2.6.8-2-686-smp won't boot.

[cdgraham]

Here is a stange one. I installed 2.6.8-2-386 and it boots/runs fine (debian netinst). So I did an apt-get install kernel-image-2.6.8-2-686-smp and it starts to boot then I get an end_request error. I don't think it's a bad drive since the 386 version boots and runs fine. I also got 2.4.27-3-686-smp to boot and I can see both cpu's. I have 2 500MHz PIII's and a supermicro 440GX board.

Any ideas why 2.6.8-2-686-smp is the only one that won't boot?

Thanks,
Chris

[sbovisjb1]

You're architecture is wrong, or the file you dowloaded is corrupted. Please post the boot information so that people can have a closer look.

[falko]

Can you post the exact error message?

[cdgraham]

The error message seem to rotate (1 then the other). The first time I reboot I get this:

.
.
.
end_request: I/O error, dev hda, sector 12716687

but it has scrolled several screens full of this error with different sectors so I can't see what was happening before (about 20 lines of 12716687). T

hen I reboot again and try the 2.6.8 smp kernel again I get this:

/* SCREEN START*/

EXT3-fs: recovery complete
EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.
hda: dma_timer_expiry: dma status == 0x21
hda: DMA timeout error
hda: dma timeout error: status=0xd0 { Busy }

hda: DMA disabled
ide0: reset timed-out, status=0xd0
hda: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }

hda: dirve not ready for command
ide0: reset timed-out, status=0xd0
end_request: I/O error, dev hda, sector 4135
EXT3-fs error (device hda1): ext3_find_entry: reading directory #2 offset 0

pivot_root: No such file or directory
end_request: I/O error, dev hda, sector 4135
EXT3-fs error (device hda1): ext3_find_entry: reading directory #2 offset 0

end_request: I/O error, dev hda, sector 4135
EXT3-fs error (device hda1): ext3_find_entry: reading directory #2 offset 0

/sbin/init: 432: cannout open dev/console: No such file
Kernel panic: Attempted to kill init!

/*SCREEN END*/

I can't seem to find this in any log after I reboot to a good kernel. I haven't been a sysadm in 4 years so I'm a little rusty.

Where is the boot info? Or how do I log it?

Thanks

[falko]

You can run dmesg to see the messages of the previous boot.

end_request: I/O error, dev hda, sector 12716687Somehow this looks like a hard disk failure to me. But you said there's a kernel that lets you boot without problems?

[cdgraham]

I had wondered that at first too. But 2.6.8-2-386 boots and runs fine as does 2.4.27-3-686-smp. So I don't think it's really a HD failure.

I started with 2.6.8-2-386. Loaded fine, runs fine. So I did an apt-get install kernel-image-2.6.8-3-686-smp and it wouldn't boot. So I tried 2.6.8-2-686-smp, still no go. I figured my hardware just wasn't going to support SMP. But just on a lark I installed 2.4.27-2-686-smp and it loads and boots fine (minus some 2.6 utils of course). So my hardware will run smp, just seems to be a problem with 2.6 smp.

I might try another HD to rule it out, but I really think it's something else.

Chris

BTW, dmesg had nothing about the 2.6.8-2-686-smp boot. I don't think the boot gets far enough along to write the boot logs to the disk.

[falko]

It seems as if Debian's 2.6 SMP kernels have problems with your hardware. You might try to compile your own SMP kernel from the sources.

[cdgraham]

Thanks,

I'll try that. How do you set the smp? in menuconfig?

Chris

[falko]

Yes, in make menuconfig :)