Re: Not such a smooth upgrade to 2011... Help?

On 10/23/2011 12:26 PM, David Guntner wrote:
> Jim Beard grabbed a keyboard and wrote:
>>
>> What is a "platokernel"?  I have a feeling that this my be triggering
>> (as dependencies) the list of kernels that the installer wants to
>> provide.  You might try removing that, and see if it makes a difference.
>
> Heh.  I guess I should have pointed that out; it gave me a "WTF is
> that?" moment too, when I first saw it.
>
> [davidg@janet ~]$ urpmq -fi lib64kplatokernel7
> Name        : lib64kplatokernel7
> Version     : 2.2.82
> Release     : 2mdv2011.0
> Group       : System/Libraries
> Size        : 1203632                      Architecture: x86_64
> Source RPM  : koffice-2.2.82-2mdv2011.0.src.rpm   Build Host:
> n6.mandriva.com
> Packager    : Funda Wang<[email protected]>
> URL         : http://www.koffice.org/
> Summary     : Koffice 2 core library
> Description :
> Koffice 2 core library.
> [davidg@janet ~]$
>
>
> So I don't think that's part of the kernel issue.  Odd name they chose,
> though...
>
>> You later mention that you are using xfs and that may be a problem.
>> Basically, the xfs module has to be in the initrd image used to boot,
>> not just out on disk somewhere waiting to be loaded.
>>
>> Dave Hodgins' instructions to deal with this are:
>>
>> The /boot/initrd-??? file needs to be recreated
>> with the correct module.  To do this, boot from an install cd/dvd, mount
>> the root filesystem and run the following ...
>>
>> mount --bind /proc $RootMountPoint/proc -o ro
>> mount --bind /sys $RootMountPoint/sys -o ro
>> mount --bind /dev $RootMountPoint/dev -o ro
>> chroot $RootMountPoint
>> mkinitrd -f /boot/initrd-$version.img $version
>>
>> Note that after booting from the install disk, you have to select
>> "rescue system" or some such.
>
> Do you know, offhand, if you have to be booted from a DVD in order to do
> the above?  My system *will* boot on the hard drive as long as I use the
> old kernel.  I suppose I can try to do that from the running system
> first; either I'll have an initrd for the new kernel that works, or one
> that doesn't, in which case I'm not really out anything... :-)

Actually, the old kernel should make no difference.  You will 
have the new mkinitrd or dracut, and it will look at the modules 
for the new kernel, so it matters not which kernel is running at 
the time.

Hence, no need  to resort to the rescue-mode install disk.

> Wow!  I just checked my /boot partition, and look what I found:
>
>> -rw-------  1 root root 9386626 Oct  9  2010 initrd-2.6.33.7-desktop-2mnb.img
>> -rw-------  1 root root      27 Oct 22 20:30 initrd-2.6.38.7-desktop-1mnb2.img
>
> Maybe that 2.6.38.7 image is why the fscking system can't boot? :-)
> I'll definitely try running mkinitrd from the running system to see if
> it'll create an initrd I can use; if that fails then I'll boot off a DVD
> and try the above.

With a 27 byte initrd, it is hardly surprising that the system 
would not boot.
>
> Thanks for that information, BTW!
>
>> Also, mkinitrd on a 2011 system will use
>> dracut to create the initrd, while mkinitrd-mkinitrd will use the
>> traditional mkinitrd to create it.
>
> Any functional difference between the two?  Should I care which one is
> getting used?

I have found the dracut initrds are a bit larger than the 
mkinitrds, but I find no difference in how they behave.  Those 
interested in such things claim the dracut software is 
technically superior, but it has not been in use as long and may 
harbor undetected bugs.

>> initrd-$version.img $version should look something like
>> initrd-3.1.0-rc8-1.1-desktop.img 3.1.0-rc8-1.1-desktop
>>
>> Adjust as needed for the kernel you are creating the initrd for.

Cheers!

jim b.

-- 
UNIX is not user unfriendly; it merely
      expects users to be computer-friendly.