Hello all,

I recently installed slackware 10.2 using the test26.s kernel on my second
sata drive, sdb. I formated my linux partitions using ext3 and began
the install. The install went smoothly and after I rebooted I used pkgtool
to install all the packages in the linux-2.6.13 directory. Once those
packages were installed I rebooted and everything worked, sound both hard
drives were recongnize, my dvd drive....etc.

According to slackwares README-initrd if you used the 2.6 series kernel
you need an initrd.gz file in /boot. So I made one with the following
command.

mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.13 -m jbd:ext3 -f ext3 -r /dev/sdb1

I added the initrd.gz file to lilo.conf and updated lilo. Updating
lilo gave me a warning that sdb was not the first disk but reported
that slack26 and windowsxp were added. When I rebooted the computer I got
the following messeage during the boot sequence.

Ramdisk: Compressed image found at block 0
VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem)
/boot/initrd.gz: Loading kernel modules from initrd image:
using /lib/modules/2.6.13/jbd.ko
using /lib/modules/2.6.13/ext3.ko
mount: Mounting /dev/sdb1 on /mnt failed no such device
ERROR: Mount returned error code 1
trouble ahed
mount: mounting /dev/sdb1 on /mnt failed: invalid argument
mount: mounting /dev/sdb1 on /mnt failed: invalid argument
/boot/initrd.gz exiting
pivot_root: pivot_root: Device or resource busy

I thought the 2.6.13 kernel had built in support for sata drives but in
case if didn't I even tried making my initrd.gz file with this command:

mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.13 -m jbd:ext3:ide-scsi -f ext3 -r /dev/sdb1

But that results in a VFS not syncing error. As does taking the initrd.gz
line out of the lilo.conf file. I googled looking for solutions but I
couldn't find any. Whatever help, advice, or suggestions you can give my
would be greatly appreciated.

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:27:51 -0500, gallienus wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I recently installed slackware 10.2 using the test26.s kernel on my second
> sata drive, sdb. I formated my linux partitions using ext3 and began
> the install. The install went smoothly and after I rebooted I used pkgtool
> to install all the packages in the linux-2.6.13 directory. Once those
> packages were installed I rebooted and everything worked, sound both hard
> drives were recongnize, my dvd drive....etc.

Worked? Worked how? with the old kernel? You didn't change the loader so
I don't see how this could have "worked."

>
> According to slackwares README-initrd if you used the 2.6 series kernel
> you need an initrd.gz file in /boot. So I made one with the following
> command.
>
> mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.13 -m jbd:ext3 -f ext3 -r /dev/sdb1
>
> I added the initrd.gz file to lilo.conf and updated lilo. Updating lilo
> gave me a warning that sdb was not the first disk but reported that
> slack26 and windowsxp were added. When I rebooted the computer I got the
> following messeage during the boot sequence.
>
> Ramdisk: Compressed image found at block 0 VFS: Mounted root (ext2
> filesystem)
> /boot/initrd.gz: Loading kernel modules from initrd image: using
> /lib/modules/2.6.13/jbd.ko
> using /lib/modules/2.6.13/ext3.ko
> mount: Mounting /dev/sdb1 on /mnt failed no such device ERROR: Mount
> returned error code 1
> trouble ahed
> mount: mounting /dev/sdb1 on /mnt failed: invalid argument mount:
> mounting /dev/sdb1 on /mnt failed: invalid argument /boot/initrd.gz
> exiting
> pivot_root: pivot_root: Device or resource busy
>
> I thought the 2.6.13 kernel had built in support for sata drives but in
> case if didn't I even tried making my initrd.gz file with this command:
>
> mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.13 -m jbd:ext3:ide-scsi -f ext3 -r /dev/sdb1
>
> But that results in a VFS not syncing error. As does taking the
> initrd.gz line out of the lilo.conf file. I googled looking for
> solutions but I couldn't find any. Whatever help, advice, or suggestions
> you can give my would be greatly appreciated.
>
You need to specify a module from the "scsi" drivers which matches your
SATA chipset. ata_piix is an example of a SATA module. Also, you can omit
ide-scsi for 2.6, and ext2 would be fine for the initrd, AFAIK.

I don't use lilo, so I can't help you fix your loader, with the
complication of using an initrd. I use grub which is a much
cleaner way to boot, IMO.

--
Douglas Mayne

In alt.os.linux.slackware, gallienus dared to utter,
> I recently installed slackware 10.2 using the test26.s kernel on my second
> sata drive, sdb. I formated my linux partitions using ext3 and began
> the install. The install went smoothly and after I rebooted I used pkgtool
> to install all the packages in the linux-2.6.13 directory. Once those
> packages were installed I rebooted and everything worked, sound both hard
> drives were recongnize, my dvd drive....etc.
>
> According to slackwares README-initrd if you used the 2.6 series kernel
> you need an initrd.gz file in /boot.

This is a misnomer. You're not required to have an initrd if your
kernel contains all the support needed to mount the / partition. The
generic 2.6 kernel in testing/ is built without a lot of support for...
well... almost everything. For instance, resierfs isn't included
within that kernel, so if your / partition is reiserfs, you'll have to
load that module into the kernel via an initrd.

Think about it. The kernel booted and "everything worked" without an
initrd the first time; why should it require one the second?

Personally, I recommend you simply compile your own 2.6 kernel with all
the suport you need for booting inside the kernel (i.e. not as modules)
and add modules for whatever else strikes your fancy.

--
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise,
Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Ecclesiastes 7:5