Re: [gentoo-user] Install issue

[Alan McKinnon]

Apparently, though unproven, at 22:35 on Sunday 29 May 2011, Colleen Beamer 
did opine thusly:

> Hi,
>
> I've been trying to update my gentoo system for a couple of months and
> couldn't seem to resolve block issues.  Since it has been a couple of years
> or more since i did a fresh install, I decided to do one.
>
> I followed the handbook - 1st run, I screwed up and missed a step, 2nd run,
> I was careful that I didn't miss anything and I couldn't boot, the 3rd time
> I rechecked everything and the same issue arose.
>
> I am able to get my boot menu, the drivers appear to load - the last one
> being tg3 which is the one that was typically loaded last on my old gentoo
> install.  However, after this I get this message:
>
> ERROR: your real /dev is missing files required to boot (console and
> null)..
>
> When I was in the chroot'd environment and after I had done the 'mount
> --rbind /dev ....' command, I checked and there appeared to be a console
> file there.  This is just and fyi
>
> Anyway, I did a google search and this was one of the responses:
>
> Some "stage3" archives lack few items (like /dev/console and /dev/null)
> necessary for boot.
> To fix your installation, you need to:
> - mount your gentoo root device in read/write mode (for example to
> /mnt/gentoo)
> - create missing pseudo-files (something like the following):
> mknod /mnt/gentoo/dev/console c 5 1
> mknod /mnt/gentoo/dev/null c 1 3
> - unmount your gentoo root device or execute "sync" command
> - reboot
>
> Since I am a "chicken-shit", I am deferring to the more knowledgeable
> people on this list and asking, is this a valid fix or is there a better
> one.

Google is correct, just do it. All you are doing is making files somewhere 
that have special characteristics (i.e. you are not unleashing Armageddon or 
looking Medusa in the eye)

But you looked in the wrong place. null and console must be in /dev on the 
root partition *before* mounting /dev, you looked after. The reason it must be 
there before is that null and console are needed very early in the boot 
process at a point before udev runs. After udev runs it is no longer relevant 
as udev will provide those nodes.

I wonder if you haven't just tripped over a bug in baselayout or recent 
stage3's. I just did a new install here but used an old stage3 that was still 
baselayout-1. I did not run into the issues you did. What does b.g.o. say?


-- 
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com