[gentoo-amd64] If CD boots then why won't the hard drive?

[gentoo-amd64] If CD boots then why won't the hard drive?

[Mark Knecht]

Hi again,
   Same new machine - new thread so as to not confuse the other thread
about flags.

   I made enough headway with grub to get it to find a kernel and try
to boot, but fails with the message:

VFS: Cannot open root device "sda2" or unknown-block(2,0)
Please append a correct "root=" boot option; Here are the available partitions:
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(2,0)

Note that is lists nothing when it says 'Here are the available partitions:'

   My strategy for building this kernel - since the machine is very
new hardware - was to steal the .config file from the Install CD, so
while in the boot environment I did

zcat /proc/config.gz >/mnt/gentoo/config_CD

and then after the chroot did

emerge =gentoo-sources-2.6.29-r5
cd /usr/src
ln -s linux-2.6.29-gentoo-r5 linux
cd linux
mv /config_CD ./.config
make menuconfig

I checked that ext2 and ext3 were buit-in and not modules, built the
kernel and modules, installed the kernel in /boot, edited grub, exited
the install and tried booting. Clearly the kernel is found but then
the kernel cannot, I guess, find my hard drive /root partition?

   I used that specific kernel because that's what my install CD used
and that kernel had no problems mounting the drive after it booted.

   What am I doing wrong? Is it incorrect to use a .config file from a
CD and hope to get the same results? I do not use initrd which I think
is different than the CD so if I need to turn something off please let
me know.

Thanks,
Mark

[gentoo-amd64] Re: If CD boots then why won't the hard drive?

[Mark Knecht]

On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 8:04 AM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
<SNIP>
>   What am I doing wrong? Is it incorrect to use a .config file from a
> CD and hope to get the same results? I do not use initrd which I think
> is different than the CD so if I need to turn something off please let
> me know.
>
> Thanks,
> Mark
>

NOTE: Serial ATA support is modular in the CD kernel so I'm rebuilding
the kernel now with the Intel stuff built in...

- Mark

Re: [gentoo-amd64] If CD boots then why won't the hard drive?

[Paul Hartman]

On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 10:04 AM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi again,
>   Same new machine - new thread so as to not confuse the other thread
> about flags.
>
>   I made enough headway with grub to get it to find a kernel and try
> to boot, but fails with the message:
>
> VFS: Cannot open root device "sda2" or unknown-block(2,0)
> Please append a correct "root=" boot option; Here are the available partitions:
> Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(2,0)
>
> Note that is lists nothing when it says 'Here are the available partitions:'

It really seems like it's missing the appropriate filesystem driver to me.

Since you mentioned ext2 and ext3 built into the kernel but not ext4,
I wonder if the auto-detect is trying to mount your partition as ext4
type? Try to add the rootfstype=ext3 (or whatever your root FS type
is) to your boot line to force it to use the specific filesystem
driver you want.

Re: [gentoo-amd64] If CD boots then why won't the hard drive?

[Mark Knecht]

On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 8:26 AM, Paul Hartman
<paul.hartman+gentoo@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 10:04 AM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi again,
>>   Same new machine - new thread so as to not confuse the other thread
>> about flags.
>>
>>   I made enough headway with grub to get it to find a kernel and try
>> to boot, but fails with the message:
>>
>> VFS: Cannot open root device "sda2" or unknown-block(2,0)
>> Please append a correct "root=" boot option; Here are the available partitions:
>> Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(2,0)
>>
>> Note that is lists nothing when it says 'Here are the available partitions:'
>
> It really seems like it's missing the appropriate filesystem driver to me.
>
> Since you mentioned ext2 and ext3 built into the kernel but not ext4,
> I wonder if the auto-detect is trying to mount your partition as ext4
> type? Try to add the rootfstype=ext3 (or whatever your root FS type
> is) to your boot line to force it to use the specific filesystem
> driver you want.
>
>
In this case it was the chipset drivers not being built in. I'm now
booting successfully into Gentoo, albeit a very stripped down
nothing-but-install-CD system.

At least now, as far as Gentoo is concerned, I can work with tools on
the hard drive and maybe see what I can make the machine do. hdparm
says 65MB/Sec so I've got enough disk speed to make an emerge @world
go reasonably fast. top shows all 4 processors. This is my first SMP
machine running Gentoo. I'm looking forward to it. My graphic
performance (not important to me as I do mostly audio stuff) will be
low as I'm using the 900MHz Intel VGA that's built into the processor
of the i5-661, not the chipset, so far less traffic to the North
Bridge if I understand correctly. We'll see.

I'll be back. Windows still doesn't boot and I don't so far think it's
a grub problem but I need to do some research on the error messages...

Thanks!

Re: [gentoo-amd64] If CD boots then why won't the hard drive?

