Can't find kernel or initrd files

[rsal]

I am newbie for salix, though I have some experience in other linux distros. I like slackware very much and salix seems a very good and easy slackware distro from what I have read about it.

I just installed salix and at the end of installation I chose NOT to install lilo bootloader, as I already have linux on my system with legacy grub on mbr. I wanted to add an entry for salix in grub's menu.lst. However, in the partition where salix is installed, the /boot folder does not contain any initrd or vmlinux / bzImage kernel. The /boot folder contains a README.initrd file which has instructions for making initrd (or so it seems to me). What entry do I add in grub's menu.lst ?

Thanks for your help.

[gapan]

The kernel is in /boot/vmlinuz. You can't find an initrd because there is none, as it is not needed.

[rsal]

But there is no vmlinuz file in /boot. This folder contains 3 files: diag1.img, salix.bmp and README.initrd

There is no vmlinuz in any other folder either (I searched from /).

Also what entry should I make in grub legacy menu.lst ?

[gaucho]

Hi, rsal,

I multi-boot several Linux distros and currently I have the Legacy GRUB of Pardus 2011.2 controlling the MBR. In case it might be helpful to you, below is the GRUB stanza (in Pardus) for my Salix 13.37 LXDE installation (which is on /dev/sda14):

Code: Select all

title Salix 13.37 LXDE
root (hd0,13)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-huge-smp-2.6.37.6-smp root=/dev/sda14 ro quiet

And just for reference, here is the GRUB stanza for my earlier Salix 13.1.2 [Xfce] installation, which I used for several months before I updated to 13.37:

Code: Select all

title Salix 13.1.2
root (hd0,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-huge-smp-2.6.33.4-smp root=/dev/sda8 ro quiet vga=788

Good luck. I hope this will help you boot Salix OS successfully.

< Edit: I should've mentioned that when I installed Salix 13.37, I did install LILO but I chose to install it to Salix's root (/) partition [/dev/sda14]. If you did not do that, it might explain why you are having problems getting Salix to boot ... If there is a fix / workaround for that issue, I'm sure that gapan (or one of the other Salix wizards) will know about it.

If you are (re)installing from a Salix OS Installation Disc, one of the later steps in the installation routine involves LILO: "Install LILO". At this stage, the user is offered three choices:

• simple -- "Try to install LILO automatically"
  expert
  skip

I recommend the "simple" option because I found the "expert" too complicated (I was totally confused by its configuration options). After selecting the "simple" option, you will be presented with a step called "Select LILO destination", which also has three choices:

• root -- "Install to superblock (not for use with XFS)"
  floppy
  MBR

The "root" option will install LILO to your Salix root (/) partition, which allows any Legacy GRUB on your MBR to continue controlling a multiboot setup -- if that is what you want (it was in my case). You will have to manually add a new GRUB stanza for Salix; however, if you are an experienced multibooter you probably know how to do that already ...

In the meantime, I will paste the contents of my /etc/lilo.conf file:

Code: Select all

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/sda14
#compact        # faster, but won't work on all systems.
# Standard menu.
message = /boot/boot_message.txt

# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append="quiet  vt.default_utf8=1"
#prompt
#timeout = 5
# Normal VGA console
vga = normal
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
# vga=791
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
# vga=790
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
# vga=773
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
# vga=788
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
# vga=787
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
# vga=771
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
# vga=785
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
# vga=784
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
# vga=769
# ramdisk = 0     # paranoia setting
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sda14
  label = Salix
  read-only  # Partitions should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends

Finally, my /boot directory contains the following:

Code: Select all

root[david]# cd /boot
root[boot]# ls
README.initrd			  config-huge-smp-2.6.37.6-smp
System.map			  diag1.img
System.map-huge-smp-2.6.37.6-smp  map
boot.080E			  salix.bmp
boot_message.txt		  vmlinuz
config				  vmlinuz-huge-smp-2.6.37.6-smp

>

[Shador]

If your boot directory does not contain a vmlinuz file, than most probably that's a bad install/burn. You can try to check the iso and the burnt cd with md5sum.

[rsal]

Thanks everyone. Livecd itself worked very well. I think I will have to install again and this time I will install the bootloader in the partition having / folder. I will let you know the outcome.

Can I just copy vmlinuz file from the boot folder of iso file to boot folder on the partition where salix has been installed?

[SoleSoul]

Can you please post your /etc/fstab?

[gapan]

Can I just copy vmlinuz file from the boot folder of iso file to boot folder on the partition where salix has been installed?

If it really isn't there, then that means that something went awfully wrong during installation and the kernel package wasn't installed. I doubt only copying the kernel will fix anything. Are you sure anything else isn't missing? Most probably a case of bad download/burn/CD drive. Were there any errors during installation that you just dismissed as "probably not important"?