====== Kernel_problems ======

River is currently booting off a PATA disk connected to a JMicron PATA controller.
The current kernel is a hand-rolled 2.6.26-gentoo-r4, using the new libata driver.

The JMicron controller is picked up last, behind four LVM disks, and one new system disk, so appears as <tt>/dev/sdf</tt>.

===== Building a new kernel for the current OS =====
The following kernel sources are installed
  * 2.6.28-gentoo-r1
  * 2.6.27-gentoo-r2
  * 2.6.26-gentoo-r4

Using genkernel, with the default configuration and additional support for nl80211 wireless

==== kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.28-gentoo-r1 ====
When used to boot the current OS:

 /sbin/rc: line 347: awk: command not found
 /sbin/rc: line 387: /etc/init.d/checkroot: Input/output error
 Failed to source /etc/init.d/checkroot
 Failed to start /etc/init.d/checkroot
 
 One or more critical startup scripts failed to start!
 Please correct this and reboot
 
 /sbin/splash-functions-bl1.sh: line 366: /sbin/sulogin: No such file or directory
 Unmounting filesystems
 Rebooting
 /sbin/rc: line 417: /sbin/reboot: No such file or directory
 /sbin/rc: line 387: /etc/init.d/modules: Input/output error
 Failed to source /etc/init.d/modules
 Failed to start /etc/init.d/modules
 
 One or more critical startup scripts failed to start!
 Please correct this and reboot
 
 *loops*

When used to boot the new OS:

 ...

===== Building a new OS =====
==== kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.28-gentoo-r1 ====
When used to boot the new OS

 Looks like it doesn't support UUIDs in /etc/fstab and fails to mount /var.
 Also get lots of errors pertaining to ext3. Possibly a corrupt filesystem.
   Could try rebuilding base OS in VMware - maybe river's current OS writes broken filesystems.

When used to boot the current OS (on a whim)

 Block device /dev/sdf2 is not a valid root device...
 Could not find the root block device in .

Because the kernel picks up the JMicron controller first. The boot device is now <tt>/dev/sda2</tt> instead of <tt>/dev/sdf2</tt>. When booted with the right device:

 Boots, but doesnt find kernel modules for the running kernel.
 Consequently no services start.

===== Building yet another OS in vmware =====
While attempting to rebuild the OS again in VMware, the following errors were encountered. The physical disk <tt>/dev/sda</tt> (<tt>sg1</tt>) was shared to the virtual machine.

{{wiki:River-bad-disk.jpg?300}}