[SOLVED] Kernel panic on login in an new Salix installation

[anamesa]

I've successfully installed Salix OS 14.1 Mate 64 edition on an ext4 linux partition on an external usb disk (a thing I've done with numerous distros) and installed LILO in the boot sector of the root partition. After booting to my fresh installation, I have a kernel panic problem. I cannot reproduce the output, because it freezes my system (a Lenovo laptop with i5 processor) and the problem is initial, that is not graphic card related. I have checked the image before installation (md5sum) and have used the utility "MultiSystem" to put the iso image to a usb stick, which has worked for the installation.

Any ideas? My first thought is that ext4 is not supported by the kernel and need an initrd to be compiled for boot, but this is not possible, since I cannot boot. Any other kernel I could manualy substitute and try to boot (I use grub2 as bootloader on my MBR).

[SOLVED]: I have followed gapans directions (booted with salix OS installation media) and the instructions in this forum post: http://forum.salixos.org/viewtopic.php? ... trd#p31709
I'm writing now from the usb disk I installed the distro. Thanks to everybody giving a helping hand (mimosa, gapan, djemos).

[mimosa]

The problem is with booting from USB like that. I think you need a special initrd for this. I'm not sure, but there may be a relevant thread on the forum; if not, maybe someone who understands this better than me will be able to help. But this is certainly not supported.

By the way, Salix 14.1 hasn't been released yet, and I think the last Maté release was 13.37.

[gapan]

Yes, that's it. Modules for the ext4 filesystem are of course included in the kernel, but modules for usb devices are not. You have to create an initrd that will include all necessary modules. There was indeed a discussion on that subject not so long ago in these forums. You can search for it. You can also read the README.initrd file on any slackware repository mirror. Here's one: http://slackware.org.uk/slackware/slack ... DME.initrd

[anamesa]

OK, thank you, now the problem is contained in the modules for USB support,since I boot on a USB external HD. Now, I've read the initrd text of slackware, and have not understood how I could boot to an unbootable system to produce such an initrd,except if first I re-install to my internal HD and then produce the initrd and then transfer the installation to an external usb disk partition. It might be another way, via chroot, but I'm not sure. OK, thanks guys for the prompt reply.

BTW, it must have been the salix64-xfce-14.0.1.iso, not the MATE, you're right mimosa.

[mimosa]

Yes, you'll need to make the initrd in a different envronment.

[gapan]

You can boot to another system and then chroot to your salix installation. That "other system" can very well be the salix installation medium. You can quit the installation process as soon as it starts.

[anamesa]

Yes, this seems to be the best way to do the fix. Since I chroot, then the salix kernel & modules will be used, so thank you for the sound reminder gapan. And I've found the relevant instructions for chrooting from the salix forum (used to do it all the time, but now I had forgotten ).

[gapan]

You still have to specify the correct kernel version using the -k switch when running mkinitrd, because the installation kernel is a bit different than the installed kernel.

[anamesa]

I'd rather use a live medium for this with a graphical environment, to have access to the instructions, since in both cases the kernel will be different and has to be specified. Thanks.