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Community ▶ Questions ▶ Kernel 2.6.37 & PVGRUB fails to boot
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Kernel 2.6.37 & PVGRUB fails to boot

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Trying to boot with a 2.6.37 from a working 2.6.36.2 config can never get past the grub menu.

Selecting the built kernel I only see:

close blk: backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/133/51712
close blk: backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/133/51728

before the node commits seppiku and kicks me back to lish where lassie restarts the node again. I based this last config off of one of the linode sources and it still didn't work.

config here

12 Replies

More logging:

> close blk: backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/144/51712

close blk: backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/144/51728

(early) Linux version 2.6.37 (root@foo.com) (gcc version 4.4.5 (Debian 4.4.5-10) ) #7 SMP Mon Jan 10 22:48:27 UTC 2011

(early) Command line: root=/dev/xvda ro earlyprintk=xen

(early) released 0 pages of unused memory

(early) BIOS-provided physical RAM map:

(early) Xen: 0000000000000000 - 00000000000a0000 (usable)

(early) Xen: 00000000000a0000 - 0000000000100000 (reserved)

(early) Xen: 0000000000100000 - 0000000020800000 (usable)

(early) bootconsole [xenboot0] enabled

(early) NX (Execute Disable) protection: active

(early) DMI not present or invalid.

(early) lastpfn = 0x20800 maxarch_pfn = 0x400000000

(early) initmemorymapping: 0000000000000000-0000000020800000

[screen is terminating]

Compared to a good boot:

> Linux version 2.6.36.2-tdc (root@foo) (gcc version 4.4.5 (Debian 4.4.5-10) ) #1 SMP Tue Dec 14 16:32:19 UTC 2010

Command line: root=/dev/xvda ro

released 0 pages of unused memory

BIOS-provided physical RAM map:

Xen: 0000000000000000 - 00000000000a0000 (usable)

Xen: 00000000000a0000 - 0000000000100000 (reserved)

Xen: 0000000000100000 - 0000000020000000 (usable)

NX (Execute Disable) protection: active

DMI not present or invalid.

lastpfn = 0x20000 maxarch_pfn = 0x400000000

initmemorymapping: 0000000000000000-0000000020000000

Zone PFN ranges:

DMA 0x00000001 -> 0x00001000

DMA32 0x00001000 -> 0x00100000

Normal empty

Movable zone start PFN for each node

earlynodemap[2] active PFN ranges

0: 0x00000001 -> 0x000000a0

0: 0x00000100 -> 0x00020000

SMP: Allowing 4 CPUs, 0 hotplug CPUs

Only difference I see is in the initmemorymapping line and the ram map saying there's 8MiB more.

Linode Staff

@OverlordQ:

my fear is that it's just an incompatibility with linodes glacially old version of Xen.
Please check your facts. Our Xen version isn't old at all.

-Chris

@caker:

@OverlordQ:

my fear is that it's just an incompatibility with linodes glacially old version of Xen.
Please check your facts. Our Xen version isn't old at all.

-Chris

lets check . . .

> root (hd0)

Filesystem type is ext2fs, using whole disk

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.37 root=/dev/xvda ro

ERROR Invalid kernel: xcdomfind_loader: no loader found

xcdomcore.c:503: panic: xcdomfind_loader: no loader found

xcdomparse_image returned -1

Error 9: Unknown boot failure

Huuuurm. That's no fun . . . Wonder how old that goes back . . Ahhh, august of 2009. (And as a reference point, heres the original request)

I encountered this today too. Gentoo Linux 2.6.37.

No smoldering resentment about Xen versions here ;), but I am extremely interested in news about 2.6.37 kernel compatibility when there are announcements to make.

Can the Admins make a sticky topic or similar Linode FAQ to refer to?

Thanks,

Jeff

I've been running 2.6.37 on Ubuntu 10.04 successfully since the day after it was released.

Mind posting your config then?

How your kernel is compressed? If its lzma, then switch compression to gzip. That may be the case. Maybe Xen Hypervisor dont support lzma.

