Kernel panic after compiling new Debian kernel on Proliant 1300

[Margit]

Have a Compaq Proliant server with debian woody. It works fine with the 2.4.18 kernel from Debian install CD. However I tried compile a 2.4.22 kernel from the source from kernel.org. The new kernel built and installed without problem, but everytime I tried boot with the new kernel, the system hangs with

"Kernel panic VFS:unable to mount root filesystem"

The HDD is a 20 GB IDE, root is Ext2 on hda1. I tried several options in file systems abd bock devices, without success. I attached my .config file. Maybe somebody can help me.

[Dave Falloon]

I have had the same type of problems before. Twice is was carelessness when I compiled the kernel and left out ext2 support. Once it was a typo in the fstab.

You have definately compiled in ext2 so its not a problem of the kernel not understanding the fs. You are using Debian woody so I assume you are using lilo as well. What does your lilo.conf say for this line:

root= ?

Also what does your fstab say for your /dev/hda1 line?

Dave

[Dave Falloon]

One more thing how did you install the new kernel?

Did you make install or did you copy the kernel image and system.map into /boot and then edit the lilo.conf by hand?

Dave

[Stuart Browne]

I don't suppose you've got a copy of the old .config file you can 'make oldconfig' from to try ?

Can you still boot off the old kernel?

[Margit]

The whole error message is:

VFS: cannot open root device "301" or 03:01
Please append a correct "root= " boot option
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 03:01

I tired boot lilo with the option root=/dev/hda1 but without success. The error is the very same.

My HDD has fout partions:
/dev/hda1 5 GB ext2 /
/dev/hda2 500 MB swap
/dev/hda3 15 MB Compaq diagnostics
/dev/hda4 15 GB ext3 /home

I dont know if it si relevant or not, but the phisical order of the partitions on disk is: hda3 hda1 hda2 hda4. I tried change the Compaq Diagnostic partitons number during install, without success.

lilo.conf:

lba32
boot=/dev/hda
root=/dev/hda1
install=/boot/boot-mem.b
map=/boot/map
delay=20
vga=normal
default=linux
image=/vmlinuz
????label=Linux
????read-only
image=/vmlinuz.OLD
????label=LinuxOLD
????read-only
????optional

With vmlinuz.OLD the machine boots correct, its the kernel from Debian CD. I cant boot my custom kernel.

1) First I unzipped the kernel source to /usr/src/linux
2) make menuconfig (dont have X)
3) make-kpkg -rev test.3 kernel_image
4)cd ..
5)dpkg -i kernel_image-something.deb
6)reboot
7)it hangs

It is my standard mode for compiling and installing Debian kernels, it worked for me. I have another Debian mashine (a "noname" PC with MSI motherboard, Pentium IV 2 GHz proc., 1 GB RAM, 2 60 GB Seagate Barracuda in RAID1) and compiled and installed a new kernel 4 time without any problem. The Compaq server is more difficult.

[Dave Falloon]

All I can think of is maybe you need to run lilo to update any changes made to the conf.

Is it looking for an initrd image that it can't find?

Dave

[Ragu_1]

Encountered a similar scene after a kernel re-compile here. The reason was I had enabled devfs support but had not installed the devfsd daemon. If you want to boot into your newly compiled kernel try passing the option `devfs=nomount' through your boot-loader. Guessing wildly, do pardon me for that!