[gentoo-user] boots, but not on first try

[gentoo-user] boots, but not on first try

[Felix Miata]

If I followed the kernel instructions page correctly, its E8400 Core2Duo
wasn't in need of an initrd, and so did not get one. Main deviation from
suggestions/defaults was enabling HPFS filesystems. Result was 6001056 byte
4.0.5. openSUSE Tumbleweed 4.0.5 kernel is virtually identical at 6004656,
but there is also its 8712096 initrd.

I reached the bottom of
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:X86/Installation/Bootloader and
restarted host before clicking on link to next step. Before emerging
recommendations in the Tools instructions page I took a timeout to emerge mc.
The process involved 22 packages, more than I had any idea mc depended on,
but I guess that's at least partly because the installation to that point was
so very skeletal.

I got ahead of things I suppose on the bootloader instructions, which include
no example for Grub 0.97. I did emerge -s grub to identify the package name,
then did 'emerge --ask sys-boot/grub-static' without first looking for any
instructions, after which I somehow found https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/GRUB
and its instruction saying 'sys-boot/grub:0'. Having already emerged
sys-boot/grub-static without the :0 appendage, I punted instead of looking up
meaning of :0, running 'emerge --ask sys-boot/grub-static:0'. That produced 4
beeps prior to emerge exit, which the previous emerge did not do. Next I set
Grub up according to its man page: grub> find /boot/grub/stage1; grub> root
(hd0,21); grub> setup (hd0,21), then adjusted grub.conf.

First boot try I used Gentoo's Grub 0.97 (grub.conf) chainloaded from
openSUSE's Grub 0.97-194 (menu.lst). Kernel quickly panic'd. I recognized
nothing on the screen to indicate why, though I had seen such things before,
among them, not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown block(0,0).
/ filesystem is mkfs.ext4 created while running openSUSE kernel 3.12.44.

Second try I used menu.lst. Fastest boot I've ever experienced!

I then tweaked on grub.conf, but #3 try using it also panic'd (~@1.37), also
producing no help I recognized.

So now after some experimenting with cmdline arguments I'm on ~#10, headed
into https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:X86/Installation/Finalizing ,
wondering why a Gentoo sample/prototype-based Grub stanza produces panic.

Panicing grub.conf cmdline arguments:
root=/dev/ram0 real_root=/dev/sda22 ipv6.disable=1 net.ifnames=0 splash=0
video=1024x768@60 3

Working grub.conf cmdline arguments:
root=/dev/sda22 ipv6.disable=1 net.ifnames=0 splash=0 video=1024x768@60 3

Why is root=/dev/ram0 real_root= in the sample/prototype?

4.0.5's /boot/config* FWIW:
http://fm.no-ip.com/Tmp/Linux/G/config-4.0.5-gentoo-gx780.txt
-- 
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/

Re: [gentoo-user] boots, but not on first try

[Fernando Rodriguez]

