) out of building a lean and mean kernel.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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