[Paul Hartman]

On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 10:57 AM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 8:26 AM, Paul Hartman
> <paul.hartman+gentoo@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 10:04 AM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi again,
>>>   Same new machine - new thread so as to not confuse the other thread
>>> about flags.
>>>
>>>   I made enough headway with grub to get it to find a kernel and try
>>> to boot, but fails with the message:
>>>
>>> VFS: Cannot open root device "sda2" or unknown-block(2,0)
>>> Please append a correct "root=" boot option; Here are the available partitions:
>>> Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(2,0)
>>>
>>> Note that is lists nothing when it says 'Here are the available partitions:'
>>
>> It really seems like it's missing the appropriate filesystem driver to me.
>>
>> Since you mentioned ext2 and ext3 built into the kernel but not ext4,
>> I wonder if the auto-detect is trying to mount your partition as ext4
>> type? Try to add the rootfstype=ext3 (or whatever your root FS type
>> is) to your boot line to force it to use the specific filesystem
>> driver you want.
>>
>>
> In this case it was the chipset drivers not being built in. I'm now
> booting successfully into Gentoo, albeit a very stripped down
> nothing-but-install-CD system.
>
> At least now, as far as Gentoo is concerned, I can work with tools on
> the hard drive and maybe see what I can make the machine do. hdparm
> says 65MB/Sec so I've got enough disk speed to make an emerge @world
> go reasonably fast. top shows all 4 processors. This is my first SMP
> machine running Gentoo. I'm looking forward to it. My graphic
> performance (not important to me as I do mostly audio stuff) will be
> low as I'm using the 900MHz Intel VGA that's built into the processor
> of the i5-661, not the chipset, so far less traffic to the North
> Bridge if I understand correctly. We'll see.
>
> I'll be back. Windows still doesn't boot and I don't so far think it's
> a grub problem but I need to do some research on the error messages...
>
> Thanks!

Glad you got it working. Gentoo on SMP is a match made in heaven. :)

Also, if you're using Windows 7 in dual-boot on there beware of some
possible conflicts with GRUB:
http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10014915o-2000498448b,00.htm

Re: [gentoo-amd64] If CD boots then why won't the hard drive?

[Mark Knecht]

On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 9:07 AM, Paul Hartman
<paul.hartman+gentoo@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 10:57 AM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 8:26 AM, Paul Hartman
>> <paul.hartman+gentoo@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 10:04 AM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Hi again,
>>>>   Same new machine - new thread so as to not confuse the other thread
>>>> about flags.
>>>>
>>>>   I made enough headway with grub to get it to find a kernel and try
>>>> to boot, but fails with the message:
>>>>
>>>> VFS: Cannot open root device "sda2" or unknown-block(2,0)
>>>> Please append a correct "root=" boot option; Here are the available partitions:
>>>> Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(2,0)
>>>>
>>>> Note that is lists nothing when it says 'Here are the available partitions:'
>>>
>>> It really seems like it's missing the appropriate filesystem driver to me.
>>>
>>> Since you mentioned ext2 and ext3 built into the kernel but not ext4,
>>> I wonder if the auto-detect is trying to mount your partition as ext4
>>> type? Try to add the rootfstype=ext3 (or whatever your root FS type
>>> is) to your boot line to force it to use the specific filesystem
>>> driver you want.
>>>
>>>
>> In this case it was the chipset drivers not being built in. I'm now
>> booting successfully into Gentoo, albeit a very stripped down
>> nothing-but-install-CD system.
>>
>> At least now, as far as Gentoo is concerned, I can work with tools on
>> the hard drive and maybe see what I can make the machine do. hdparm
>> says 65MB/Sec so I've got enough disk speed to make an emerge @world
>> go reasonably fast. top shows all 4 processors. This is my first SMP
>> machine running Gentoo. I'm looking forward to it. My graphic
>> performance (not important to me as I do mostly audio stuff) will be
>> low as I'm using the 900MHz Intel VGA that's built into the processor
>> of the i5-661, not the chipset, so far less traffic to the North
>> Bridge if I understand correctly. We'll see.
>>
>> I'll be back. Windows still doesn't boot and I don't so far think it's
>> a grub problem but I need to do some research on the error messages...
>>
>> Thanks!
>
> Glad you got it working. Gentoo on SMP is a match made in heaven. :)
>
> Also, if you're using Windows 7 in dual-boot on there beware of some
> possible conflicts with GRUB:
> http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10014915o-2000498448b,00.htm
>
>
thanks for the pointer. I'll be careful. I'm still on XP and if I've
got enough power I may try to run most of my Windows stuff in vmware
and never go to Win 7. We'll see.

I may need to some back and ask some questions about grub and
dual-boot anyway as I expect it was my grub install that corrupted the
existing Windows installation but I don't know yet.

Again, thanks!

Cheers,
Mark