Error determining root device

Message

W_T_F · Post by **W_T_F** » Fri May 14, 2010 2:20 pm

I've gone through the Gentoo Linux Documentation and have installed Gentoo and I've got a working system almost

The problem I have is when I reboot I get

>>Determining root device
!! Block device /dev/sda3 is not a valid root device

I then get an option intype in my root device if I type in /dev/hda3 everything continues okay.

Where I think I went wrong is during install I was playing around with fdisk and initially created /dev/sda1, 2, 3 as per the instructios thendeleted them and tried again but could not use /dev/sda so used /dev/hda

My fstab file is the same as the dociumentation with hda replacing sda.

Any ideas what I've done wrong and if I can fix it? I'm not that bothered it's a test install on a virtual machine for me to evaluate Gentoo.

DONAHUE · Post by **DONAHUE** » Fri May 14, 2010 8:02 pm

hda naming means you have configured the kernel to use the legacy hard drive controller drivers instead of the newer libata drivers. no big deal for a test drive. change /boot/grub/grub.conf and /etc/fstab to match. If you want help going to the newer drivers run

Code: Select all

lspci -k

and post the results for the controller driver(s), usually seen under sata , ide, pata entries

W_T_F · Post by **W_T_F** » Sat May 15, 2010 1:16 am

Thanks, I'd missed /dev/sda3 in the grub.conf file

lspci -k

I get command not found

DONAHUE · Post by **DONAHUE** » Sat May 15, 2010 2:01 am

Code: Select all

emerge pciutils
lspci -k

or run lspci from the cd

W_T_F · Post by **W_T_F** » Sat May 15, 2010 12:16 pm

I emerged and got this screen dump of lspci -k (this is on Microsoft Virtual PC)

I've spent the last couple of days playing around with this (installing apache, mysql, php) and I've actually changed my mind, rather than discard this install would prefer to keep it and have it set up properly. Plus, there's the learning factor.

Rexilion · Post by **Rexilion** » Sat May 15, 2010 2:15 pm

It seems that you have enabled:

CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PIIX

and should instead:
- disable the entire "ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support"
- enable "Serial ATA (prod) and Parallel ATA (experimental) drivers"
- enable under the "Serial ATA (prod) and Parallel ATA (experimental) drivers" menu:
- Intel PATA old PIIX support
- OR:
- Intel PATA MPIIX support

If you don't know, enable them both you can later figure out which one is used. Also, don't forget to enable:
- Under the menu: "SCSI device support":
- "SCSI device support"
- "SCSI disk support"
- "SCSI CDROM support" (if you have a CD-ROM)

DONAHUE · Post by **DONAHUE** » Sat May 15, 2010 2:40 pm

http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-45 ... ml#4570091 refers
Below is what rex recommends except

<*> Intel ESB, ICH, PIIX3, PIIX4 PATA/SATA support

instead of

- Intel PATA old PIIX support
- OR:
- Intel PATA MPIIX support

Device Drivers --->
< > ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support --->
SCSI device support --->
*** SCSI support type (disk, tape, CD-ROM) ***
<*> SCSI disk support
< > SCSI tape support
< > SCSI OnStream SC-x0 tape support
<*> SCSI CDROM support
<*> Serial ATA (prod) and Parallel ATA (experimental) drivers --->
--- Serial ATA (prod) and Parallel ATA (experimental) drivers
[*] ATA ACPI Support
[ ] SATA Port Multiplier support
<*> AHCI SATA support
< > Silicon Image 3124/3132 SATA support
[*] ATA SFF support
< > ServerWorks Frodo / Apple K2 SATA support
<*> Intel ESB, ICH, PIIX3, PIIX4 PATA/SATA support
< > Marvell SATA support (HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL)
< > NVIDIA SATA support
< > Pacific Digital ADMA support
< > Pacific Digital SATA QStor support
< > Promise SATA TX2/TX4 support
< > Promise SATA SX4 support
< > Silicon Image SATA support
< > SiS 964/965/966/180 SATA support
< > ULi Electronics SATA support
< > VIA SATA support
< > VITESSE VSC-7174 / INTEL 31244 SATA support
< > Initio 162x SATA support
< > ACPI firmware driver for PATA
< > ALi PATA support (Experimental)
< > AMD/NVidia PATA support
< > ARTOP 6210/6260 PATA support
< > ATI PATA support
< > CMD640 PCI PATA support (Very Experimental)
< > CMD64x PATA support
< > CS5510/5520 PATA support
< > CS5530 PATA support (Experimental)
< > Cypress CY82C693 PATA support (Very Experimental)
< > EFAR SLC90E66 support
< > Generic ATA support
< > HPT 366/368 PATA support
< > HPT 370/370A/371/372/374/302 PATA support (Experimental)
< > HPT 372N/302N PATA support (Very Experimental)
< > HPT 343/363 PATA support
< > IT8211/2 PATA support
< > IT8213 PATA support (Experimental)
< > JMicron PATA support
< > Compaq Triflex PATA support
< > Marvell PATA support via legacy mode
< > Intel PATA MPIIX support
< > Intel PATA old PIIX support
< > NETCELL Revolution RAID support
< > Ninja32/Delkin Cardbus ATA support (Experimental)
< > Nat Semi NS87415 PATA support (Experimental)
< > OPTI621/6215 PATA support (Very Experimental)
< > OPTI FireStar PATA support (Very Experimental)
< > Older Promise PATA controller support (Experimental)
< > RADISYS 82600 PATA support (Very Experimental)
< > PC Tech RZ1000 PATA support
< > SC1200 PATA support (Very Experimental)
< > SERVERWORKS OSB4/CSB5/CSB6/HT1000 PATA support
< > Promise PATA 2027x support
< > CMD / Silicon Image 680 PATA support
< > SiS PATA support (Experimental)
< > VIA PATA support
< > Winbond SL82C105 PATA support
< > Intel SCH PATA support

After you do this and recompile and recopy the kernel, reset fstab and grub.conf to sda.

ad_meis · Post by **ad_meis** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 1:59 pm

hi, I am having a similar issue...
The only difference is that I am not dealing with a fresh linux installation, but with an update (although a big one).
my /etc/fstab also has hda* in place of sda*.
How can I change that? Of course I can edit the /etc/fstab, but what does it mean to reset fstab? Is is only replace hda* with sda*?

Thank you

DONAHUE · Post by **DONAHUE** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 2:29 pm

Is is only replace hda* with sda*

Yes.

radfoj · Post by **radfoj** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:09 pm

Hello,

by the way, I am also disabling "ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support" and enabling "Serial ATA (prod) and Parallel ATA (experimental) drivers"

Before reboot, renaming fstab isnt problem, but what abou LILO

)

boot = /dev/hda >> boot = /dev/sda ???

image = /boot/kernel-2.6.37-ck
root = /dev/hda5 >> root = /dev/sda5 ???

cach0rr0 · Post by **cach0rr0** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 7:11 am

with grub one would normally change hda5 to sda5, so I can only assume LILO is the same in this regard (by the time the kernel is doing its thing, root should indeed be sda5 and not hda5)

ishmael4 · Post by **ishmael4** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 12:40 pm

Are you able to spawn some kind of rescue shell after this error message (while booting, i think you need initramfs loaded to do this)? If true, check the contents of /dev.