[syslinux] booting from USB key

Thu Dec 1 08:52:08 PST 2005

syslinux-bounces at zytor.com wrote on 11/30/2005 04:42:04 PM:

> Only questions    :-)
> 

Thanks for responding!

> 
> How did you generate the initrd?

I built the initrd on a machine running the same kernel version as the USB 
stick with the following command:

mkinitrd --with-usb --preload=ehci-hcd --preload=usb-storage 
--preload=scsi_mod --preload=sd_mod usbinitrd-`uname -r` `uname -r`

> Have you told the kernel to use that initrd?
> ( show us your syslinux configuration file )

I don't have one-- I'm using extlinux...

> ( show us your extlinux configuration file )

serial 1 9600
default usbboot
prompt 1
timeout 150

label usbboot
 kernel boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-37.ELsmp
 append initrd=boot/usbinitrd-2.4.21-37.ELsmp.img devfs=mount 
root=/dev/sda1
label serial
 kernel boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-37.ELsmp
 append initrd=boot/usbinitrd-2.4.21-37.ELsmp.img devfs=mount text 
console=tty0 console=ttyS1,9600 root=/dev/sda1

My extlinux.conf and extlinux.sys sit in /.  There is only one partition 
on my USB key, and it is the full 1GB. 

Below is a more detailed dump of the kernel messages when it errors out 
(starting at the point when the kernel launches the initrd) FYI, there is 
a 30-60 second pause during the "Partition Check" of sda:

RAMDISK: Compressed image found at block 0
Freeing initrd memory: 385k freed
VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem).
Red Hat nash version 3.5.13.6 starting
Mounted /proc filesystemusb.c: registered new driver usbdevfs

Loading usbcorusb.c: registered new driver hub
e.o module
Loading ehci-hcd.o module
ehci-hcd 00:1d.7: Intel Corp. 82801EB USB2
ehci-hcd 00:1d.7: irq 23, pci mem f882b000
usb.c: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1
ehci-hcd 00:1d.7: enabled 64bit PCI DMA
ehci-hcd 00:1d.7: USB 2.0 enabled, EHCI 1.00, driver 2003-Jan-22
hub.c: USB hub found
hub.c: 8 ports detected
Loading scsi_mod.o module
SCSI subsystem driver Revision: 1.00
Loading usb-storage.o module
Initializing USB Mass Storage driver...
usb.c: registered new driver usb-storage
USB Mass Storage support registered.
hub.c: new USB device 00:1d.7-5, assigned address 2
scsi0 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
  Vendor: SanDisk   Model: Cruzer Micro      Rev: 0.1
  Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 02
Loading sd_mod.o module
Attached scsi removable disk sda at scsi0, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
SCSI device sda: 2001888 512-byte hdwr sectors (1025 MB)
sda: Write Protect is off
Partition check:
 sda:<3>hub.c: USB device not accepting new address (error=-71)
scsi: device set offline - not ready or command retry failed after bus 
reset: host 0 channel 0 id 0 lun 0
SCSI disk error : host 0 channel 0 id 0 lun 0 return code = 70000
 I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
 I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 2
 I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
 unable to read partition table
Loading diskdumplib.o module
Loading sym53c8xx.o module
/lib/sym53c8xx.o: init_module:
Hint: insmod errors can be caused by incorrect HP CISS Driver (v 
2.4.58.RH1)
module parameters, including invalid IO or IRQ parameters.
      You may find more information in syslog or the output from dmesg
ERROR: /bin/insmod exited abnormally!
Loading cciss.o module
      blocks= 71122560 block_size= 512
      heads= 255, sectors= 32, cylinders= 8716 RAID 1(0+1)

blk: queue c0502020, I/O limit 4294967295Mb (mask 0xffffffffffffffff)
 cciss/c0d0: unknown partition table
blk: queue c05020f0, I/O limit 4294967295Mb (mask 0xffffffffffffffff)
blk: queue c05021c0, I/O limit 4294967295Mb (mask 0xffffffffffffffff)
Loading jbd.o module
Journalled Block Device driver loaded
Loading ext3.o module
Creating block devices
Creating root device
Mounting root filesystem
mount: error 6 mounting ext3
pivotroot: pivot_root(/sysroot,/sysroot/initrd) failed: 2
umount /initrd/proc failed: 2
Freeing unused kernel memory: 232k freed
Kernel panic: No init found.  Try passing init= option to kernel.

Any cciss should be ignored (i'm not using the local disk).. or should 
they?  Is it trying to mount c0d0 instead of the usb device?  In the 
meantime I'll rebuild an initrd without the CCISS module.

Thanks,

James

James S. Martin, RHCE
Contractor
Administrative Office of the United States Courts
Washington, DC
(202) 502-2394

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