Has anyone run into similar problems or gotten this combination to work on a 2.4.20 kernel? The kernel source isn't vanilla, though. It's a
I have spent _untold_ hours trying to get the 2.4.20 kernel running with devfs and root over NFS. I had exactly the problem you mentioned and init not starting. In the end I gave up entirely on this kernel and went to 2.4.19, which gave no problems once I got a Red Hat system to compile it, make modules, make install_modules and make install etc.
Nick Rout asked why you would bother with an initrd. The reason, apart from mounting root on a scsi device, is that later kernels will eventually require an initrd, which as I understand it takes some driver responsibility away from the kernel. So it's a habit you'd do well to practice (I'm not one to speak really).
My recommendations: Drop 2.4.20 immediately and try 2.4.19. Get /etc/fstab right. Pursue initrd - it's easy to make an initrd anyway. Oh, and make sure you're compiling the kernel for the right processor!
Good luck, Michael.
