Nikos Chantziaras <rea...@arcor.de> writes:
> Harry Putnam wrote:
>> Nikos Chantziaras <rea...@arcor.de> writes:
>>
>>> Harry Putnam wrote:
>>>> Nikos Chantziaras <rea...@arcor.de> writes:
>>>>
>>>>>> [...]
>>>>>> mptbase: ioc0: Initiating bringup
>>>>>> ioc0: LSI53C1030 B0: Capabilities={Initiator}
>>>>>> scsi4 : ioc0: LSI53C1030 B0, FwRev=00000000h, Ports=1, MaxQ=128, IRQ=16
>>>>> That's an LSI Fusion-MPT controller. Enable:
>>>>>
>>>>> Device Drivers->[*] Fusion MPT device support->
>>>>> <*> Fusion MPT ScsiHost drivers for SPI
>>>>>
>>>>> Reboot. Have fun :P
>>>> I don't think thats the trouble... that has been enabled in every
>>>> kernel compile I've run trying to get a working config.
>>>>
>>>> The original setup was rigged to boot with an initrd. How can I take
>>>> that initrd apart and see if there is some trick driver built into
>>>> it.
>>> cp /boot/the-initrd-you-want ~/initrd.cpio.gz
>>> gunzip ~/initrd.cpio.gz
>>>
>>> Examine it's contents with mc or extract it with cpio.
>>>
>>> But I don't think there's a "trick driver" or anything involved. You
>>> don't even need an initrd if you compile the LSI driver in-kernel.
>>
>> I just made in initrd for that kernel2.6.27-r5... and by god it
>> booted using the initrd so that initrd is loading the driver you
>> mentioned I guess.
>>
>> I see now that even the original working kernel had LSI driver as
>> module ...so I'll try compiling into the kernel now as you've
>> suggested. Thanks...
Well I think I can fairly report that absolutely none of these
suggestions has helped... I don't mean the info unearthed in them.. I
mean putting them in practice has failed miserably.
Built in or modules... including all the junk in the working kernel
config. All fails when the rubber meats the road.
Even removing the .config and calling `genkernel all' which build a
kernel with all bells and whistles.... even that fails to boot.
> You also need the filesystem driver built-in (ext3, Reiser, whatever
> you're using.) An initrd is really only useful for generic kernels
> and for bootsplash. I guess that means the appliance you downloaded
> was sub optimal in the sense that nothing special or any kind of
> effort was required to create it. A good appliance would have
> provided a slim kernel with only what's needed compiled-in since
> VMWare has the same hardware everywhere (that's the whole point of
> VMWare actually.)
Yes, I did have enough sense to build in all filesystem type stuff
Maybe the appliance was suboptimal... but it beat the hell out of my
own attempts at building one from gentoo. All of which totally failed
to boot. It boots effortlessly if I use the original kernel and initrd
and the price was right...
Thinking about it... it really did save me a lot of hair pulling. I'm
going thru it now by choice... but in the meantime I have a working
appliance.
> Harry Putnam wrote:
>> Nikos Chantziaras <rea...@arcor.de> writes:
>>> cp /boot/the-initrd-you-want ~/initrd.cpio.gz
>>> gunzip ~/initrd.cpio.gz
>>>
>>> Examine it's contents with mc or extract it with cpio.
>>>
>>> But I don't think there's a "trick driver" or anything involved. You
>>> don't even need an initrd if you compile the LSI driver in-kernel.
Thanks for example commans.
No there doesn't appear to be anything special.
But compiling those items in-kernel has made not one whit of
difference ... bootup still fails.
I then tried copying as best I can from the working kernel config of
2.6.24-r8 by running menuconfig in that directory and
genkernel --menuconfig all in the new kernel directory.
I'd already tried the same thing but without genkernel... just calling
make after getting the config as close as seems possible to the
working config. ... That failed
So now employing genkernel on the same closely copied .config hoping
at least the new kernel will boot with the initrd genkernel creates.
Again,,, failed miserably at boot time.
So hand built or genkernel built the result is the same ... no boot.
I did have one success... hand built kernel 2.6.27-r5 and then ran
`genkernel initrd --install' to plop the initrd in /boot
That handbuilt kernel will boot but only with the initrd.
Oh, and if any one is interested here are the commands needed to
decompose the initramfs.
(stolen in large part from Nikos - thanks Nikos):
mkdir test
cd test
cp /boot/the-initrd-you-want ./initrd.gz
gunzip initrd.gz
cpio -ivd < initrd
Will result in extracting the filestructure and files out of the
initrd.
Best to do the first step so extraction takes place in a test
directory, away from the regular file system.
