A few months ago I tried installing gentoo. It mostly succeedes, but I was unable to boot the new system.
When I boot, it fails as follows: >> Activating mdev >> Determining root device !! Block device /dev/mapper/lovesong-gentoo is not a valid block device !! The root block device is unspecified or not detected Please specify a device to boot, or "shell" for a shell boot() :: Now I originally installed this system using a chroot from a Debian etch system. I used genkernel to generate the kernel. As far as I can remember, I did specified the --lvm option. Now perhaps the kernel is not OK because I ran genkernel in a chroot running on a Debian kernel... Perhaps I chose the wront options... Perhaps I can fix things by rerunning genkernel with different options... Or perhaps I need to start all over from a full-fledged gentoo install CD. Please advise. -- hendrik P.S. Soime Gory Details: \ Here's the start of my /boot/gfub/menu.lst (on the boot partition for the Debian etch system): ------------ # menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8) # grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8), # grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub # and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/. ## default num # Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and # the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used. # # You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry # is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'. # WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your # array will desync and will not let you boot your system. default 0 ## timeout sec # Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry # (normally the first entry defined). timeout 5 # Pretty colours color cyan/blue white/blue ## password ['--md5'] passwd # If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing # control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the # command 'lock' # e.g. password topsecret # password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/ # password topsecret # # examples # # title Windows 95/98/NT/2000 # root (hd0,0) # makeactive # chainloader +1 # # title Linux # root (hd0,1) # kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro # # # Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST ### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST ## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified ## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below ## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs ## ## Start Default Options ## ## default kernel options ## default kernel options for automagic boot options ## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z ## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted. ## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro ## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro ## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro # kopt=root=/dev/mapper/lovesong-etch ro ## default grub root device ## e.g. groot=(hd0,0) # groot=(hd0,4) ## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options ## e.g. alternative=true ## alternative=false # alternative=true ## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options ## e.g. lockalternative=true ## lockalternative=false # lockalternative=false ## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the ## alternatives ## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5 # defoptions= ## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options ## e.g. lockold=false ## lockold=true # lockold=false ## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option # xenhopt= ## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option # xenkopt=console=tty0 ## altoption boot targets option ## multiple altoptions lines are allowed ## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options ## altoptions=(single-user) single # altoptions=(single-user mode) single ## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst ## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the ## alternative kernel options ## e.g. howmany=all ## howmany=7 # howmany=all ## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option ## e.g. memtest86=true ## memtest86=false # memtest86=true ## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system ## can be true or false # updatedefaultentry=false ## ## End Default Options ## title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-4-486 root (hd0,4) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-4-486 root=/dev/mapper/lovesong-etch ro initrd /initrd.img-2.6.18-4-486 savedefault title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-4-486 (single-user mode) root (hd0,4) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-4-486 root=/dev/mapper/lovesong-etch ro single initrd /initrd.img-2.6.18-4-486 savedefault title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-3-486 root (hd0,4) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-3-486 root=/dev/mapper/lovesong-etch ro initrd /initrd.img-2.6.18-3-486 savedefault title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-3-486 (single-user mode) root (hd0,4) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-3-486 root=/dev/mapper/lovesong-etch ro single initrd /initrd.img-2.6.18-3-486 savedefault ### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST # This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian # ones. title Other operating systems: gentoo root (hd0,5) kernel /kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.20-gentoo-r8 root=/dev/mapper/lovesong-gentoo ro single initrd /initramfs-genkernel-x86-2.6.20-gentoo-r8 # This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing # linux installation on /dev/hdc4. title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-3-k7 (on /dev/hdc4) root (hd1,3) kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-3-k7 root=/dev/hda3 ro initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-3-k7 savedefault boot ----- and many more irrelevan stanzas. The Debian systen gives me [EMAIL PROTECTED]:~$ ls /dev/mapper control lovesong-gentoo lovesong-sarge lovesong-etch lovesong-other lovesong-spare [EMAIL PROTECTED]:~$ But the gentoo system (if I shoose to enter a shell after booting) tells me the only entry in /dev/mapper is /dev/mapper/control As I said earlier, please advise. -- hendrik ... ... -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
