Can't boot new gentoo install on a ppc (pismo laptop)[HELP!]

dustproxy · n00b Joined: 22 Nov 2004 Posts: 12

I'm having difficulty getting a new installation of gentoo to boot correctly. I'm using a Macintosh G3 Powerbook 400mhz (a 'pismo') Everything goes okay, it loads the kernel and starts booting, but at the end I get this message:

dustproxy · n00b Joined: 22 Nov 2004 Posts: 12

Okay, well, it still isn't working, and I've tried a bunch of things. Can anyone help me out? Pretty Please? :mrgreen:

dustproxy · n00b Joined: 22 Nov 2004 Posts: 12

Okay, so when I boot into my defunct install and enter the root password for maintainance, and then I go into /dev, hda or hda1/2/3/4 don't show up. Should they be there?

BWoso · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 3:48 pm Post subject:

you make your /dev/hda2 partition for boot correct? What file system did you make this? You need to have a line in your /etc/fstab which looks something like this:

dustproxy · n00b Joined: 22 Nov 2004 Posts: 12

I tried adding a /boot line to fstab, but I don't think it helped, the same errors registered. I think that on a PPC you don't need to specify /boot. Thanks for the help though BWozo

I'm begininning to think that, for some reason, when I boot from the LiveCD it thinks my main HD is /dev/hda, and when I boot from my installation it thinks it's something else.

BWoso · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 6:33 am Post subject:

I'm just gonna start stabing in the dark. . . Did you configure your kernel or did you use genkernel? I am almost sure you need the /boot line in your fstab, so I would leave it in there. Can someone check his boot loader config? I have no experiance with Yaboot. Are you sure that when you make your file systems you used the file systems that you have in your fstab? I'll try to think of some more questions.
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dustproxy · n00b Joined: 22 Nov 2004 Posts: 12

I configured the kernel myself, and as far as that goes, I'm pretty sure that I got everything file system related (of course, I'm a total newbie, and my first kernel didn't have keyboard support). Is there a way for me to go back and check to make sure that I selected all the options that I need? I'm pretty sure that I got all the right options, like ext3 support and all that. It's *possible* that if there was some sort of non-intuitive IDE bus option that I needed, I might have skipped it.

I'm pretty sure that you don't need a /boot on a PPC, the guide said to leave it out. My /dev/hda2 isn't a real boot partition (not like I have any idea what a real linux boot partition is :wink:

) It's something that gets read before linux even gets into the picture, and it supplies some info on where the kernel is, and stuff like that.

I *think* I did everything right, as far as the install guide goes. The thing that makes me think so is that I've done two installs so far, and I had the *exact* same problems with the first install that I've had with the second install (well... minus the whole ADB keyboard support fiasco) I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't make the same mistake twice, but you never know...

Does it mean anything that when I boot from my install /dev/hda/1/2/3/4 don't exist? When I go into maintainance mode it's mounting *something*, using mount tells me that I've got /dev/root mounted as /, when I would expect /dev/hda4 to be mounted as /

tat2drod · n00b Joined: 24 Nov 2004 Posts: 8 Location: NL

[quote="dustproxy"]I'm having difficulty getting a new installation of gentoo to boot correctly. I'm using a Macintosh G3 Powerbook 400mhz (a 'pismo') Everything goes okay, it loads the kernel and starts booting, but at the end I get this message:

[code] Mounting proc at proc/...
* Mounting sysfs at /sys...
can't create lock file /etc/mtab~774: Read-only file system (use -n flag to override)

* Mounting devpts at /dev/pts...
* Starting devfsd...
/sbin/rc: line 280: /sbin/devfsd: No such file or directory

* Activating (possible) swap...
* Remounting root filesystem read-only (if necessary)...
* Checking root filesystem...
ext2fs_check_if_mount: No such file or directory while determining whether /dev/hda4 is mounted.
fsk.ext3: No such file or directory while trying to open /dev/hda4
/dev/hda4/:
The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2 filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock is corrupt and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock

* Filesystem couldn't be fixed :(

Give root password for maintenance
(or type Control-D for normal startup):
[/code]

And I can't do anything except go into freaky maintenance mode.

[/quote]

You're not the only one with this problem. I've got it too.

My Gentoo R1.4 install works on the play iMac (400MHz G3, 64Mb,
lots of disk space, swap etc.) but is a bit old. Since I wanted to
play with some new stuff for a project or two I thought I'd upgrade.

Mistake.

I've tried lots of stuff and nothing works. The Universal CD
install gives me the same problem as mentioned above on the
reboot (and any subsequent boot). I've tried ext2, ext3, reiserfs,
jiggling yaboot.conf, fstab etc. etc. etc. all with no success.

I even went the emerge route to upgrade the 1.4 system, same
problem.

As far as I can see, things in the installation look ok. My
configs seem the same as yours (partition numbers excepted
and that I added the root parm onto the image statements).

I'm at a loss.

Rod

Tuna · Guru Joined: 19 Jul 2002 Posts: 485 Location: Berlin

maybe a bug with devfsd, or it is not correctly installed.. or an old version. try to dig in that direction. without devfs working /dev/hd* wont be able to get mounted properly. another shot may be to try emerge udev. i made good experiences while using udev instead of devfsd.

dustproxy · n00b Joined: 22 Nov 2004 Posts: 12

I'll try to emerge udev, but is there anything else I need to do? Like take out devfsd or do any configuring?

BWoso · Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 6:20 am Post subject:

I'm pretty sure all you need to do to use udev is to emerge udev and make sure you have udev support in your kernel. I'm not on a Gentoo box so I'm not 100% sure that is correct, but I am pretty sure I remember seeing udev in the kernel somewhere.
_________________
I think that the forums are the greatest thing about Gentoo, thanks to everyone that posts on them!

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.
-Mark Twain-

dustproxy · n00b Joined: 22 Nov 2004 Posts: 12

I tried emerging udev (I did enable support for it in the kernel), but sadly, it didn't work, same errors as before. I'm sort of thinking that I might try an easy to install distro (like debian), and check out how it configures its self for my machine.

Kevin72594 · Guru Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 307

Could you make sure you're using udev instead of devfs?

To use udev you just need to emerge it and take devfs support out of your kernel, then while you're booting it should say "configuring for udev support" or something along those lines. That should at least get rid of one of your errors.

I'm only thinking this may be the problem because you said you were getting the same errors, but the errors should have at least changed a little bit. If you could post the new error message it would be nice also! Good luck!

tat2drod · n00b Joined: 24 Nov 2004 Posts: 8 Location: NL

[quote="dustproxy"]I tried emerging udev (I did enable support for it in the kernel), but sadly, it didn't work, same errors as before. I'm sort of thinking that I might try an easy to install distro (like debian), and check out how it configures its self for my machine.[/quote]

I tried it as well, following the instructions on the Gentoo page - you have to remove the option saying to automount devfs at boot time as well as a couple of other things.

This got me further! It booted the system!!

Unfortunately I then couldn't login!!!

Playing around with the pam.d files changed the error messages but I still can't get in. However it looks like this release is so totally messed up that it's not worth playing with. Maybe the release back is better?

Rod

dustproxy · n00b Joined: 22 Nov 2004 Posts: 12

tat2drod · n00b Joined: 24 Nov 2004 Posts: 8 Location: NL

tinux · n00b Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 4

It is a bug that seems to affect stage 3 installls from Universal CD 2004.3 on PPC systems. Try the following
add the USE flag "pam" in /etc/make.conf
USE="pam"
and then emerge shadow
You need a working network connection for that. It should fix the problem.
I ran into the same problem while installing on a iBook G4.
Hope it helps!
Martin