Ubuntu
initramfs-tools package

Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block

Bug #48909 reported by Alex Muntada
2
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
initramfs-tools (Ubuntu)
Invalid
Undecided
Unassigned
linux-source-2.6.15 (Ubuntu)
Dapper
Invalid
High
Unassigned

Bug Description

Binary package hint: linux-image-2.6.15-23-powerpc

Since last kernel update to 2.6.15-23 my MacMini stopped booting from the default yaboot image.

It works fine with the old 2.6.15-22 version, so I booted that and found that /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-powerpc is only 20 bytes. My root partition is reiserfs, so the boot process needs its module from initrd.img. Since initrd.img is empty (after gunzipping, the initrd.img it's 0 bytes).

Then I tried to reinstall the linux-image-2.6.15-23-powerpc package to see if it was a problem during my last update and found this error with cpio, which could be the reason for not producing a valid initrd.img:

# aptitude reinstall linux-image-2.6.15-23-powerpc
...snip...

(Reading database ... 237169 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace linux-image-2.6.15-23-powerpc 2.6.15-23.39 (using .../linux-image-2.6.15-23-powerpc_2.6.15-23.39_powerpc.deb) ...
The directory /lib/modules/2.6.15-23-powerpc still exists. Continuing as directed.
Unpacking replacement linux-image-2.6.15-23-powerpc ...
Setting up linux-image-2.6.15-23-powerpc (2.6.15-23.39) ...
cpio: unrecognized option `--quiet'
usage: cpio -o [-aABcLvzZ] [-C bytes] [-F archive] [-H format] [-O archive]
               < name-list [> archive]
       cpio -i [-bBcdfmrsStuvzZ6] [-C bytes] [-E file] [-F archive] [-H format]
               [-I archive] [pattern ...] [< archive]
       cpio -p [-adlLmuv] destination-directory < name-list
Not touching initrd symlinks since we are being reinstalled (2.6.15-23.39)
Not updating image symbolic links since we are being updated (2.6.15-23.39)

Revision history for this message
Alex Muntada (alex.muntada) wrote :

I'm setting the importance to high since the system becomes unbootable after upgrading kernel version.

Changed in linux-source-2.6.15:
importance: Untriaged → High
Revision history for this message
Alex Muntada (alex.muntada) wrote :

Since the box on the left says that there's no "linux-image-2.6.15-23-powerpc" source package I'm rolling the package name change back.

Sorry bor the burden.

Alex Muntada (alex.muntada)
Changed in linux-source-2.6.15:
importance: Untriaged → High
Revision history for this message
Ben Collins (ben-collins) wrote :

Do not change the priority of a bug report. Let the developer decide.

As it looks now, this is first of all not a kernel bug. This could only be caused by initramfs-tools.

Secondly, it looks to me like a local problem on your system. The cpio binary on my up-to-date dapper system (yes, it's ppc) recognizes the --quiet option.

I suspect you have a locally installed cpio program. First check which cpio is being used with "which cpio". If it's not /usr/bin/cpio, then there's your problem. If it is, then run "cpio --version". If it doesn't show this:

cpio (GNU cpio) 2.6

Then you have installed a version of cpio over your default installed one. Reinstall the cpio package with:

sudo apt-get --reinstall install cpio

Changed in linux-source-2.6.15:
status: Unconfirmed → Rejected
importance: High → Untriaged
Revision history for this message
Alex Muntada (alex.muntada) wrote :

Ben, you're right: I had been playing with pkgsrc and it ended up installing cpio under /usr/local/bin.

I reinstalled the linux-image-2.6.15-23-powerpc package after removing the local cpio and now cpio works fine.

Thanks a lot!

Scott James Remnant (Canonical) (canonical-scott)
Changed in initramfs-tools:
status: Unconfirmed → Rejected
Revision history for this message
Stan (sklein-cpcug) wrote :

This looks like one of the many different kinds of messages I got during the boot attempts reported in my posting on bug 29858. I probably got this message when I was trying to boot from the Ubuntu partition under grub and before I decided to copy the Ubuntu kernel and initrd to the /boot partition from my (primary) FC5 installation and try to boot Ubuntu from there.

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