PE 2850 Cant boot with RHEL4 kernel 2.6.9-42.ELsmp "switchroot: mount failed: 22"

[Chris T. Purcell]

Mike Hanby wrote:
>
> Howdy,
>
>  
>
> We have several PowerEdge 2850's that run RHEL 4.
>
>  
>
> Due to compatibility with the software that runs on the systems, we've 
> had to remain at the 2.6.9-22.ELsmp kernel.
>
>  
>
> The vendor has an update that requires 2.6.9-42.ELsmp.
>
>  
>
> I've updated the kernel on both, one boots fine and the other errors. 
> Before I post the error, the hardware differences:
>
>  
>
> The node that works has the following in /etc/modprobe.conf:
>
> alias eth1 e1000
>
> alias eth0 e1000
>
> options e1000 InterruptThrottleRate=4000,4000
>
> alias scsi_hostadapter megaraid_mbox
>
> alias usb-controller ehci-hcd
>
> alias usb-controller1 uhci-hcd
>
>  
>
> And the one that doesn't:
>
> alias eth0 e1000
>
> alias eth1 e1000
>
> options e1000 InterruptThrottleRate=4000,4000
>
> alias eth2 e1000
>
> alias scsi_hostadapter megaraid_mbox
>
> alias usb-controller ehci-hcd
>
> alias usb-controller1 uhci-hcd
>
> alias scsi_hostadapter1 qla2100
>
> alias scsi_hostadapter2 qla2200
>
> alias scsi_hostadapter3 qla2300
>
> alias scsi_hostadapter4 qla2322
>
> alias scsi_hostadapter5 qla6312
>
>  
>
> Now, the error:
>
>  
>
> Decompressing Linux...done.
>
> Booting the kernel.
>
> Red Hat nash version 4.2.1.6 starting
>
> sda: asking for cache data failed
>
> sda: assuming drive cache: write through
>
> sda: asking for cache data failed
>
> sda: assuming drive cache: write through
>
> sdb: asking for cache data failed
>
> sdb: assuming drive cache: write through
>
> sdb: asking for cache data failed
>
> sdb: assuming drive cache: write through
>
> mkrootdev: label / not found
>
> mount: error 2 mounting ext3
>
> mount: error 2 mounting none
>
> switchroot: mount failed: 22
>
> umount /initrd/dev failed: 2
>
> kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill .....
>
>  
>
> This looks like a driver isn't that I need isn't loaded into the 
> ramdisk image. I can boot successfully off of the RHEL4 Update 4 cd in 
> "text rescue" mode and see my root partition (under /mnt/sysimage), 
> and the rescue mode uses the same kernel version.
>
>  
>
> I tried running the mkinitrd command and booting using the new image, 
> but it still fails the same:
>
> mkinitrd --with=qla6312 --with=qla2322 --with=qla2300 --with=qla2200
>
> --with=qla2100 --with=qla2xxx --with=megaraid_mbox --with=megaraid_mm
>
> --with=scsi_mod -v -f /boot/initrd-2.6.9-42.ELsmp-test.img
>
> 2.6.9-42.ELsmp
>
>  
>
> Any ideas? In the meantime I can still boot using the 2.6.9-22.ELsmp 
> kernel, but I'm unable to patch the vendors code.
>
>  
>
> Thanks, Mike
>
>  
>
> -----
>
> Mike Hanby
>
> Information Systems Specialist II
>
> School of Engineering Dean's Office
>
> University of Alabama at Birmingham
>
>  
>
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>
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Mike:

How was the kernel upgrade (I hope you mean INSTALL) performed? It is 
quite possible that the new kernel is installed to the SAN device, and 
now you have a chicken/egg issue where the system can't find what it 
believes is root because the qlogic drivers aren't loaded. Have you 
attempted to reinstall the kernel manually while in rescue mode with the 
SAN disconnected or the Qlogic drivers unloaded?

Chris Purcell