Very Computer

by **ale** » Sat, 12 Jan 2002 09:12:57

my problem: i have two hardware identical boxes. i have a removable
harddrive. if i put the harddrive in one box it boots fine, but in the
other box i get this error:

Kernel panic: VFS: unable to mount root fs

i have tried all number of LILO commands such as "linux root=/dev/hda5"
with no luck.

the only odd thing i can see is that when i do a `/usr/sbin/rdev
/boot/vmlinuz` i get "Root device /dev/sde1" (see below). why the heck
would i have sde1 in my rdev? how can i change it?

ideas? the messages below are taken from the box that boots
successfully.

thanks!

-ag

======================================================================
$> more /etc/lilo.conf

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
linear
default=linux

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.16-22
label=linux
read-only
root=/dev/hda5

======================================================================
fdisk on /dev/hda gives me this...

Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 2498 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 3 24066 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 4 2498 20041087+ 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 4 2489 19968763+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda6 2490 2498 72261 82 Linux swap

======================================================================
$> /usr/sbin/rdev /boot/vmlinuz
Root device /dev/sde1

======================================================================
$> /usr/sbin/rdev
/dev/hda5 /

by **Michael Wandinge** » Sat, 12 Jan 2002 23:17:37

Hello Alex,

> my problem: i have two hardware identical boxes. i have a removable
> harddrive. if i put the harddrive in one box it boots fine, but in the
> other box i get this error:

> Kernel panic: VFS: unable to mount root fs

> i have tried all number of LILO commands such as "linux root=/dev/hda5"
> with no luck.

> the only odd thing i can see is that when i do a `/usr/sbin/rdev
> /boot/vmlinuz` i get "Root device /dev/sde1" (see below). why the heck
> would i have sde1 in my rdev? how can i change it?

that's rather simple, the machine, which has built your kernel has it's
root-device /dev/sde1 and the kernel would inherit it from the built.

Quote:
> ideas? the messages below are taken from the box that boots
> successfully.

you can change it with "rdev -o 508 /boot/vmlinuz /dev/hda1"
the man-page of rdev will explain this rather good.

but your problem would not been solved if your 2nd machine has a
different root-device...

Quote:
> thanks!

> -ag

> ======================================================================

greetings

Michael