Disk problems - continuing saga

[Rick Stevens]

Gordon Low wrote:
> Still having problems replacing 40G disk with a 120G Barracuda disk but
> think I have made progress with advice from Bob. 
> 
> Copied the files using the cpio archive command and rebooted into the
> "linux rescue" mode straight away. Installed grub and rebooted to the
> new HD.
> 
> This time grub was invoked and I was given menu as I had before. Carried
> on booting but was stopped with a 
> "Kernel Panic: No init found. Try passing init= option to kernel"
> 
> Couldn't remember if I had just copied the /proc directory so I deleted
> it on the new disk and added as an empty directory - same thing
> happened. Sequence of boot was as follows..
> ===============================================================
> .
> Mounting /proc filesystem
> Creating block devices
> Creating root device
> mkrootdev: label / not found
> Mounting root filesystem
> mount: error 2 mounting ext3
> pivotroot: pivot-root(/sysroot, /sysroot/initrd) failed: 2
> umount /initrd/proc failed: 2
> Freeing unused kernel memory: 132k freed
> Kernel Panic: No init found. Try passing init= option to kernel
> .
> ===============================================================
> 
> Thought this might be grub.conf as I noticed it had entry..
> kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-28.8 ro root=LABEL=/
> so changed this to 
> kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-28.8 ro root=/
> During this period the linux rescue could sometimes mount the
> filesystems but had trouble at other times don't know if this is
> relevant?
> 
> After this still failed but slightly different messages - sequence was
> as follows....
> 
> ===============================================================
> .
> Mounting /proc filesystem
> Creating block devices
> Creating root device      <<<<<< no mkrootdev failure >>>>
> Mounting root filesystem
> mount: error 6 mounting ext3   <<<<< different error  >>>>
> pivotroot: pivot-root(/sysroot, /sysroot/initrd) failed: 2
> umount /initrd/proc failed: 2
> Freeing unused kernel memory: 132k freed
> Kernel Panic: No init found. Try passing init= option to kernel
> .
> ===============================================================
> 
> Desperately need some help here as this is dragging on, I can install
> RH8 from new onto the new disk but want to transfer old system. 
> Will be googling for the errors but can anyone point me in direction of
> where to go now.

The problem is that you have to rebuild the initrd image in /boot.  This
is because you're using an ext3 filesystem for / and ext3 is not built
into your kernel.

First, note which version of kernel you intend to run when this hard
disk boots.  Then boot off the CD in rescue mode and let the system
mount the system under /mnt/sysimage.  Next:

	# chroot /mnt/sysimage
	# cd /boot
	# mkinitrd -f -v initrd-kernelversion.img kernelversion
	# exit
	# exit

Replace "kernelversion" with the kernel you want to boot.  E.g., for
the latest FC1 kernel:

	# mkinitrd -f -v initrd-2.4.22-1.2199.nptl 2.4.22-1.2199.nptl

Pop out the CD and try to boot the hard disk.
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- Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer     rstevens at vitalstream.com -
- VitalStream, Inc.                       http://www.vitalstream.com -
-                                                                    -
-         "OK, so you're a Ph.D. Just don't TOUCH anything!"         -
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