Kernel panic with reiserfs as root

[Joel Hammer]

I did have reiserfs compiled in, also ext2 since that was on my /boot
partition. I don't know why the reiserfs couldn't be read and why the
system was trying to install a module. I got around this by erasing
/lib/modules/2.4.20, purging all modules except for a few on usb, and
recompiling the kernel and the modules.

This was a bear because there was just so much JUNK in the default
configuration, both in the kernel default configuration and also in
the lindows startup routine. Because of the excessive use of modules
initrd was necessary, a very big and unnecessary complication. The  use
of fancy splash screens also hid the boot process, obscuring errors.

Same old lesson: Seek simplicity. It is sad but true that ripping out the
garbage is the first thing you need to do when you start troubleshooting.

Joel

Sat, Apr 19, 2003 at 06:07:01PM -0700, Net Llama! wrote:
> On 04/19/03 15:00, Joel Hammer wrote:
> > I am trying to rebuild my kernel. I have gotten to the point where I have
> > almost everything built in, obviating the need, I think, for initrd.
> > The kernel boots but fails mounting the root directory, which is a reiserfs
> > file system. I get the kernal panic message.
> > 
> > As the kernel fails, it tries to load the reiserfs module, then the
> 
> your / filesystem must have support for it compiled into the kernel.
> 
> > ide-probe module. This is odd because neither of these two modules has been
> > compiled and I have build both this items into the kernel.
> 
> its not odd at all, its the expected behavior.  how would you expect the 
> kernel to load a module to support a filesystem, when it can't read the 
> filesystem to load the module?
>