New install boot error messages

addr · 11-03-2009, 04:49 AM

First time installation attempt.
On boot:

Code:

	ROOT-NFS: No NFS server available

	VFS: unable to mount root FS via NFS

	VFS: cannot open root device "sda8"

Have I borked it completely or it rescuable?

Thanks

monsm · 11-03-2009, 09:52 AM

No idea just from that. How did you try to set up the harddrive(s)? What sort of partitioning scheme is it and what sort of hard drives?

Mons

addr · 11-03-2009, 05:20 PM

Code:

# mkswap /dev/sda2
  # swapon /dev/sda2

  # mount /dev/sda8 /mnt/gentoo
  # mkdir /mnt/gentoo/home
  # mount /dev/sda9 /mnt/gentoo/home

No separate boot partition.

fstab..

Code:

/dev/sda8		/		ext3		noatime		0 1
/dev/sda9		/home		ext3		defaults,noatime 0 2 
/dev/SWAP		none		swap		sw		0 0
/dev/cdrom		/mnt/cdrom	auto		noauto,ro	0 0

menu.lst

Code:

title Gentoo (sda8)
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.30-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/sda8

monsm · 11-04-2009, 02:20 PM

How about that kernel? Have you compiled it with the file systems ext3 and ext2 built into the kernel and not as modules? If you are not using initramfs, as in you menu.lst, that is probably the first thing to check.

To configure your kernel easier and start learning how it works, have look at this site: http://62.3.120.141/~pappy/

Using Pappy's seeds will make it easier to get the correct settings for the kernel.

Mons

addr · 11-04-2009, 02:55 PM

I'll have a look at that tonight. Thanks.

addr · 11-04-2009, 06:16 PM

I don't think I made any critical mistakes in kernel compilation.

I think my error is copying or rather naming and copying the finished product.

In his example:

Code:

cp /usr/src/linux-2.6.27-gentoo-r8/arch/x86/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-gentoo-r8

Where does the vmlinuz come from? And if he didn't have a separate boot partition would his example be the same?

Sorry this is so elementary but I have ploughed my way through thiis twice now with the same error messages at the end of it. Pretty frustrating.

markush · 11-05-2009, 02:06 AM

Hello addr,

well, the kernelname doesn't matter, but it has to be both the same name. The kernelname in your bootloaderconfiguration and the name of the kernel within the /boot directory.

Since the name of your kernel-sources-directory suggests that you really compiled a 2.6.27-gentoo-r8 kernel, I'd recommend to change the kernelname within the bootloaderconfiguration to the real kernelname.

Markus

i92guboj · 11-05-2009, 06:25 AM

A tip: when you are in grub, while booting, you can press 'e' to edit the boot command lines, there you can do TAB to autocomplete just like in bash, this will help you identify the correct drives, directories and filenames when there's a typo.

addr · 11-05-2009, 03:12 PM

Well I went through the whole thing again and ended with the same error messages as in my original post. I am doing the same thing wrong each time and have no idea what it is.
That is three times now so I think I'll have to give up.
Thanks for trying to help.