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cjones
n00b
Joined: 29 Jan 2007
Posts: 19
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 Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:46 am Post subject: Block device /dev/sda3 is not a valid root device |
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On a PowerEdge 2300/700 with PERC 2/SC RAID 5 setup and the following partitions
/dev/sda1 : /boot : ext3
/dev/sda2 : swap
/dev/sda3 : / : ext3
grub:
| Code: |
root (hd0,0)
kernel /kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.17-gentoo-r7 root=/dev/ram0 init=/linuxrc ramdisk=8192 real_root=/dev/sda3 doscsi
initrd /initramfs-genkernel-x86-2.6.17-getntoo-r7
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The LiveCD boots fine and installs ok with the addition of "gentoo doscsi" at the boot prompt. However, after the dialog installer is completed I should be able to remove the CD and boot the new intallation. Instead I get the message:
| Quote: |
>> Determining root device...
!! Block device /dev/sda3 is not a valid root device...
!! The root block device is unspecified or not detected
Please specify a device to boot, or "shell" for a shell...
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I don't think this is a RAID driver issue, as the output from lsmod from the shell shows megaraid_mm is loaded. When I boot using the LiveCD dmesg shows that the megaraid driver is used for sda.
I'm not sure where to go from here....
Any suggestions?
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Dell PowerEdge 2300/700 |
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princew
n00b
Joined: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:34 am Post subject: |
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I just had the same freaking problem!!
Note:Complete newbie (first install) perspective/solution, take what you will from this.
After beating my head against my desk for a couple hours and reading a bunch of technospeak, I was able to do some guesstimates of why my system might not be booting and I finally figured out a -who knows how correct- way to fix it.
I followed the instruction manual to a T for reference (I think I have scsi drives and not ide and mounted them as hda instead of sda, but it still works, so I'm going with it...nice that you're told AFTER creating and mounting everything) using the minimal install.
For me it was a case of changing the line in my grub config that I lifted from the manual from
| Code: | | kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.17-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/ram0 init=/linuxrc ramdisk=8192 real_root=/dev/hda3 udev |
to
| Code: | | kernel /boot/kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.17-gentoo-r5 root=/dev/hda3 init=/linuxrc ramdisk=8192 real_root=/dev/hda3 udev |
(I had to change the kernel version to the one I was using of course)
all I changed was ram0 to hda3 on that line for the root option
I then did a reboot and voila, nothing but smoke...no, it actually worked, booted right in and everything. Now I just have to fix everything else that's broken...
That was my fix and I'm not saying it's right, just that it got me booting into the system correctly. If this broke something else, I haven't found it yet...good luck
By the way, I noticed your sda1 was ext3 and not ext2, maybe that's OK, maybe that's a problem... |
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IsraelBuitronD
Guru
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 343
Location: México
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| Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:53 am Post subject: |
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Hi
I have the same:
| Code: | VFS: Cannot open root device "sda7" or unknown-block(8,7).
Please append a correct "root=" boot option.
Kernel Panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(8,7). |
my grub.conf is:
| Code: | | kernel /bzImagen root=/dev/sda7 |
and this work in pass kervel versions.
Please help me (help us).
Thanks |
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vladoportos
n00b
Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 22
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| Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:17 am Post subject: |
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Hi all,
if you get "Block device /dev/sda3 is not a valid root device.." thats meen that kernel didnt recognize the device so it doesnt have drivers in it for sata...
If you used genkernel to generate kernel thats probably why this happened...
Try to compile kernel with sata support, scsi support buid in , not as module... this solved my problem |
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cjones
n00b
Joined: 29 Jan 2007
Posts: 19
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| Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| vladoportos wrote: |
if you get "Block device /dev/sda3 is not a valid root device.." thats meen that kernel didnt recognize the device so it doesnt have drivers in it for sata...
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If you had read my post, you would have seen that I do NOT have SATA. No driver for it? Did you see in my post that the drivers ARE being loaded? That's exactly why "doscsi" is appended to the boot options.
Rebuild the kernel with SCSI support? Why did not the install do that if the installer could SEE it was installing to a SCSI drive? Seems sorta brain-dead if that IS the case ...
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Dell PowerEdge 2300/700 |
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vladoportos
n00b
Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 22
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| Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| I dont know, but fried of mine point me to this forum that he have this issue... so i installed gentoo for him but without all that automatic staff and it worked from first boot... |
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IsraelBuitronD
Guru
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 343
Location: México
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| Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| another idea because it does not work yet? |
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maystorm
Apprentice
Joined: 02 Jun 2002
Posts: 222
Location: Germany, not far away
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| Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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@NeoRiddle:
I've got the same problem with exactly the same error messages.
It must have something to do with SATA harddisks. However, I have built my kernel (gentoo-2.6.19-r5) with SATA support enabled and yet do get the same error. (BTW: Booting from the Install LiveCD recognises my harddisk, however, it is seen as /dev/sdb and not /dev/sda as I would have expected. Strange.)
Any help appreciated.
[Edit]
I did what vladoportos supposed: Enabled SCSI support in the kernel, too. Now booting works.
Obviously, SCSI support is needed so that one can use /dev/sda (instead of /dev/hda).
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