Syslinux - Jan 2005 - How to delay before mounting root filesystem

Got to minimize (barely) my filesystem and kernel and fit it into
my usb key (256mb)

My kernel was compiles with scsi and usb support built-in. My problem
now is i can't mount my root filesystem when i tried to boot. kernel
somehow takes time before being able to recognize my usb as a
valid scsi device thus displaying

VFS: Cannot open root device 08:01

this is my lilo.conf

boot=/dev/sda
disk=/dev/sda
bios=0x80
default=meema
image=/boot/bzImage
  root=/dev/sda1
  label=meema
  append="ip=off panic=5"
  readonly

Any ideas? really, really need your help.

Kernel 2.6.10 already has the retry-mounting-root-filesystem feature. I
can't
upgrade my kernel coz i have to stick to the distro. Slackware 10 for usb
with kernel 2.4.26 somehow was the retry feature too.

Ma. Kharisma V. Esguerra
System Engineer I
Epson Precision (Philippines), Inc. - Cebu Office
Module 7A, e-Office, Asiatown I.T. Park,
Apas, Cebu City, 6000 Philippines
Tel. Nos. (+63 32) 412-7511 to 13
Fax No. (+63 32) 412-7514

[...]
> My kernel was compiles with scsi and usb support built-in. My problem
> now is i can't mount my root filesystem when i tried to boot. kernel
> somehow takes time before being able to recognize my usb as a
> valid scsi device thus displaying
You just have to introduce a sleep (using a dietlib compiled one:
ftp://foobar.math.fu-berlin.de:2121/pub/dietlibc/bin-i386/sleep) into
your initrd (just after the module probing).
-- 
Erwan Velu
Consultant - Seanodes SA
http://www.seanodes.com

im not exactly using an initrd since my scsi and usb support are already
inside the kernel. tried using patch but not working.

i also tried the initrd with only linuxrc stating "sleep 10"
(including the
needed sash and sleep in the ramdisk bin folder). created an image
initrd-2.4.20-8.gz and placed it in my usb key (/boot/). so my lilo.conf
looks like this now.

boot=/dev/sda
disk=/dev/sda
bios=0x80
default=meema
image=/boot/bzImage
  initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.20-8.gz
  root=/dev/sda1
  label=meema
  append="ip=off panic=5"
  readonly

still, nothings change. my ramdisk didn't even load. is it me? ramdisk
support is also compiled with the kernel with a minimum ramdisk size of
8196. what am i missing?

i tried slackware 10 for usb. im reading the all the verbose message twice
during boot-up like its loading two kernels simultaneously.

-----Original Message-----
From: Velu Erwan [mailto:erwan at seanodes.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 10:17 PM
To: Kharisma Esguerra
Cc: syslinux at zytor.com
Subject: Re: [syslinux] How to delay before mounting root filesystem


[...]
> My kernel was compiles with scsi and usb support built-in. My problem
> now is i can't mount my root filesystem when i tried to boot. kernel
> somehow takes time before being able to recognize my usb as a
> valid scsi device thus displaying
You just have to introduce a sleep (using a dietlib compiled one:
ftp://foobar.math.fu-berlin.de:2121/pub/dietlibc/bin-i386/sleep) into
your initrd (just after the module probing).
-- 
Erwan Velu
Consultant - Seanodes SA
http://www.seanodes.com

by the way, i'm using montavista linux with kernel version 2.4.20. It's
not that i can't use other distro but in this case i HAVE to stick to
montavista (it's kinda required). i'll try to study runt for a while.
thanks
for the link.

-----Original Message-----
From: syslinux-bounces at zytor.com [mailto:syslinux-bounces at zytor.com]On
Behalf Of Joel Ebel
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 1:43 AM
To: syslinux at zytor.com
Subject: Re: [syslinux] How to delay before mounting root filesystem


This is the whole reason RUNT Linux exists.  TO be able to boot from USB
devices.  You have the right idea.  You need an initial ramdisk to
sleep, or you need the kernel to be patched to allow time for the USB
device to be initialized.  I haven't had consistent results with the
kernel patches, so RUNT uses an initial ramdisk.  Take a look at the
RUNT website: http://ncsu.edu/project/runt and try making an initrd like
is in RUNT.  I've used busybox with LASH and sleep compiled in.  I also
load modules in the ramdisk, but you can do without that if it's
compiled into the kernel.

Obvious question... Did you run lilo after changing lilo.conf?

Joel

Kharisma Esguerra wrote:
> im not exactly using an initrd since my scsi and usb support are already
> inside the kernel. tried using patch but not working.
> 
> i also tried the initrd with only linuxrc stating "sleep 10"
(including
the
> needed sash and sleep in the ramdisk bin folder). created an image
> initrd-2.4.20-8.gz and placed it in my usb key (/boot/). so my lilo.conf
> looks like this now.
> 
> boot=/dev/sda
> disk=/dev/sda
> bios=0x80
> default=meema
> image=/boot/bzImage
>   initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.20-8.gz
>   root=/dev/sda1
>   label=meema
>   append="ip=off panic=5"
>   readonly
> 
> still, nothings change. my ramdisk didn't even load. is it me? ramdisk
> support is also compiled with the kernel with a minimum ramdisk size of
> 8196. what am i missing?
> 
> i tried slackware 10 for usb. im reading the all the verbose message twice
> during boot-up like its loading two kernels simultaneously.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Velu Erwan [mailto:erwan at seanodes.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 10:17 PM
> To: Kharisma Esguerra
> Cc: syslinux at zytor.com
> Subject: Re: [syslinux] How to delay before mounting root filesystem
> 
> 
> [...]
> 
>>My kernel was compiles with scsi and usb support built-in. My problem
>>now is i can't mount my root filesystem when i tried to boot. kernel
>>somehow takes time before being able to recognize my usb as a
>>valid scsi device thus displaying
> 
> You just have to introduce a sleep (using a dietlib compiled one:
> ftp://foobar.math.fu-berlin.de:2121/pub/dietlibc/bin-i386/sleep) into
> your initrd (just after the module probing).
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