Re: Re: [gentoo-user] /dev/sda* missing at boot

[Gregory Woodbury]

On Fri, Aug 19, 2011 at 9:12 AM, <frares@×××××.com> wrote:

> Em 19/08/2011 07:09, Mick <michaelkintzios@×××××.com> escreveu:
> > On Friday 19 Aug 2011 03:27:23 Mark Knecht wrote:
>
> > > On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 11:59 AM,  frares@×××××.com> wrote:
> > > > Hi, guys
> > > >
> > > > It is a shame, I know, but after several years using Gentoo, it is
> the
> > > > first time I try to build a kernel without "genkernel".
> > > >
> > > > And now I can't boot to that new kernel, it does not find (and really
> do
> > > > not have a) /dev/sda* root partition ("real-root"); during the boot
> it
> > > > stops, complaining about that, gives me the option to get a shell,
> from
> > > > which I am able to see that there is no /dev/sda* .
> > > >
> > > > I have included everything SATA, so it looks like that is not a
> kernel
> > > > problem, but a initramfs issue, I guess.
> > > >
> > > > What am I missing?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks a lot
> > > > Francisco
> > > >
> > > > P.S.: my boot partition is sda2, sda3 is a swap partition, and
> everything
> > > > else is in sda4. sda1 is not used (up to now) and this is my
> grub.conf :
> > > >
> > > > title Gentoo Linux 2.6.39-gentoo-r3
> > > > root (hd0,1)
> > > > kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86_64-2.6.39-gentoo-r3 ro
> root=/dev/ram0
> > > > init=/linuxrc real_root=/dev/sda4 vga=0x318 video=uvesafb:1024x768-32
> > > > nodevfs udev devfs=nomount quiet CONSOLE=/dev/tty1
> > > > initrd /boot/initramfs-genkernel-x86_64-2.6.39-gentoo-r3
> > >
> > > Maybe I'm missing the obvious here but have you taken a copy of
> > > whatever config file was used/generated by genkernel and used that as
> > > a jumping off point for building your own kernel. kernel's a kernel's
> > > a kernel. What it is capable of doing is in the .config file. If
> > > genkernel doesn't give you a .config file - I've never used genkernel
> > > so I don't know what it does - then assuming you have the feature
> > > turned on you can get the running config using zcat /proc/config.gz.
> > > Save that to a new .config file, put it in the kernel source directory
> > > and you should be good to go.
> > >
> > > You can also use zcat /proc/config.gz on the install CD kernel if yuo
> > > boot from that. Save it to a disk and use it as the basis for creating
> > > your own config.
> >
> > If you no longer use genkernel it is likely that you do not need an
> initram.
> > Build chipset and fs modules into the kernel.  Other drivers you can
> choose if
> > you want to build as modules.
>
> I the case I don't need a initram, I guess that the grub line for parameter
> passing to the kernel would be empty. Am I wrong?
>
> I was just looking on how to build my own initram. What is it supposed to
> do anyway?
>

The initramfs is a container for modules and stuff need to bring up the
system before the mounts of
/ and /boot.    If all the drivers are built-in to the kernel (or at least
the minimum required drivers are built-in)
then the initramfs isn't necessary.

Passing parameters to the kernel is a different issue entirely.

My grub.conf line is:

                kernel /vmlinuz-3.0.3-gentoo root=/dev/sda2
pata_it821x.noraid=1

with the pata_it821x driver built-in for the kenel to find a set of older
IDE drives on the IT8212 card I have installed.

IIRC the initramfs is built with the mkinitrd command.  I haven't had to use
it so I could be wrong.