[Grml] [Grml 1.0] cannot boot anymore after upgrade

[Michael Prokop]

* Ja Bu <jb_int at care2.com> [20071003 18:18]:

> > The last 1-2 lines of the output would be interesting.

> Here are the error messages when booting with LILO:
[...]
> Begin: Waiting for root file system... ...

Thanks, definitely helps debugging the problem.

> > Can you please provide the output of:
> > dpkg --list mdadm lvm2 initramfs-tools lilo grub udev
> > of the system? (Just boot grml live and chroot into your system)

> ----
> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
> | Status=Not/Installed/Config-files/Unpacked/Failed-config/Half-installed
> |/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
> ||/ Name            Version        Description
> +++-===============-==============-============================================
> ii  grub            0.97-19        GRand Unified Bootloader
> ii  initramfs-tools 0.85c          tools for generating an initramfs
> ii  lilo            22.6.1-9       LInux LOader - The Classic OS loader can loa
> ii  lvm2            2.02.06-3      The Linux Logical Volume Manager
> ii  mdadm           2.5.6-6        tool to administer Linux MD arrays (software
> ii  udev            0.103-1grml2   /dev/ and hotplug management daemon

You are sure, that this is the output of the affected grml2hd
installation? This would be interesting. :)

> Here is lilo.conf (which I currently use):
> ----
> lba32
> prompt
> timeout=50
> map=/boot/map
> vga=normal
> boot=/dev/sda
> image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-grml
>         label="2.6.20-grml
>         append="grml_from_hd root=UUID=ffb575cc-c8df-4063-e0f8cb6aff03  "
>         read-only
>         vga=0x0317
>         initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-grml
> ----
> => I left out only the other sections and the bootscreen related lines
> => I tried also without boot screen
> => I checked that all the files mentioned above do really exist
> => the UUID is the correct one (checked with Ubuntu live CD)
> => the hard disk is really sda (the only existing partition is sda1)

Ok, so just replace the:

append="grml_from_hd root=UUID=ffb575cc-c8df-4063-e0f8cb6aff03  "

with

append="grml_from_hd root=/dev/sda1"

> Here is the current menu.lst (after removal of comments etc):
> -> this one is the one with /dev/sdX:
> ----
> default 0
> timeout 10
> title         Debian GNU/LInux, kernel 2.6.20-grml
> root          hd0,0
> kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-grml root=/dev/sda1 ro vga=791
> initrd        /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-grml
> savedefault
> ----
> => as I said: I also found detailed descriptions how to install
>               grub manually which I followed exactly   (http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html#Installing-GRUB-natively)
> => the result was the same (only 'GRUB' being displayed before
>    the system was hanging)

> -> this is the only change of the original menu.lst with the UUIDs:
> ----
> [... same lines as above ...]
> kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-grml root=UUID=ffb575cc-c8df-4063--e0f8cb6aff03 ro vga=791
> ----

> In your third mail you wrote:

> > Just verified it on my own: root=UUID=... still/again does not work
> > with initramfs-tools. So just use root=/dev/... on your grub cmdline
> > in the meanwhile to boot your system, I'm debugging the problem....

> I already did that in the case of grub (see modified menu.lst
> above).  The result is the same. Or did I miss a step somewhere?
> After changing the menu.lst do I have to do any additional steps?
> (I think I reinstalled grub after that, but I am not sure.)

You can edit the commandline of grub interactive (just press 'e',
then edit the according line(s) and after pressing 'enter' to
activate the changes, finally boot the entry using 'b') as well.

You can check your configuration booting with an additional
'rootdelay=1' bootoption (you can add that interactive in grub as
well as in lilo!). Then (when failing to boot and getting dropped
into the initramfs shell) just check output of 'cat /proc/cmdline'.

If it works with root=/dev/... and fails with root=UUID=... we are
talking about the problem I could reproduce and are debugging right
now.

> By the way: I got the GRML virtual appliance from:
> http://www.vmware.com/appliances/directory/899
> (I don't know whether the distributor modified the VMachine
>  in the meantime.)

Ah cool, thanks for the pointer - I wasn't aware of that. :)

regards,
-mika-
-- 
 http://grml.org/            # Linux for texttool-users and sysadmins
 http://wiki.grml.org/       # share your knowledge
 http://grml.supersized.org/ # the grml development weblog
 #grml @ irc.freenode.org    # meet us on irc
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
Url : http://lists.mur.at/pipermail/grml/attachments/20071003/234f2b4c/attachment-0002.pgp