CentOS - Oct 2010 - system "stuck" with 2.6.18-128 kernel. how to move to 2.6.18-194.17?

Hi.  I just noticed I had a CentOS 5.3 system that I updated to CentOS
5.5 a few days ago,
and I just ran "yum -y update" again to get the latest kernel, and I
just noticed it still has the old 2.6.18-128 kernel instead of the new
2.6.18-194.17.  What gives?

/etc/grub.conf points at 2.6.18-194.17, but when I reboot, 2.6.18-128 comes up.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
-at


myserver# yum -y update
...
myserver# reboot
.....

myserver# uname -a
Linux hwd-ddc-sonydb-prod 2.6.18-128.4.1.el5 #1 SMP Tue Aug 4 20:19:25
EDT 2009 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
myserver# cat /etc/grub.conf
# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,0)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/md1
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/md0
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title CentOS (2.6.18-194.17.1.el5)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-194.17.1.el5 ro root=/dev/md1
        initrd /initrd-2.6.18-194.17.1.el5.img
title CentOS (2.6.18-194.11.4.el5)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-194.11.4.el5 ro root=/dev/md1
        initrd /initrd-2.6.18-194.11.4.el5.img
title CentOS (2.6.18-128.4.1.el5)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-128.4.1.el5 ro root=/dev/md1
        initrd /initrd-2.6.18-128.4.1.el5.img
myserver# rpm -q kernel
kernel-2.6.18-128.4.1.el5
kernel-2.6.18-194.11.4.el5
kernel-2.6.18-194.17.1.el5
myserver#

/snip
>just noticed it still has the old 2.6.18-128 kernel instead of the new
>2.6.18-194.17.  What gives?
>
>/etc/grub.conf points at 2.6.18-194.17, but when I reboot, 2.6.18-128 comes
up.
>
>Any suggestions?
/snip
>        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-194.17.1.el5 ro root=/dev/md1
Yup, looking at your root, I am guessing your system isn't booting of the
/boot you think it is.

> /etc/grub.conf points at 2.6.18-194.17, but when I reboot, 2.6.18-128 
> comes up.
I am suspecting that you are looking at /etc/grub.conf which is supposed 
to be a symlink to /boot/grub/grub.conf and somehow this is no longer a 
symlink, but rather a file of its own, which is not being read.

This is how this should look. (adjusted for screen wrap in a mail program)

# ls -la /etc/grub.conf
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 22 Sep 27  2008 /etc/grub.conf -> 
../boot/grub/grub.conf

What are the contents of your /boot/grub/grub.conf?  That is the actual 
file.  What is the default set to there?

Barry

Aleksey Tsalolikhin wrote on 10/03/2010 01:16 AM:
> Hi.  I just noticed I had a CentOS 5.3 system that I updated to CentOS
> 5.5 a few days ago,
> and I just ran "yum -y update" again to get the latest kernel,
and I
> just noticed it still has the old 2.6.18-128 kernel instead of the new
> 2.6.18-194.17.  What gives?
> 
> /etc/grub.conf points at 2.6.18-194.17, but when I reboot, 2.6.18-128 comes
up.
> 
> Any suggestions?
See what "cat /proc/mdstat" shows.  I suspect your RAID is degraded. 
The OS is seeing one member, and GRUB sees the other disk that is not 
currently being mirrored.

Phil

> -----Original Message-----
> From: centos-bounces at centos.org 
> [mailto:centos-bounces at centos.org] On Behalf Of Aleksey Tsalolikhin
> Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2010 1:17 AM
> To: CentOS mailing list
> Subject: [CentOS] system "stuck" with 2.6.18-128 kernel. how 
> to move to2.6.18-194.17?
> 
> Hi.  I just noticed I had a CentOS 5.3 system that I updated to CentOS
> 5.5 a few days ago,
> and I just ran "yum -y update" again to get the latest 
> kernel, and I just noticed it still has the old 2.6.18-128 
> kernel instead of the new 2.6.18-194.17.  What gives?
> 
> /etc/grub.conf points at 2.6.18-194.17, but when I reboot, 
> 2.6.18-128 comes up.
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> Thanks,
> -at
> 
> 
> myserver# yum -y update
> ...
> myserver# reboot
> .....
> 
> myserver# uname -a
> Linux hwd-ddc-sonydb-prod 2.6.18-128.4.1.el5 #1 SMP Tue Aug 4 
> 20:19:25 EDT 2009 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux myserver# 
> cat /etc/grub.conf # grub.conf generated by anaconda # # Note 
> that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to 
> this file # NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
> #          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
> #          root (hd0,0)
> #          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/md1
> #          initrd /initrd-version.img
> #boot=/dev/md0
> default=0
> timeout=5
> splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
> hiddenmenu
> title CentOS (2.6.18-194.17.1.el5)
Caveat: I am not a grub guru, and don't play one on TV.
This is the only "title" line in your grub.conf, so it's the only
entry
in your grub.conf as far as grub cares.
>         root (hd0,0)
>         kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-194.17.1.el5 ro root=/dev/md1
>         initrd /initrd-2.6.18-194.17.1.el5.img title CentOS 
> (2.6.18-194.11.4.el5)
>         root (hd0,0)
>         kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-194.11.4.el5 ro root=/dev/md1
>         initrd /initrd-2.6.18-194.11.4.el5.img title CentOS 
> (2.6.18-128.4.1.el5)
>         root (hd0,0)
>         kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-128.4.1.el5 ro root=/dev/md1
>         initrd /initrd-2.6.18-128.4.1.el5.img myserver# rpm -q kernel
This is the last kernel line, so it's the one that grub acts on.
Result: You boot 2.6.18-128.4.1.el5

Method to test: check your menu screen at boot time, see if there is
only 1 entry; put 'title' in front of '(2.6.18-194.11.4.el5)'
and
'(2.6.18-128.4.1.el5)' in grub.conf, reboot, and see if you now have 3
entries in the grub boot menu screen; see if putting in the two title
lines causes 'default=0' to boot 2.6.18-194.17.1.el5

/blather
> kernel-2.6.18-128.4.1.el5
> kernel-2.6.18-194.11.4.el5
> kernel-2.6.18-194.17.1.el5
> myserver#
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> 
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