Re: gcc compiler version / kernel problems

[Rick Stevens <rstevens vitalstream com>]

Greg Julius wrote:
> Greetings smart ones out there...
> I finally got 2.4.20 to boot.  I used the rawhide SRPM to build it.
>
> I still got the line 72 error.  I edited the config to remove 
> CONFIG_SCSI_SIM710. and got past the fatal.  I am going to try the 
> downloaded 2.4.20 (not RH) also with this same edit just to see.
>
> I tried to boot without the mkinitrd because I don't have SCSI but I get 
> the following errors
>
>     VFS: Cannot open root device "LABEL=/" or 00:00 
>     Please append a correct "root=" boot option 
>     Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 00:00
>
> When I built the initrd image I was able to boot.
>
> Question1:  What is in my initrd that I should incorporate (=y) in the 
> kernel?  Or is it something that I will always need?  How can I find out 
> what it included?

initrds are only needed if the kernel must load a driver to make the
core system work.  For example, if your root filesystem is on a SCSI
drive or is an ext3 filesystem or you must boot off a network card,
then an initrd that has the appropriate modules will be needed.

What's included?  When you do the "mkinitrd" command, add one or more
"-v" options to the command line and mkinitrd will display what it's
doing.

> Question2:  How much junk is normally in the 2> error files?  I have:
>
>     dep             64 lines        3.7K 
>     bzImage         33 lines        1.7K 
>     modules         615 lines       46.5K 
>     modules_install         0 lines                 0 bytes 
>
> Seems like a lot of messages to me.

Not necessarily.  It depends on which messages they are.  Remember that
(especially) the modules generate a lot of status messages ("entering
such-and-such directory", etc.).
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- Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer     rstevens vitalstream com -
- VitalStream, Inc.                       http://www.vitalstream.com -
-                                                                    -
-   The light at the end of the tunnel is really an oncoming train.  -
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