[SOLVED] Kernel panic : the kernel doesn't find my root partition

Fractal · 2010-03-01 19:07:46

Hi,
My Archlinux system doesn't boot anymore (I'm currently on Ubuntu on the same computer).
I get the following during the boot:

[…]
::Running Hook [uresume]
resume: libgcrypt version: 1-4-5
Waiting 10 seconds for device /dev/disk/by-uuid/7244fdc2-5260-4aea-82e9-19e10395176b
     (it waits 10 seconds)
Root device '/dev/disk/by-uuid/7244fdc2-5260-4aea-82e9-19e10395176b' doesn't exists. Attempting to create it.
ERROR: Unable to determine major/minor number of root device '/dev/disk/by-uuid/7244fdc2-5260-4aea-82e9-19e10395176b'
You are being dropped in a recovery shell.
     (it says that I can type exit to try continue booting)
ERROR: Unable to determine the file system type of '/dev/disk/by-uuid/7244fdc2-5260-4aea-82e9-19e10395176b'
     (it says that I can add "rootfstype=…" to the kernel line, but this doesn't change anything, and after two more "exit", I get a kernel panic)

I have a /boot partition in ext2 and a / partition in ext4.
The relevant /boot/grub/menu.lst entry is:

# (0) Arch Linux
title  Arch Linux
root   (hd0,5)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/7244fdc2-5260-4aea-82e9-19e10395176b ro
initrd /kernel26.img

The uuid is correct, because I didn't change it and because Ubuntu sees the same uuid:

$ ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2010-03-01 19:40 35e5d795-3313-491b-a1fd-ff5d03b00698 -> ../../sda5
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2010-03-01 19:40 59b8846f-c2e5-429d-a7fc-a87385052b19 -> ../../sda8
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2010-03-01 19:40 7244fdc2-5260-4aea-82e9-19e10395176b -> ../../sda7
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2010-03-01 19:40 8523ebf2-7167-44f5-bb8f-6ff23a59ff4d -> ../../sda1
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2010-03-01 19:40 890f48df-f226-4090-968a-c029e676af9b -> ../../sda6

Also I use the testing repo, and this is the first time I boot with the kernel 2.6.33, so the problem is perhaps here.
Another thing, I have had problems with udev since the first time I installed Arch on this computer (3 minutes boot time) so I installed udev-141-5 and have asked to pacman not to upgrade udev.

I tried to chroot from Ubuntu in my ArchLinux system in order to reinstall the previous version of the kernel, but pacman doesn't seem to see the database in the chroot (pacman -Q doesn't gives anything). But I don't really know how 'chroot' works, so perhaps that I'm not doing what I should do.

If it can help, the pacman.log from the last time I booted correctly is:

