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diamondsw
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Joined: 05 May 2004
Posts: 67
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 Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 2:57 pm Post subject: How to configure Gentoo for a SCSI system? |
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The Gentoo handbook assumes you'll take one of two paths in creating a kernel:
1) Customize it by hand.
2) Genkernel.
If you choose Genkernel, then it creates an initrd for you and all that jazz. If you customize the kernel (by far the preferable route) then it just creates a standard "bzImage" (where DID that name come from?) kernel and such, and the instructions assume you don't need an initrd - usually true.
However, if one boots from a SCSI system, then you need an initrd to load the SCSI modules. So, I emerged mkinitrd (how does Genkernel do it without that?) and ran it. Simply:
# mkinitrd /boot/initrd-2.6.6-rc1.img 2.6.6-rc1
Is there anything more to it beyond grub configuration (I used the Genkernel sample)? I'm having problems "creating block devices" after booting (see Dell PowerEdge thread). |
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agent_jdh
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Joined: 08 Aug 2002
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Location: Scotland
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| Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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I've got a scsi system here and I don't need an initrd to load the scsi modules - because I compile the drivers I require into the kernel, instead of as modules.
btw bzImage = bz(ipped kernel)Image
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diamondsw
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| Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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When I do that, it doesn't boot - can't mount the disks. I always have wondered how it manages to access the disks enough to get the initrd running, but not enough to just boot.  |
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agent_jdh
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| Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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| diamondsw wrote: | | When I do that, it doesn't boot - can't mount the disks. I always have wondered how it manages to access the disks enough to get the initrd running, but not enough to just boot. |
Hmm, if it can't mount the disks with the drivers compiled straight in, I'm not sure it will be able to mount them with the drivers as modules i.e. it sounds like a driver problem.
The box can boot enough to get initrd up and running in the same way any machine can boot off a hard disk - through the generic bios routines that allow access to a fixed disk. The higher level device driver for the interface provides various niceties (usually performance enhancing), but there is a fundamental low level method for accessing fixed disks that is standard (or you wouldn't be able to boot at all - think about it - how does your boot loader see your disk? You've not installed any drivers yet, but it still works).
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Installing Gentoo
