[SOLVED] kernel-2.6.23 Kernel Panic: No init found

[GivePeaceAChance]

This is the message I'm getting currently with my second Gentoo install/partition. I've added init=3 to my kernel options in menu.lst, but it still doesn't like it. I also tried make clean bzImage modules_install and copying the kernel over to /boot again, but that didn't do anything.

Any ideas?

EDIT: /etc/inittab

[Wormo]

FIrst, a little explanation about an obviously confusing message...

"no init found" is referring to the kernel not being able to find the program init, rather than not knowing which runlevel to start. The kernel frankly doesn't care what runlevel you run or what your inittab is like, because that is all the init program's business. That bit about "try passing init= option" is actually a feature for people who stash their init program in some weird place that the kernel doesn't normally look. From the kernel's perspecitve, "init" is some-program-started-personally-by-the-kernel, the traditional name for this program being "init". Someone could use "init=/bin/sh" and have the kernel boot directly into a shell prompt if they felt like it. However, passing "init=3" is not likely to be useful, unless you happen to have named your master system startup program "3"

So, the real question is "why does the kernel think I don't have an init program in any of the normal places??"
That usually happens when your system is set up for a 2-stage boot with an initramfs and the initramfs did not properly do its job of making the real root partition accessible. If the kernel can't see the root partition, it can't find the init program.

Couple options:

• compile all drivers needed to access root partition as builtin rather than modules so kernel needs no initramfs to get to root partition
  
• rebuild the initramfs and get one that works properly
  

[GivePeaceAChance]

So in layman's terms, I should be looking in my kernel configuration for anything related to initramfs, then, and make sure that it's not configured as a module? Could you take a look at this thread of mine, because based off what you said, I have a sneaking suspicion the way i set up my partitioning scheme may have something to do with it:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-640931.html

Thanks for the help!
_________________
I am not a Linux Guru, but a n00b with a lot of questions.

[Wormo]

Ok, now I'm a little confused. Does the problem only happen when you attempt to boot your new gentoo partition, or did the original install get hosed up too? Are you using the same kernel files for both partitions? Also, let's take a look at your grub entries for both partitions.

[edit] I read over your other thread again, and see that your original install still works. If it works with the first partition, your kernel must have the right drivers to get to your filesystem, whether it uses an initramfs or not. So let's focus on things that are not shared between the two partitions. Comparing grub entries is a good place to start. [/edit]

[GivePeaceAChance]

Hey Wormo, thanks for the help. Your help in the other thread made all the difference, and now it gets past that part at least. The last I booted into my new Gentoo, my fstab was messed up, so I've copied over the correct fstab file and I've begun emerging kdebase-startkde. We'll see how it goes from there, but as far as this problem is concerned, I think it's solved.
_________________
I am not a Linux Guru, but a n00b with a lot of questions.

[Wormo]

Great, have fun with your new install