@Net-burst:

How your kernel is compressed? If its lzma, then switch compression to gzip. That may be the case. Maybe Xen Hypervisor dont support lzma.

Not related to the core issue.

So for giggles I took 2.6.37-linode30[1], ran oldconfig and accepted all the defaults2 and still no joy. Any other ideas?

1 - http://pastebin.com/va59RfwE

2 - http://pastebin.com/Q9p044VA

3 - http://pastebin.com/Pu4fCZmd

Linode Staff

Does our 2.6.37-linode30 boot on your Linode? I've had reports of it failing to boot for some people, which is preventing "Latest 2.6" from pointing to it.

How does your 2.6.37-linode30 fail under pv_grub?

Thanks,

-Chris

EDIT: I see yours is 64 bit - so never mind my very first question.

After I get the grub prompt it spits me back to lish like it can't load the kernel.

Output:

[overlordq@fremont138 lish] There is no screen to be attached matching overlordq.

Your Linode isn't running, or another console session is already active.
[overlordq@fremont138 lish]# 
[overlordq@fremont138 lish] 
Xen Minimal OS!

start_info:   0xa8d000

  nr_pages:   131072  shared_inf: bf215000

  pt_base:    0xa90000  mod_start:  0x0

  mod_len:    0

  flags:      0x0

  cmd_line:   (hd0)/boot/grub/menu.lst

  stack:      0x94c860-0x96c860

MM: Init

  _text:        0x0

  _etext:       0x5ce26

  _erodata:     0x75000

  _edata:       0x7db00

  stack start:  0x94c860

  _end:         0x98ce48

  start_pfn:    a9c

  max_pfn:      20000

Mapping memory range 0xc00000 - 0x20000000

setting 0x0-0x75000 readonly

skipped 0x1000

MM: Initialise page allocator for b96000(b96000)-20000000(20000000)

MM: done

Demand map pfns at 20001000-2020001000.

Heap resides at 2020002000-4020002000.
Initialising timer interface
Initialising console ... done.
gnttab_table mapped at 0x20001000.
Initialising scheduler
Thread "Idle": pointer: 0x2020002010, stack: 0xca0000
Initialising xenbus
Thread "xenstore": pointer: 0x20200027c0, stack: 0xcb0000
Dummy main: start_info=0x96c960
Thread "main": pointer: 0x2020002f70, stack: 0xcd0000
"main" "(hd0)/boot/grub/menu.lst" 
vbd 51712 is hd0
******************* BLKFRONT for device/vbd/51712 **********

backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/86/51712
Failed to read /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/86/51712/feature-flush-cache.
20971520 sectors of 512 bytes
**************************
vbd 51728 is hd1
******************* BLKFRONT for device/vbd/51728 **********

backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/86/51728
Failed to read /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/86/51728/feature-flush-cache.
1056768 sectors of 512 bytes
**************************

 <grub menu="" here="">Booting command-list

root  (hd0)
 Filesystem type is ext2fs, using whole disk
kernel  /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.37 root=/dev/xvda ro earlyprintk=xen

close blk: backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/86/51712

close blk: backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/86/51728

(early) Linux version 2.6.37 (root@thedarkcitadel.com) (gcc version 4.4.5 (Debian 4.4.5-10) ) #3 SMP Mon Feb 14 23:29:20 UTC 2011
(early) Command line: root=/dev/xvda ro earlyprintk=xen
(early) released 0 pages of unused memory
(early) BIOS-provided physical RAM map:
(early)  Xen: 0000000000000000 - 00000000000a0000 (usable)
(early)  Xen: 00000000000a0000 - 0000000000100000 (reserved)
(early)  Xen: 0000000000100000 - 0000000020800000 (usable)
(early) bootconsole [xenboot0] enabled
(early) NX (Execute Disable) protection: active
(early) DMI not present or invalid.
(early) last_pfn = 0x20800 max_arch_pfn = 0x400000000
(early) init_memory_mapping: 0000000000000000-0000000020800000

[screen is terminating]

[overlordq@fremont138 lish]# 
[overlordq@fremont138 lish] There is no screen to be attached matching overlordq.</grub>