On Thursday, August 06, 2015 11:34:56 PM Felix Miata wrote:
> If I followed the kernel instructions page correctly, its E8400 Core2Duo
> wasn't in need of an initrd, and so did not get one. Main deviation from
> suggestions/defaults was enabling HPFS filesystems. Result was 6001056 byte
> 4.0.5. openSUSE Tumbleweed 4.0.5 kernel is virtually identical at 6004656,
> but there is also its 8712096 initrd.
> 
> I reached the bottom of
> https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:X86/Installation/Bootloader and
> restarted host before clicking on link to next step. Before emerging
> recommendations in the Tools instructions page I took a timeout to emerge 
mc.
> The process involved 22 packages, more than I had any idea mc depended on,
> but I guess that's at least partly because the installation to that point 
was
> so very skeletal.
> 
> I got ahead of things I suppose on the bootloader instructions, which 
include
> no example for Grub 0.97. I did emerge -s grub to identify the package name,
> then did 'emerge --ask sys-boot/grub-static' without first looking for any
> instructions, after which I somehow found https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/GRUB
> and its instruction saying 'sys-boot/grub:0'. Having already emerged
> sys-boot/grub-static without the :0 appendage, I punted instead of looking 
up
> meaning of :0, running 'emerge --ask sys-boot/grub-static:0'. That produced 
4
> beeps prior to emerge exit, which the previous emerge did not do. Next I set
> Grub up according to its man page: grub> find /boot/grub/stage1; grub> root
> (hd0,21); grub> setup (hd0,21), then adjusted grub.conf.
> 
> First boot try I used Gentoo's Grub 0.97 (grub.conf) chainloaded from
> openSUSE's Grub 0.97-194 (menu.lst). Kernel quickly panic'd. I recognized
> nothing on the screen to indicate why, though I had seen such things before,
> among them, not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown block(0,0).
> / filesystem is mkfs.ext4 created while running openSUSE kernel 3.12.44.
> 
> Second try I used menu.lst. Fastest boot I've ever experienced!
> 
> I then tweaked on grub.conf, but #3 try using it also panic'd (~@1.37), also
> producing no help I recognized.
> 
> So now after some experimenting with cmdline arguments I'm on ~#10, headed
> into https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:X86/Installation/Finalizing ,
> wondering why a Gentoo sample/prototype-based Grub stanza produces panic.
> 
> Panicing grub.conf cmdline arguments:
> root=/dev/ram0 real_root=/dev/sda22 ipv6.disable=1 net.ifnames=0 splash=0
> video=1024x768@60 3
> 
> Working grub.conf cmdline arguments:
> root=/dev/sda22 ipv6.disable=1 net.ifnames=0 splash=0 video=1024x768@60 3
> 
> Why is root=/dev/ram0 real_root= in the sample/prototype?

That looks like the command line for the initrd. change it to root=/dev/sda22, 
if you have all the right modules for your HD built-in compiled it should 
boot. If you still get that panic boot from a live cd and configure the kernel 
with:

make localmodconfig

then: 
make menuconfig
and check that the block device modules are built-in.

finally,

make
make modules_install
make install

and reboot.

> 4.0.5's /boot/config* FWIW:
> http://fm.no-ip.com/Tmp/Linux/G/config-4.0.5-gentoo-gx780.txt
> 

-- 
Fernando Rodriguez

Re: [gentoo-user] boots, but not on first try

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Thu, 06 Aug 2015 23:34:56 -0400, Felix Miata wrote:

> I got ahead of things I suppose on the bootloader instructions, which
> include no example for Grub 0.97. I did emerge -s grub to identify the
> package name, then did 'emerge --ask sys-boot/grub-static' without
> first looking for any instructions, after which I somehow found
> https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/GRUB and its instruction saying
> 'sys-boot/grub:0'. Having already emerged sys-boot/grub-static without
> the :0 appendage, I punted instead of looking up meaning of :0, running
> 'emerge --ask sys-boot/grub-static:0'. That produced 4 beeps prior to
> emerge exit, which the previous emerge did not do. Next I set Grub up
> according to its man page: grub> find /boot/grub/stage1; grub> root
> (hd0,21); grub> setup (hd0,21), then adjusted grub.conf.

Didn't we cover this already? You have GRUB installed to boot your other
distros, all you need to do is add a stanza for Gentoo to your existing
menu.lst.

> Panicing grub.conf cmdline arguments:
> root=/dev/ram0 real_root=/dev/sda22 ipv6.disable=1 net.ifnames=0
> splash=0 video=1024x768@60 3
> 
> Working grub.conf cmdline arguments:
> root=/dev/sda22 ipv6.disable=1 net.ifnames=0 splash=0 video=1024x768@60
> 3
> 
> Why is root=/dev/ram0 real_root= in the sample/prototype?

