initrd + kernel panic

[ktselios]

Hi all,
I get the following common error when my system boots:

****
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 03:05
****

I use SuSE 8.2 with 2.4.20 kernel. The above problem happens after a successful compilation of the specific kernel.

To be more specific:

I configured, and compiled successfully the 2.4.20 kernel.

I want to have a bootsplash screen. So, I complled as part of the kernel the support for the loopback device and the initial ram disk. As far as I know, I have to create an initrd in order to enable the bootsplash screen. I have also compiled in kernel the frame buffer support and the corresponding option for the bootsplash.

The root fs is on a reiserfs partition. I compilled reiserfs support as a module.

So, I had to make an initrd which should include reiserfs support, and the bootsplash screen.

The distribution of SuSE 8.2 uses the script mk_initrd instead of the command mkinitrd. I created the relavant initrd by typing:

# mk_initrd -k /boot/mykernel -i /boot/myinitrd -s 1024x768

The output was:
******
using "/dev/hda5" as root device (mounted on "/" as "reiserfs")

creating initrd "/boot/myinitrd" for kernel "/boot/mykernel"
(version 2.4.20-athlon)
- insmod reiserfs (kernel/fs/reiserfs/reiserfs.o)
- splash picture (1024x76
******
I made a new option in the boot loader (grub) and changed the /boot/grub/menu.lst. Here, is my grub configuration:

*********
default 0
gfxmenu (hd0,4)/boot/message
timeout 5

title linux
kernel (hd0,4)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda5 vga=0x317 splash=silent showopts splash=1
initrd (hd0,4)/boot/initrd

title MyKernel
kernel (hd0,4)/boot/mykernel vga=791 splash=1 showopts splash=silent root=/dev/hda5
initrd (hd0,4)/boot/myinitrd
***********

When I boot I get the kernel panic I mention at the beginning of this post.

I notice that I can boot if I compile in kernel the reiserfs support
rather than module.

Any suggestions??
Thanks in advance...
Kostis

[kriss]

I guess you would need to have reiserfs support not compiled as a module, but baked into the kernel. Give that a try and tell us how it went.

Good luck

[ktselios]

I have already tried! The same problem!

[Giro]

Are you compiling all the IDE stuff into the kernel directly?

[ktselios]

I do...!

[ktselios]

I did it...!