[SGVLUG] Fedora Core 8 GRUB boot settings

[Matthew Campbell]

Good evening,

I have run across a simple problem that has had me stumped all day.
Does anyone have a moment to help out?

Default FC8 install creates a GRUB config file:
  root (hd0,0)
  kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 ro root=/dev/sda2 rhgb quiet

When doing the vanilla installation and booting for the first time the
kernel panics with:
VFS: Cannot open root device "sda2" or unknown-block(0,0)
Please append a correct "root=" boot option; here are the available partitions:
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)


I have spent hours sorting through many, many reports of this on
Google.  It seems to span all makes of Linux and many kernel revs.  I
tried all the 'this fixed it for me' suggestions to no avail.

It looks like the /boot partition was created properly, but that
either GRUB or the kernel can not find the third partition on the
first disc where the root filesystem should live.  (The second
partition is a 5Gig swap area.)

I saw a mention that if the root file system is formatted ext3 that a
plain kernel would not be able to boot as it doesn't have a chance to
load the ext3 module.  The post also noted that using a ram disk can
get around this problem.  Unfortunately it does not appear that the
default installation includes a ram disk image....

Please call me over the weekend at my home office (626/296-6661) if
you have any suggestions.  Thanks!

Matt

-- 
Matthew Campbell | Chief Technical Officer
Imagination Games
3330 Cahuenga Blvd. West #505
Los Angeles, CA  90068
323.850.9166 x225 (O)
323.850.9179 (F)
818.314.9897 (M)
matt.campbell at imaginationgames.com
www.imaginationgames.com