I'm encountering an issue booting Linux using SYSLINUX 3.62 on a FAT16
partition. There are a variety of possible causes, but I figured I'd
start here.
My hardware is an embedded system using an off-the-shelf COM Express
module with a Phoenix BIOS. Mass storage is provided by an Intel
Z-U130 Solid State Drive (aka "Intel Value SSD"). The SSD is much
like a standard USB Flash drive. The main differences are, of course,
the packaging and connector, and the fact that it is a non-removable
device ('/sys/block/sda/removable' is 0).
The SSD is initially loaded with a version of Fedora 8 created using
'livecd-creator'. A build script takes the livecd ISO and produces a
binary file containing a disk image: MBR, partition table, and two
partitions. The first partition is active and contains the Fedora
files and a syslinux installation. This disk image is written to the
SSD using 'dd'.
Fedora 8 is configured to load into memory and leave the active
partition on the SSD unused. The idea is that the Linux installation
can then be updated in-system by mounting the partition, and simply
changing the kernel, initrd, and 'syslinux.cfg'.
When implemented on a standard USB Flash drive, this works! The SSD
implementation is a different story. Fedora 8 boots reliably, but
updating the kernel, initrd, or syslinux.cfg often (but not always)
yields a system which hangs during boot, usually during load of the
initrd. The error message is "Boot failed: please change disks ..."
I tried the syslinux "-s" option, to no avail.
The boot failure raises a number of questions, not the least of which are:
1. Is the 'disk image' initialization method valid, or do I need to
execute the syslinux installation on each SSD?
2. Are there any issues with the Intel Z-U130 SSD that could cause this?
3. Is a large initrd a problem? The initrd being tested is over 32 MB in size.
Any insights or suggestions would be appreciated.
-Robert
Robert DeLaGarza wrote:> > My hardware is an embedded system using an off-the-shelf COM Express > module with a Phoenix BIOS. Mass storage is provided by an Intel > Z-U130 Solid State Drive (aka "Intel Value SSD"). The SSD is much > like a standard USB Flash drive. The main differences are, of course, > the packaging and connector, and the fact that it is a non-removable > device ('/sys/block/sda/removable' is 0). > > The SSD is initially loaded with a version of Fedora 8 created using > 'livecd-creator'. A build script takes the livecd ISO and produces a > binary file containing a disk image: MBR, partition table, and two > partitions. The first partition is active and contains the Fedora > files and a syslinux installation. This disk image is written to the > SSD using 'dd'. > > Fedora 8 is configured to load into memory and leave the active > partition on the SSD unused. The idea is that the Linux installation > can then be updated in-system by mounting the partition, and simply > changing the kernel, initrd, and 'syslinux.cfg'. > > When implemented on a standard USB Flash drive, this works! The SSD > implementation is a different story. Fedora 8 boots reliably, but > updating the kernel, initrd, or syslinux.cfg often (but not always) > yields a system which hangs during boot, usually during load of the > initrd. The error message is "Boot failed: please change disks ..." >This implies a disk I/O error. Syslinux will try to address a failing sector at least six times before giving up, but in your case it keeps getting the error repeatedly. This can be caused either by an actual disk error, a corrupt filesystem, or a bug in the code which causes access beyond the end of the disk.> 2. Are there any issues with the Intel Z-U130 SSD that could cause this?None that I know of, but it's not exactly like I have ever seen one of these devices. It sounds to me that there might be a compatiblity issue between the Z-U130 and the USB storage stack in the mainboard BIOS. The method you describe should normally work; there isn't anything inherently flawed. -hpa