That's for using an initrd, specifically the one produced by genkernel.
With no initrd you simply give the actual root device.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Some people are born mediocre, some people achieve mediocrity, and some
people have mediocrity thrust upon them.  - Joseph Heller, "Catch-22"

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Re: [gentoo-user] boots, but not on first try

[Felix Miata]

Neil Bothwick composed on 2015-08-07 08:56 (UTC+0100):

> On Thu, 06 Aug 2015 23:34:56 -0400, Felix Miata wrote:

>> I got ahead of things I suppose on the bootloader instructions, which
>> include no example for Grub 0.97. I did emerge -s grub to identify the
>> package name, then did 'emerge --ask sys-boot/grub-static' without
>> first looking for any instructions, after which I somehow found
>> https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/GRUB and its instruction saying
>> 'sys-boot/grub:0'. Having already emerged sys-boot/grub-static without
>> the :0 appendage, I punted instead of looking up meaning of :0, running
>> 'emerge --ask sys-boot/grub-static:0'. That produced 4 beeps prior to
>> emerge exit, which the previous emerge did not do. Next I set Grub up
>> according to its man page: grub> find /boot/grub/stage1; grub> root
>> (hd0,21); grub> setup (hd0,21), then adjusted grub.conf.

> Didn't we cover this already? You have GRUB installed to boot your other
> distros, all you need to do is add a stanza for Gentoo to your existing
> menu.lst.

Subject only got touched. That's all I *need* to do. :-)

My machines have lots of installations[1], so my master bootloaders only load
default kernels (via symlink vmlinuz-cur), installation kernel(s),
memtest(s), or chainload. I maintain these manually.

Bootloaders on my / partitions are chainloaded to for choosing among multiple
installed kernels per distro. Their menus are typically maintained
automatically by them rather than me.

>> Why is root=/dev/ram0 real_root= in the sample/prototype?

> That's for using an initrd, specifically the one produced by genkernel.
> With no initrd you simply give the actual root device.

I can't remember ever using a distro without an initrd before Gentoo, or
needing /dev/ram* to boot except for an installation kernel.

[1] e.g., this is from the Athlon I installed Gentoo to 50 months ago, and
since decided not to use any time soon to get a newer/current Gentoo. Among
my machines, it has a slightly lower than average installation count.
http://fm.no-ip.com/Tmp/Dfsee/kt400L13.txt
-- 
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/

Re: [gentoo-user] boots, but not on first try

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Fri, 07 Aug 2015 04:40:12 -0400, Felix Miata wrote:

> > Didn't we cover this already? You have GRUB installed to boot your
> > other distros, all you need to do is add a stanza for Gentoo to your
> > existing menu.lst.  
> 
> Subject only got touched. That's all I *need* to do. :-)

Yes :)

> My machines have lots of installations[1], so my master bootloaders
> only load default kernels (via symlink vmlinuz-cur), installation
> kernel(s), memtest(s), or chainload. I maintain these manually.
> 
> Bootloaders on my / partitions are chainloaded to for choosing among
> multiple installed kernels per distro. Their menus are typically
> maintained automatically by them rather than me.

With GRUB2 you can simply source the other menu files from  the main
menu, I don't know if dinoGRUB had this feature.

> >> Why is root=/dev/ram0 real_root= in the sample/prototype?  
> 
> > That's for using an initrd, specifically the one produced by
> > genkernel. With no initrd you simply give the actual root device.  
> 
> I can't remember ever using a distro without an initrd before Gentoo, or
> needing /dev/ram* to boot except for an installation kernel.

Like I said, it's the genkernel way of doing things. I never liked
genkernel so never had to deal with that. I used to create my own
initramfs's, but dracut made it too easy so I let that do all the work
now.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Of all the people I've met you're certainly one of them

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Re: [gentoo-user] boots, but not on first try

[Rich Freeman]

On Fri, Aug 7, 2015 at 5:45 AM, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:
> On Fri, 07 Aug 2015 04:40:12 -0400, Felix Miata wrote:
>
>> >> Why is root=/dev/ram0 real_root= in the sample/prototype?
>>
>> > That's for using an initrd, specifically the one produced by
>> > genkernel. With no initrd you simply give the actual root device.
>>
>> I can't remember ever using a distro without an initrd before Gentoo, or
>> needing /dev/ram* to boot except for an installation kernel.
>
> Like I said, it's the genkernel way of doing things. I never liked
> genkernel so never had to deal with that. I used to create my own
> initramfs's, but dracut made it too easy so I let that do all the work
> now.
>

Yeah, genkernel is a bit odd in that regard.  Just one more reason not
to use it.  :)

I just use dracut, and like just about every other initramfs out there
it doesn't use root=/dev/ram* real_root=whatever.

-- 
Rich