need post install (maybe GRUB) help

miesnerd · 2008-02-24 09:12:33

So ive installed arch by means of using the FaunOS live cd.. and it seems to have worked, except for when loading, after it prints "loading udev...done"
next it says "attempting to create root device "/dev/sda1"
ERROR: Failed to parse block device name for "/dev/sda1" unknown

Root device "/dev/sda1" doesnt exist, attempting to create it
ERROR: Failed to parse block device name for "/dev/sda1" unknown
ERROR: Unable to create/detect root device 'dev/sda1"

Then it drops me to a recovery shell..

Im dual booting, and the distro installed on hda3 will allow me access to hda1, where I have checked and ensured that the files are there, the kernels it is trying to point to are there, etc.
What can I do?

thanks in advance so much.

schivmeister · 2008-02-24 09:59:39

/etc/mkinitcpio.conf is what needs attention.

Post your hwd -s, may need to pacman -S hwd first. If not, just tell us your HDD layout; type(s) of disk(s), SATA/IDE, /etc/fstab.

Looks like you just need ide, pata and/or ata_generic. Post your /etc/rc.conf too, we need to make sure you have auto-loading of modules enabled.

Oh yeah, I shoulda just typed http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/mkinitcpio and it would solve all your problems!

Last edited by schivmeister (2008-02-24 10:04:19)

miesnerd · 2008-02-24 10:20:04

sorry to be a little thick here, but I cant do any of that because its not a regular terminal its putting me into, its different (and im unfamilar with it)
Whereas a reg. terminal would prompt me (miesnerd) with something like "miesnerd@miesnerd-desktop"# this just says "ramfs$" and doesnt allow me to execute any regular *nix commands.

bangkok_manouel · 2008-02-24 13:32:15

could you post your /boot/grub/menu.lst and inform us about your kernel version ?

Im dual booting, and the distro installed on hda3 will allow me access to hda1

if your system is up2date then you should use /dev/sdX

when grub menu appears, type e (edit) and change h to s. once finished type b to boot and let us know if there's any improvement...

schivmeister · 2008-02-24 18:24:26

that's the dash shell, a portable, smaller, less-able but faster Unix shell.

you're not expected to handle those files from within that fallback shell, you're expected to boot off the LiveCD and then mount and access the files/install stuff to do so.

do try to edit GRUB hda scheme as outlined above too.

miesnerd · 2008-02-24 19:16:22

yeah-- I'd already tried that. To make sure we're clear, you mean just changing hda to sda? That's weird. It was sda (when it originally didnt work) and i was playing around carefully and changed it to sda because I had always thought sda was for removable media and that might be the prob.

miesnerd · 2008-02-24 19:38:24

this is my current grub menu.lst
Please note that the Arch entries were not working before I installed Ubuntu.
I installed Ubuntu because in my experience, it does a very good job with grub autoconfig.
Whatever the problem is this time, it didnt fix, though.
----------------------------------------------------------------

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not use 'savedefault' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 10

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
#hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=ed26c188-4534-4dfe-ac88-f7bb9dd956db ro

## Setup crashdump menu entries
## e.g. crashdump=1
# crashdump=0

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,1)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
## lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(recovery) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
## howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
## memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=ed26c188-4534-4dfe-ac88-f7bb9dd956db ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 7.10, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=UUID=ed26c188-4534-4dfe-ac88-f7bb9dd956db ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic

title Ubuntu 7.10, memtest86+
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hda1.
title Arch Linux /dev/sda1 (initrd=/boot/kernel26suspend2-fallback.img) (on /dev/hda1)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26faunos root=/dev/sda1 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26suspend2-fallback.img
savedefault
boot

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hda1.
title Arch Linux /dev/sda1 (initrd=/boot/kernel26pierlo-fallback.img) (on /dev/hda1)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26faunos root=/dev/sda1 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26pierlo-fallback.img
savedefault
boot

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hda1.
title Arch Linux /dev/sda1 (initrd=/boot/kernel26faunos-fallback.img) (on /dev/hda1)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26faunos root=/dev/sda1 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26faunos-fallback.img
savedefault
boot

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/hda1.
title Arch Linux /dev/sda1 (initrd=/boot/kernel26-fallback.img) (on /dev/hda1)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26faunos root=/dev/sda1 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26-fallback.img
savedefault
boot

Lone_Wolf · 2008-02-24 19:49:47

Check your /etc/fstab and /etc/rc.conf for archlinux/faunos .

My gut feeling is that you have hdx entries in fstab, while udev expects sdx entries .

miesnerd · 2008-02-24 20:02:44

Lone wolf thanks for replying. i must confess I have no idea what you're talking about. Give me the rundown, please .

miesnerd · 2008-02-24 20:06:44

and you want me to post hda1/etc/fstab or hda3/etc/fstab? I'd imagine it would be hda1 (or sda1 as grub is calling it) except that I installed ubuntu onto hda3 after my arch/faunos install.

Lone_Wolf · 2008-02-24 20:57:54

Based on your grub menu.lst it looks like you have 1 harddrive with 3 partitions :

First partition : sda1/hda1 Arch/faunos
second partition : sda2/hda2 Not sure what is used for, probably SWAP ?
3rd partition : sda3/hda3

Since you're problem is with booting arch, we need the files arch uses.

Assuming you're doing this from ubuntu :

post the content of hda1/etc/fstab and hda1/etc/rc.conf

Note :
hdx and sdx naming is a rather technical issue, but below is a short comparison that may help.

