| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
xjlittle
n00b
Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 9
|
 Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 1:23 pm Post subject: could someone explain why my boot process does this.. |
 |
|
Hi all,
I've been using Linux for several years always on SysV systems. This is my first time trying to use Gentoo. I really believe this is what I want because of the way the portage system works and keeping me out of dependency &(*). However I am having a hard time getting my brain wrapped around what is going on with the boot/init process.
In a nutshell I installed 2006.0 and upgraded to 2006.1 per the manual. When I installed I used an nVidia video card. I had a new Matrox card that I wanted to try out so I compiled a new kernel using genkernel with Matrox support and left the old kernel intact. I removed xdm from the default runlevel using rc-update del xdm default so that I could boot to a terminal. This is where the fun begins..lol.
The new kernel boots ok but it will not let me login with my user account or with root. I have read the articles about the conflicts between pam and shadow. Shadow is not installed but pam is. I'm not sure what to do with that. Any ideas?
So I'm thinking ok since I removed xdm I can boot to the terminal using the originally compiled kernel. When I do that it tries to start X which it can't do since the nvidia card is not present. Why is it not booting to the terminal and instead trying to start X?
Thanks for any help!
John |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
wynn
Advocate
Joined: 01 Apr 2005
Posts: 2421
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | i have read the articles about the conflicts between pam and shadow. Shadow is not installed but pam is. |
Were you referring to pam-login blocks shadow? Apparently shadow now contains login and the pam version isn't used.
You may like to try their solution | Quote: | | To solve "emerge -C pam-login && emerge -1 shadow", this is safe to do - mark_alec |
| Quote: | | Why is it not booting to the terminal and instead trying to start X? |
Probably because the default runlevel in /etc/inittab is set to 5. To boot into console mode (runlevel 3), stop the automatic GRUB boot by pressing any key, press 'c' to get a command line and then select the kernel you want to boot and press 'a' to append to the kernel line. When you get this, put '3' there with a space after the preceding argument. Then press 'b', this will boot into the console.
_________________
The avatar is jorma, a "duck" from "Elephants Dream": the film and all the production materials have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License, see orange.blender.org for details. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
xjlittle
n00b
Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 9
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks for the try.
This didn't work:
| Quote: | | To solve "emerge -C pam-login && emerge -1 shadow", this is safe to do - mark_alec |
pam-login was/is not installed. I replaced the login.defs file with the new one that was created when I recompiled shadow. I did this from a chroot'ed environment if that makes any difference.
Inittab is set to runlevel 3:
| Quote: | | Probably because the default runlevel in /etc/inittab is set to 5. To boot into console mode (runlevel 3), stop the automatic GRUB boot by pressing any key, press 'c' to get a command line and then select the kernel you want to boot and press 'a' to append to the kernel line. When you get this, put '3' there with a space after the preceding argument. Then press 'b', this will boot into the console. |
Any other ideas about what is going on?
Thanks,
John |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
wynn
Advocate
Joined: 01 Apr 2005
Posts: 2421
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 5:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Your situation seems to be (just to get it clear in my own head  )
- New kernel boots but will not allow you to login
- Old kernel boots but tries to start X although the default runlevel in inittab is set to 3
- You don't have pam-login but you do have shadow
More clarifications (NeddySeagoon says that in remote diagnostics it is better to assume a lower level of knowledge as, otherwise, something 'obvious' may not be mentioned which turns out to be the key): your inittab has | Code: | # Default runlevel.
id:3:initdefault: |
which actually seems to make no difference  | Code: | l3:3:wait:/sbin/rc default
l4:4:wait:/sbin/rc default
l5:5:wait:/sbin/rc default |
When you say "I replaced the login.defs file with the new one that was created when I recompiled shadow." you do mean using etc-update or dispatch-conf?
If "I did this from a chroot'ed environment" means booting from the LiveCD, mounting the partition(s) and chroot'ng in as per the handbook, I can't see that that should make any difference.
Right, boilerplate done.
It seems, with the old kernel trying to start X although the default runlevel is set to 3, that the ghost of xdm has quite been exorcized. Could you check /etc/runlevels/default for anything which might start X? "rc-update show default" should show the same thing. "always on SysV systems" I, too, got quite a surprise looking at the runlevels in inittab, not the SysVinit I expected.
When booting either kernel, are there any error messages or "anything funny" in the console output.
Being used to staring at the console while booting (none of this splash screen stuff for me, thank you very much!) remote diagnostics is somewhat frustrating
To log in, would you like to set the password field for root (or your user) in /etc/shadow to blank. Instructions, should you need them: change | Code: | | root:$2$Nox/7bmV$XMMWsMe4hxEO9.jkw0avh/:13246:0:99999:7::: |
to | Code: | | root::13246:0:99999:7::: |
and see if you can login.
I hope you find this helpful and the simplifications not too annoying.
_________________
The avatar is jorma, a "duck" from "Elephants Dream": the film and all the production materials have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License, see orange.blender.org for details. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
Other Things Gentoo
