On Sun, Dec 14, 2003 at 01:29:19AM -0600, Karl Bongers wrote:
> On Sun, Dec 14, 2003 at 10:46:06AM -0600, Jim Crumley wrote:
> > EXT3-fs: mounted filesytem with order data mode
> > exec: 217:chroot not found
> > kernel panic: attempted to kill init
> 
> This looks like your init-ramdisk is somehow busted.  Like
> init-rd unpacks, figures out it's real root is EXT3-fs, then tries
> to mount it as root and chroot to it, but can't find chroot.
> 
> Debian seems to use these init-rd things by default.
> This allows for most root fs support to be compiled as
> modules, with only init-rd root filesystem in as a non-module.
> It initially boots into this small init-rd root fs, then
> through the magic of scripting can figure out and load the kernel
> modules to support your real root fs.
> 
> I'm not so good at compiling kernels the "debian" way yet,
> but I'm sure this would involve producing a matching init-rd.img.
> Then you have to configure your boot loader to use it.

I usually don't use initrd either, but I have been a bit lazy on
this box and just compiled the past two kernels based on Debian's
.config with a couple of changes.  I did it this way because I am
still adding hardware to this box, and so I wanted to have
modules for everything available.
 
> I have always avoided using init-rd with my custom kernels.
> Or if you do compile a custom kernel and use a ext3 fs, I'd
> recommend building ext3 directly into the kernel as apposed
> to a module so that you are not dependent on init-rd.
> 
> Are you using LILO or GRUB?
> Do you have your kernels matched up with cooresponding init-rd.img?
> Did you build your kernel with ext3 built in so you could tell
> your bootloader to boot without the init-rds?

I am using lilo, also, because I hadn't gotten around to chaning
to grub yet on this box.  I didn't build ext3 in, which was really
bone-headed. Its quite possible that the initrd is the problem,
but I am not sure why it failed on two previously working kernel
at once.  Also, my last backup kernel did not have an initrd, and
it wouldn't boot either.

Thanks for the ideas, but I got frustrated enough yesterday
that I reinstalled on a spare partition.  Kind of irratating,
since I have boxes that I have had for years that I have never
re-installed on, but so be it.  I am still in the process of
copying over some of the configs, but at least I am not stuck in
Knoppix anymore.

-- 
Jim Crumley                  |Twin Cities Linux Users Group Mailing List (TCLUG)
crumley at fields.space.umn.edu |Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota 
Ruthless Debian Zealot       |http://www.mn-linux.org/ 
Never laugh at live dragons  |Dmitry's free,Jon's next? http://faircopyright.org

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