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I am bringing up a new Shuttle SN68SCG with an AMD/64/x2 6000 and loading
it with Debian Etch. The install uses a 2.6.18 kernel and the machine
works fine. But when I build a new kernel (2.6.22, 2.6.20, and 2.6.18 is
what I have tried - also with just using the defaults that came with the
source) after booting into the new kernel the machine hangs with "Waiting
for root file system" then eventually aborts and drops into the ramfs.
Some pointer is obviously pointing wrong somewhere.

After some troubleshooting I found that the problem is caused by having a
sata drive, rather than a pata with which it works fine. Lots of googling
shows that this problem goes clear back to kernel number 2.6.16. Fixes
talk about problems with grub, yaird, mkinitrd, initrd and so forth but so
far nothing has fixed it.

But, I keep coming back to the fact that the stock kernel with the default
install of Etch works, so it appears that the problem could be fixed with
a kernel change, but looking through the menuconfig options nothing
immediately jumps out. Before I start just hacking on a new kernel,
anybody got a suggestion(s).

Also, I would like to learn more about the boot process in detail. I have
the usual books (Mastering this and that, Learn something about Linux in
24 minutes, etc) but none go into that kind of detail. Anybody got a good
website or download that really hits the nuts and bolts? (A 26k rural
phone line doesn't make for intensive searching).

Thanks all
Jim Phillips

On 2 Sep, 12:07, Jim Phillips <JPxx...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I am bringing up a new Shuttle SN68SCG with an AMD/64/x2 6000 and loading
> it with Debian Etch. The install uses a 2.6.18 kernel and the machine
> works fine. But when I build a new kernel (2.6.22, 2.6.20, and 2.6.18 is
> what I have tried - also with just using the defaults that came with the
> source) after booting into the new kernel the machine hangs with "Waiting
> for root file system" then eventually aborts and drops into the ramfs.
> Some pointer is obviously pointing wrong somewhere.

Is your new kernel a Debian kernel, or a bare one from www.kernel.org?
And did you start from your old .config file?

> After some troubleshooting I found that the problem is caused by having a
> sata drive, rather than a pata with which it works fine. Lots of googling
> shows that this problem goes clear back to kernel number 2.6.16. Fixes
> talk about problems with grub, yaird, mkinitrd, initrd and so forth but so
> far nothing has fixed it.
>
> But, I keep coming back to the fact that the stock kernel with the default
> install of Etch works, so it appears that the problem could be fixed with
> a kernel change, but looking through the menuconfig options nothing
> immediately jumps out. Before I start just hacking on a new kernel,
> anybody got a suggestion(s).

Compare the Debian kernel to the default kernel from www.kernel.org.

> Also, I would like to learn more about the boot process in detail. I have
> the usual books (Mastering this and that, Learn something about Linux in
> 24 minutes, etc) but none go into that kind of detail. Anybody got a good
> website or download that really hits the nuts and bolts? (A 26k rural
> phone line doesn't make for intensive searching).

There are so many, it's hard for me to pick one out. This is
especailly because vendors modify the basic procedures, renaming their
basic configuration files all sorts of strange things in all sorts of
layouts.

> Is your new kernel a Debian kernel, or a bare one from www.kernel.org?
> And did you start from your old .config file?

A bare 2.6.22 from kernel.org


> Compare the Debian kernel to the default kernel from www.kernel.org.

Yeah, I thought of that after I hung up, but I will have to wait till I
get to a broadband line to download the stock Debian source.

But I am beginning to think that it is a problem with this shuttle. First
off, the BIOS comes up with the message "For engineering use only - Not
for production use".

Second, there is no BIOS entry whatsoever for the onboard ethernet port.
And Debian can't see it and so far none of my probing has found it,
although I get a connect light when I hook it to the switch.

Third, the BIOS indicates that there are 3 IDE channels in the machine,
but there is actually only one IDE channel and 2 sata connectors.

Forth, there is nothing about Sata in the BIOS - period. The BIOS thinks
that the existing Sata drive is the master on the non-existant second IDE
channel. Probably the reason that initrd is looking in the wrong place.

It almost appears like the machine was delivered with a pre production
BIOS. When I get to work tomorrow I will go to Shuttle.com and see what I
can see. If nothing, they will get the machine back.

Thanks
JP