cannot mount ext4 root on 32 bit min-install-cd [SOLVED]

polsas · n00b Joined: 18 Feb 2009 Posts: 30

I have 64 bit box, where mounting the ext4 /root on /mnt/gentoo gives no error.
Trying 32 bit box with same install steps, but "mount /dev/hdax /mnt/gentoo" gives can't mount ext filesystem because of unsupported features Both systems boot from USB drive.
64 B system executes mount command immediately and gives 2 lines of output (mballoc + something) works fine with min install cd. Why the problem for the x86 32 bit?
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Regards, polsas

poly_poly-man · Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:30 pm Post subject:

correct kernel options?
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polsas · n00b Joined: 18 Feb 2009 Posts: 30

Not yet at the kernel stage.
1- prepare disk on existing linux sys so that partition to host gentoo already has mkfs.ext4 & tar xjpf for stage3 & portage done in GUI environment.
2- boot from usb to "live cd" prompt (but min install sys)
3- mount "root partition" (/dev/hda4) to /mnt/gentoo ---> no can do.
this is an issue either with the
a- min-install-cd ext4 support in 32 bit sys,
b- boot from usb problem,
e2fsck.ext4 command returns error, telling me to "upgrade e2fsck" as "features unsupported" (same error as mount)
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Regards, polsas

DONAHUE · Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:54 pm Post subject:

what vintage minimal install cd are you using?
It will need to have a fairly recent kernel to support ext4. I don't think 2008.0 will do.
Current gentoo cd iso on http://www.gentoo.org/en/main/mirrors.xml under /releases/x86/autobuilds/20090304/install-x86-minimal-20090304.iso
Current tarball on http://www.gentoo.org/en/main/mirrors.xml under /releases/x86/autobuilds/20090304/stage3-i486-20090304.tar.bz2

bytesniper · n00b Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 33 Location: Abq, NM

I actually stumbled upon this thread looking for when the minimal install cd would actually be updated to a 2.6.28 kernel. The latest one (that i can find) is 20090305 (32and64) which is just a few days ago but ext4 cannot be mounted because it runs on 2.6.27-gentoo-r8 which only supports ext4dev. Ext4 was actually released with 2.6.28 so what I have had to do for now is format everything to ext3 during initial chroot and convert it to ext4 after booting a 2.6.28 kernel for the first time. I've read (haven't tested this myself) that a partition formatted with a kernel <2.6.28 with ext4dev cannot be mounted later using >=2.6.28 as ext4. Any word on 2009.0 with 2.6.28, maybe?

bytesniper

DONAHUE · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:05 am Post subject:

2.6.28-r3 is in the stable tree so in theory 20090311/20090312 (1/2 days from now) should have it.

polsas · n00b Joined: 18 Feb 2009 Posts: 30

DONAHUE: Thanks for the info - but now I am having difficulty preparing the bootable "live cd" to place on the usb from the file you specify. How do you do that? The various guides I located by google are fairly complicated & confusing. Is there a link to a step-by-step which you can suggest?

Thnx.
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Regards, polsas

DONAHUE · Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:16 am Post subject:

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/liveusb.xml

polsas · n00b Joined: 18 Feb 2009 Posts: 30

Seems I did not describe the problem accurately.
1. I downloaded /gentoo/releases/x86/autobuilds/20090311/stage3-i686-20090311.tar.bz2 (for p4 2.26Hz)
2. tar xvjpf the bz2 into folder. Untarred files are not bootable, so I have to build a bootable environment, right? This is what I meant by "creating a live cd". Once I have the bootable, I know how to make it boot from usb or hdd partition & grub.
This is where I am stuck since the previous live cd ver I was using was 2008.0
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Regards, polsas

DONAHUE · Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 2:54 pm Post subject:

did you make a cd from the current autobuild?

polsas · n00b Joined: 18 Feb 2009 Posts: 30

extremely late reply, as my primary concern is to build a server for medium sized business. Mainly busy with 64B sys and had to re-install several times.
Below results for 64 - have not tried with 32 but assume same.
Ext4 fs does not mount with min_install_cd unless your first declare "tune2fs -E test_fs /dev/hdxx". Command sets Experimental option flag to the partition which subsequently allows for the mount command to run. Remember to run "tune2fs -E ^test_fs /dev/hdxx" to unset the exp flag on the partition before you exit out of chroot to reboot. DON - You know this - its for the other viewers of the post.
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Regards, polsas