Re: GRand Unified Boot misery and Fedora Core 4

From: Jan Gerrit Kootstra (jan.gerrit_at_kootstra.org.uk)
Date: 11/19/05 

Date: Sat, 19 Nov 2005 14:15:08 +0100

### Coralys.com ### wrote:
> I was sure this GRUB thing was not to be trusted and like I said it was
> thanks to a couple of GRUB disasters back in 2002.
>
> My system has the following:
>
> 1. DVDRAM/DVD recorder (/dev/hdc)
> 2. First SATA disk: 160GB Windows XP Professional (several partitions) -
> Seen as /dev/sda by Linux & Knoppix
> 3. Second SATA disk: 160GB - Seen as /dev/sdb
>
> It is a Pentium V HT 3.0GHz (so Linux sees two processors). On an ASUS
> P4P800 motherboard, 800MHz FSB.
>
> Since I did not want Linux and Windows to coexist I bought that 2nd SATA and
> installed it. Then I installed Fedora Core 4 from CDs (4). Having had some
> aweful experiences with GRUB I opted for NOT (and THANKS GOD I CHOSE NOT
> TO!!!!) install a boot loader (since it no longer gives the chance to
> install LILO) on ANY disk. The installation went ok except for the fact that
> it somehow did not recognize my PS2 mouse (Knoppix does).
>
> I then followed a procedure to make a Linux floppy with GRUB in it. I am
> first doing manual grubbing but it fails:
>
> a) Select my 2nd SATA disk (/dev/sdb) where my /boot partition is at
> /dev/sdb1
>
> grub> root (hd1, 0)
>
> That goes ok, tells me it is an ext2fs filesystem (even though it was
> formatted as ext3fs and Knoppix sees
> it as ext3fs)
>
> b) Select the kernel image
>
> grub> kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4
>
> It goes OK, I get a message about finding a bzimage.
>
> c) Select the initrd image
>
> grub> initrd /initrd-2.6.11-1.1369_FC4.img
>
> Apparently ok too, get a message saying it found it. No error messages.
>
> d) Attempt to boot the FC4
>
> grub> boot
>
> And then it get a bunch of booting progress messages, mounting, devices etc.
> and then it craps out and starts dumping some totaaly nerdish messages about
> printk etc. etc. etc. There is no possibility to scroll back or anything.
>
> The only thing I get to read for a short while is some message about "Kernel
> panic" and "Unable to mount /dev/sdb1" or something like that.
>
> I am able to mount those partitions when I boot a Knoppix 4 DVD. I see that
> the kernel/initrd images are there as well where expected, and that that
> /boot is indeed /dev/sdb1
>
> So what on earth is going on here? hopefully somebody comes up with some
> good idea before I reformat that "Linux" disk as NTFS ;-) I am VERY GLAD I
> did not install GRUB on the MBR.
>
> Help anybody?
>
>

Coralys,

Where is your root= ... directive on the kernel line? the kernel need to
know where your root filesystem can be found

root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-22.0.1.ELhugemem ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
initrd /initrd-2.6.9-22.0.1.ELhugemem.img

example comes from my grub.conf

the rhgb and quiet directives are not neccesary

ro is to avoid destruction of the root filesystem by the first e2fsck

Regards,

Jan Gerrit

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