Ubuntu :
IDE drives : HDx
Sata Drives : SDx
USB drives : SDx

Arch
IDE drives : SDx
Sata Drives : SDx
USB Drives : SDx

(i've left out firewire and optical drives to keep things simple).

miesnerd · 2008-02-24 21:42:57

Thanks again Lone Wolf.
Here is fstab:

# fstab generated by mkfstab
#<partition> <dir> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>

/dev/sda1 / ext3 defaults,noatime 0 1

none /dev/pts devpts defaults 0 0
none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0

/dev/sda5 swap swap defaults,noatime 0 0

/dev/sda3 /mnt/sda3 auto user,noauto,noatime 0 0
/dev/sda4 /mnt/sda4 auto user,noauto,noatime 0 0

/dev/sr0 /mnt/sr0_cd auto user,noauto,exec,unhide 0 0

# This would do for a floppy
#/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy vfat,ext2 rw,user,noauto 0 0
# + mkdir /mnt/floppy

# E.g. for USB storage:
#/dev/sda1 /mnt/usb auto rw,user,noauto 0 0
# + mkdir /mnt/usb

and rc.conf

#
# /etc/rc.conf - Main Configuration for Arch Linux
#

#
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# LOCALIZATION
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# LOCALE: available languages can be listed with the 'locale -a' command
# HARDWARECLOCK: set to "UTC" or "localtime"
# TIMEZONE: timezones are found in /usr/share/zoneinfo
# KEYMAP: keymaps are found in /usr/share/kbd/keymaps
# CONSOLEFONT: found in /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts (only needed for non-US)
# CONSOLEMAP: found in /usr/share/kbd/consoletrans
# USECOLOR: use ANSI color sequences in startup messages
#
LOCALE="en_US.utf8"
HARDWARECLOCK="localtime"
TIMEZONE="US/Mountain"
KEYMAP="us"
CONSOLEFONT=default8x16.psfu.gz
CONSOLEMAP=
USECOLOR="yes"

#
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# HARDWARE
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# Scan hardware and load required modules at bootup
MOD_AUTOLOAD="yes"
# Module Blacklist - modules in this list will never be loaded by udev
MOD_BLACKLIST=()
#
# Modules to load at boot-up (in this order)
# - prefix a module with a ! to blacklist it
#
MODULES=(usbnet fuse video)
# Scan for LVM volume groups at startup, required if you use LVM
USELVM="no"

#
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# NETWORKING
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
HOSTNAME="myfaun"
#
# Use 'ifconfig -a' or 'ls /sys/class/net/' to see all available
# interfaces.
#
# Interfaces to start at boot-up (in this order)
# Declare each interface then list in INTERFACES
# - prefix an entry in INTERFACES with a ! to disable it
# - no hyphens in your interface names - Bash doesn't like it
#
# Note: to use DHCP, set your interface to be "dhcp" (eth0="dhcp")
#
lo="lo 127.0.0.1"
#eth0="eth0 192.168.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.0.255"
INTERFACES=(lo)
#
# Routes to start at boot-up (in this order)
# Declare each route then list in ROUTES
# - prefix an entry in ROUTES with a ! to disable it
#
gateway="default gw 192.168.0.1"
ROUTES=(!gateway)
#
# Enable these network profiles at boot-up. These are only useful
# if you happen to need multiple network configurations (ie, laptop users)
# - set to 'menu' to present a menu during boot-up (dialog package required)
# - prefix an entry with a ! to disable it
#
# Network profiles are found in /etc/network-profiles
#
#NET_PROFILES=(main)

#
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# DAEMONS
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# Daemons to start at boot-up (in this order)
# - prefix a daemon with a ! to disable it
# - prefix a daemon with a @ to start it up in the background
#
SPLASH="gensplash"
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng ipw3945d hal dhcdbd networkmanager cups crond gpm)

# End of file

miesnerd · 2008-02-24 21:43:47

after I get this where its a working, booting, system with a graphical interface, I definately need to look into understanding rc.conf. I've heard of fstab before and I am vaguely familiar with it, but never even heard of rc.conf before playing wtih Arch.

schivmeister · 2008-02-25 11:50:49

rc.conf is existent in every Linux system, iirc. just that Arch uses it as a central config file, and that's what's unique.

fstab is a config file for static mounts; what you type is what you mount.

mkinitcpio.conf is the config file for generation of the initrd image (early userspace, take control from kernel so you can load wanted modules), it needs specification of the core driver/modules of your disk which carries the root partition. that is why i told you to take a look at it.

sdx scheme is used by the PATA system, newer IDE system in the kernel since version .18 or .19 can't really remember. If the initrd image is built (mkinitcpio -p kernel26) with ide hooks and your disks are IDE, sdx is SATA/SCSI and SATA/SCSI only and hdx will be for IDE disks, simple. Likewise, if something like ata_piix for Intel ICH chips is used, hdx will not work; sdx globally regardless of SATA/IDE.

You rc.conf is fine. Leave it. At least until you're familiar and feel comfortable customizing your platform.

Last edited by schivmeister (2008-02-25 11:53:09)

Arch Linux

#1 2008-02-24 09:12:33

need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#2 2008-02-24 09:59:39

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#3 2008-02-24 10:20:04

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#4 2008-02-24 13:32:15

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#5 2008-02-24 18:24:26

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#6 2008-02-24 19:16:22

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#7 2008-02-24 19:38:24

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#8 2008-02-24 19:49:47

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#9 2008-02-24 20:02:44

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#10 2008-02-24 20:06:44

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#11 2008-02-24 20:57:54

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#12 2008-02-24 21:42:57

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#13 2008-02-24 21:43:47

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

#14 2008-02-25 11:50:49

Re: need post install (maybe GRUB) help

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