Could not mount the root filesystem as read / write - XFS

Message

Thaidog · Post by **Thaidog** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:00 pm

I have run in to an issue where every time I boot Linux the system says:

"Could not mount the root filesystem as read / write
Give password for maintenance"

I give the password and try to run fsck.xfs (xfs root filesystem) which tells me to run xfs_check or xfs_repair to manage the filesystem. I do that and reboot... but it still keeps asking. I have 3 kereels to boot from and they all do the same thing. I tried booting with knoppix and running xfs_check and xfs_repair - no significant problems found. I cxan mount the filesystem from Nkoppxi and make changes, add files.. etc - but when I boot back to the Gentoo system it still gives the same error.

I heard something like this could be some kind of filesystem maintenance error since it has been a while since this system has been booted it could be that XFS has added a flag to check the filesystem... not sure why this would not be taken care of after after running xfs_check on Knoppix however.

notHerbert · Post by **notHerbert** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:30 pm

Please post /etc/fstab and grub.conf

Thaidog · Post by **Thaidog** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:28 pm

notHerbert wrote:Please post /etc/fstab and grub.conf

grub:

default 0
timeout 30

title=Gentoo Linux 2.6.22-r8

root (hd0,0) kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.24-gentoo-r7 root=/dev/hda2 splash=silent,theme:livecd-2007.0 video=vesafb:1024x768-32@60 quiet CONSOLE=/dev/tty1

initrd /boot/fbsplash-livecd-2007.0-1024x768

fstab:

/dev/hda1 /boot ext2 defaults,noatime 1 2
/dev/sda2 / XFS noatime 0 1
/dev/sda3 none swap sw 0 0

/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom auto noauto,user 0 0

notHerbert · Post by **notHerbert** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:42 pm

Thanks Thaidog

Can you try this in grub

Code: Select all

root (hd0,0) 
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.24-gentoo-r7 root=/dev/hda2 ro
initrd /boot/fbsplash-livecd-2007.0-1024x768

Ya I know ro - that's the problem. Please try it. The jfs filesystem needs the ro statement in grub to run it's filesystem checks, perhaps all your grub options are what are interfering with xfs running it's filesystem checks, and maybe adding ro will compensate.

Ravak · Post by **Ravak** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:46 pm

In grub you define root as:

Code: Select all

root=/dev/hda2

but in fstab you have:

Code: Select all

/dev/sda2

Which is right?

notHerbert · Post by **notHerbert** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 3:30 pm

Ravak

Good catch.

Thaidog · Post by **Thaidog** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 6:08 pm

Ravak wrote:In grub you define root as:
Code: Select all
root=/dev/hda2
but in fstab you have:
Code: Select all
/dev/sda2
Which is right?

Mistype - it's /dev/hda

Thaidog · Post by **Thaidog** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:51 pm

notHerbert wrote:Thanks Thaidog

Can you try this in grub
Code: Select all
root (hd0,0) 
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.24-gentoo-r7 root=/dev/hda2 ro
initrd /boot/fbsplash-livecd-2007.0-1024x768
Ya I know ro - that's the problem. Please try it. The jfs filesystem needs the ro statement in grub to run it's filesystem checks, perhaps all your grub options are what are interfering with xfs running it's filesystem checks, and maybe adding ro will compensate.

Ok I will try it.

ragzovskii · Post by **ragzovskii** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 4:25 am

I have the same trouble.

fstab

Code: Select all

/dev/BOOT		/boot		ext2		noauto,noatime	1 2
/dev/ROOT		/mnt/hdd3		ext3		noatime		0 1
/dev/SWAP		/mnt/hdd2		swap		sw		0 0
/dev/cdrom		/mnt/cdrom	auto		noauto,ro	0 0

grub.conf

Code: Select all

default 1
timeout 30
splashimage=(hd1,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title Gentoo Linux 2.6.25-r8
root (hd1,2)
kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.25-gentoo-r8 root=/dev/ram0 ro video=vesafb:mtrr:3,ywrap,1280x1024-32@70
init=/linuxrc ramdisk=8192 real_root=/dev/hdd3 udev
initrd /boot/initramfs-genkernel-x86-2.6.25-gentoo-r8

I really haven't ideas. help me, please

bunder · Post by **bunder** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 6:17 am

Moved from Installing Gentoo to Kernel & Hardware.

djinnZ · Post by **djinnZ** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 12:57 pm

is not an error 990 of xfs than require manual fix?

ragzovskii · Post by **ragzovskii** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 6:06 pm

according to my memories (and system messages) it's not a error 990: kernel says only "Could not mount the root filesystem as read / write
Give password for maintenance"

this is the last challenge between me and workable Gentoo Linux

Thaidog · Post by **Thaidog** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 10:08 pm

I had to work around this one. What I did was a backup using xfs_dump to another hd. After that I reformatted the root filesystem with mkfs.xfs with the force option. After that I did an xfs_restore to the new filesystem and then the system booted up just fine. Still this was an annoying process for something that looks like xfs_check should be able to handle.