[2010-03-01 09:50] synchronizing package lists
[2010-03-01 09:51] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 09:51] synchronizing package lists
[2010-03-01 09:51] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 09:53] >>> Updating module dependencies. Please wait ...
[2010-03-01 09:53] removed lirc (0.8.6-3)
[2010-03-01 09:53] synchronizing package lists
[2010-03-01 09:53] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded avahi (0.6.25-1 -> 0.6.25-3)
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded chromium (5.0.307.9-1 -> 5.0.307.11-1)
[2010-03-01 09:59] warning: /etc/logrotate.d/crond saved as /etc/logrotate.d/crond.pacsave
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded dcron (4.4-1 -> 4.4-2)
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded device-mapper (2.02.60-3 -> 2.02.61-1)
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded filesystem (2010.02-3 -> 2010.02-4)
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded fakeroot (1.14.4-1 -> 1.14.4-2)
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded parted (2.1-1 -> 2.2-1)
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded gparted (0.5.1-3 -> 0.5.1-4)
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded imagemagick (6.5.9.5-1 -> 6.6.0.0-1)
[2010-03-01 09:59] upgraded kernel26-firmware (2.6.32.9-1 -> 2.6.33-1)
[2010-03-01 09:59] >>> Updating module dependencies. Please wait ...
[2010-03-01 09:59] >>> MKINITCPIO SETUP
[2010-03-01 09:59] >>> ----------------
[2010-03-01 09:59] >>> If you use LVM2, Encrypted root or software RAID,
[2010-03-01 09:59] >>> Ensure you enable support in /etc/mkinitcpio.conf .
[2010-03-01 09:59] >>> More information about mkinitcpio setup can be found here:
[2010-03-01 09:59] >>> http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Mkinitcpio
[2010-03-01 09:59] 
[2010-03-01 09:59] >>> Generating initial ramdisk, using mkinitcpio.  Please wait...
[2010-03-01 09:59] ==> Building image "default"
[2010-03-01 09:59] ==> Running command: /sbin/mkinitcpio -k 2.6.33-ARCH -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/kernel26.img
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Begin build
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Parsing hook [base]
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Parsing hook [udev]
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Parsing hook [autodetect]
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Parsing hook [pata]
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Parsing hook [scsi]
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Parsing hook [sata]
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Parsing hook [uresume]
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Parsing hook [filesystems]
[2010-03-01 09:59] :: Generating module dependencies
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Generating image '/boot/kernel26.img'...SUCCESS
[2010-03-01 10:00] ==> SUCCESS
[2010-03-01 10:00] ==> Building image "fallback"
[2010-03-01 10:00] ==> Running command: /sbin/mkinitcpio -k 2.6.33-ARCH -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/kernel26-fallback.img -S autodetect
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Begin build
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Parsing hook [base]
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Parsing hook [udev]
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Parsing hook [pata]
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Parsing hook [scsi]
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Parsing hook [sata]
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Parsing hook [uresume]
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Parsing hook [filesystems]
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Generating module dependencies
[2010-03-01 10:00] :: Generating image '/boot/kernel26-fallback.img'...SUCCESS
[2010-03-01 10:00] ==> SUCCESS
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded kernel26 (2.6.32.9-1 -> 2.6.33-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded lame (3.98.2-3 -> 3.98.3-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded lib32-glibc (2.11.1-1.1 -> 2.11.1-1.3)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded lib32-e2fsprogs (1.41.9-1 -> 1.41.10-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded lib32-heimdal (1.3.1-2 -> 1.3.1-3)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded lib32-nvidia-utils (190.53-1 -> 195.36.08-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded lib32-pciutils (3.1.6-1 -> 3.1.7-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded lib32-zlib (1.2.3.7-2 -> 1.2.3.9-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded libdrm (2.4.18-2 -> 2.4.18-3)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded openssl (0.9.8l-1 -> 0.9.8m-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded libfetch (2.26-1 -> 2.30-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded lvm2 (2.02.60-3 -> 2.02.61-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded m4 (1.4.13-1 -> 1.4.14-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded xorg-server (1.7.5-1 -> 1.7.5-2)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded nvidia-utils (190.53-1 -> 195.36.08-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded mesa (7.7-1 -> 7.7-2)
[2010-03-01 10:00] In order to use the new nvidia module, exit Xserver and unload it manually.
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded nvidia (190.53-4 -> 195.36.08-2)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded openssh (5.3p1-3 -> 5.3p1-4)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded sdl_mixer (1.2.11-1 -> 1.2.11-2)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded shadow (4.1.4.2-1 -> 4.1.4.2-2)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded slim (1.3.1-6 -> 1.3.1-7)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded smbclient (3.4.5-1.1 -> 3.4.6-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded sudo (1.7.2p3-1 -> 1.7.2p4-1)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded syslog-ng (3.0.4-2 -> 3.0.4-3)
[2010-03-01 10:00] upgraded unzip (6.0-4 -> 6.0-5)
[2010-03-01 10:01] upgraded x264 (20100207-1 -> 20100207-2)
[2010-03-01 15:07] synchronizing package lists
[2010-03-01 15:08] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 15:13] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 15:13] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 15:14] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 15:14] upgraded devicekit-disks (009-4 -> 009-5)
[2010-03-01 15:14] synchronizing package lists
[2010-03-01 15:14] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 15:14] synchronizing package lists
[2010-03-01 15:14] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 16:00] synchronizing package lists
[2010-03-01 16:00] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 16:15] synchronizing package lists
[2010-03-01 16:15] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 16:39] synchronizing package lists
[2010-03-01 16:39] starting full system upgrade
[2010-03-01 19:10] synchronizing package lists

Thank you for any idea

Fractal

Last edited by Fractal (2010-03-02 02:21:32)

Fractal · 2010-03-02 02:20:51

Problem solved.
I reinstalled the old kernel within the chrooted environment (with ugly things like 'pacman -Udf /var/cache/…', because pacman doesn't saw the database) and udev-151, and the system was able to boot (with a 4 minutes boot time…). But the nvidia module was compiled against the new kernel, so I didn't have a graphical interface. I reinstalled the new kernel, the module nvidia was working but not hal (I don't know why…). But eventually I succeeded in using the new kernel from testing, with nvidia and hal working, and with udev-141 instead of udev-151.

Fractal

djszapi · 2010-04-11 11:05:44

I've got the same problem, but I don't know how to solve it.
I've tried to reinstall mkinitcpio and initscripts, and I've tried mkinitcpio -p kernel26, it doesn't work.

The harddisk is okay, because the 32 bit system can be boot by other motherboard+processor+memory.

Fractal · 2010-04-11 12:11:35

Are you using an old version of udev ?
For me this was the cause of the problem.

And the problem I had with pacman was because of pt-pacman-cage which has moved the database.

Fractal

Arch Linux

#1 2010-03-01 19:07:46

[SOLVED] Kernel panic : the kernel doesn't find my root partition

#2 2010-03-02 02:20:51

Re: [SOLVED] Kernel panic : the kernel doesn't find my root partition

#3 2010-04-11 11:05:44

Re: [SOLVED] Kernel panic : the kernel doesn't find my root partition

#4 2010-04-11 12:11:35

Re: [SOLVED] Kernel panic : the kernel doesn't find my root partition

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