A working boot however:

Xen Minimal OS!
start_info:   0xa8d000
st
nr_pages:   131072  shared_inf: bf73c000

pt_base: 0xa90000  mod_start:  0x0

mod_len: 0

flags: 0x0

cmd_line:   (hd0)/boot/grub/menu.lst

stack: 0x94c860-0x96c860
MM: Init
MM
_text: 0x0

_etext: 0x5ce26

_erodata: 0x75000

_edata: 0x7db00

stack start:  0x94c860

_end: 0x98ce48

start_pfn: a9c

max_pfn: 20000
Mapping memory range 0xc00000 - 0x20000000
setting 0x0-0x75000 readonly
skipped 0x1000
MM: Initialise page allocator for b96000(b96000)-20000000(20000000)
MM: done
Demand map pfns at 20001000-2020001000.
Heap resides at 2020002000-4020002000.
Initialising timer interface
Initialising console ... done.
gnttab_table mapped at 0x20001000.
Initialising scheduler
Thread "Idle": pointer: 0x2020002010, stack: 0xca0000
Initialising xenbus
Thread "xenstore": pointer: 0x20200027c0, stack: 0xcb0000
Dummy main: start_info=0x96c960
Thread "main": pointer: 0x2020002f70, stack: 0xcd0000
"main" "(hd0)/boot/grub/menu.lst"
vbd 51712 is hd0
******************* BLKFRONT for device/vbd/51712 **********

backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/87/51712
Failed to read /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/87/51712/feature-flush-cache.
20971520 sectors of 512 bytes
**************************
vbd 51728 is hd1
******************* BLKFRONT for device/vbd/51728 **********

backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/87/51728
Failed to read /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/87/51728/feature-flush-cache.
1056768 sectors of 512 bytes
**************************

 <grub menu="">Booting command-list

root  (hd0)
 Filesystem type is ext2fs, using whole disk
kernel  /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.36.3-tdc root=/dev/xvda ro earlyprintk=xen

close blk: backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/87/51712

close blk: backend at /local/domain/0/backend/vbd/87/51728

(early) Linux version 2.6.36.3-tdc (root@thedarkcitadel.com) (gcc version 4.4.5 (Debian 4.4.5-10) ) #1 SMP Wed Jan 19 17:45:10 UTC 2011
(early) Command line: root=/dev/xvda ro earlyprintk=xen
(early) released 0 pages of unused memory
(early) BIOS-provided physical RAM map:
(early)  Xen: 0000000000000000 - 00000000000a0000 (usable)
(early)  Xen: 00000000000a0000 - 0000000000100000 (reserved)
(early)  Xen: 0000000000100000 - 0000000020000000 (usable)
(early) bootconsole [xenboot0] enabled
(early) NX (Execute Disable) protection: active
(early) DMI not present or invalid.
(early) last_pfn = 0x20000 max_arch_pfn = 0x400000000
(early) init_memory_mapping: 0000000000000000-0000000020000000
(early) Zone PFN ranges:
(early)   DMA      (early) 0x00000001 -> 0x00001000
(early)   DMA32    (early) 0x00001000 -> 0x00100000
(early)   Normal   (early) empty
(early) Movable zone start PFN for each node
(early) early_node_map[2] active PFN ranges
(early)     0: 0x00000001 -> 0x000000a0
(early)     0: 0x00000100 -> 0x00020000
(early) SMP: Allowing 4 CPUs, 0 hotplug CPUs
(early) No local APIC present
(early) APIC: disable apic facility
(early) APIC: switched to apic NOOP
(early) Allocating PCI resources starting at 20000000 (gap: 20000000:e0000000)
(early) Booting paravirtualized kernel on Xen
(early) Xen version: 3.4.1 (preserve-AD)</grub>

As pointed out above the only differences I saw was that 2.6.37 seems to think there's 8 more megs of memory it can address.

So 2.6.38-rc5 x86 based on 2.6.37-linode30 seems to boot fine, now trying the same thing under x64

Edit: Seems some set of flags that get set when switching to x64 break it, cant seem to figure out which one.

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