Re: [tlug] Kernel panic

["SL Baur" <steve@example.com>]

On 4/21/08, Brian Chandler <brian@example.com> wrote:
> I wrote:
> > grub.conf shows you are using).  Do an ls -l on your kernel, the
> > modules (somewhere under /lib/modules, I think?  I don't know
> > where Debian puts their modules) and the initrd.  If the initrd is
> > older than your modules and kernel then you will need to run
> >  mkinitrd.

So, go ahead...  do that ls -l and post the results to the list.  Post
your grub.conf or whatever it's called too.

> >
> > If the initrd is out of date, then as root do
> > mkinitrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic 2.6.22-14-generic
> >
>  What is this number 2.6.22-14-generic? That's exactly what I seem to have
> in the grub menu.lst file, on the names of files in /lib/modules and in the
> names of the initrd.xxxxyz etc files in /boot.

It's the kernel version string.  There are three pieces involved in a
modern Linux kernel boot (besides the bootstrap loader, grub in
your case).  The kernel image itself, the loadable module directory
(which will contain hundreds if not thousands of files for hardware
support that does not pertain  to your machine), and a special file
system image called the initrd.

All three of these *must* match the same kernel build.  I think your
initrd is out of date (which is why I asked you to do the ls -l to look
at the time stamp).

>  So I'm afraid I am no further forward. I'm also a bit concerned - how
>  often could I expect things like this to happen? Is it idiosyncratic of
>  Ubuntu to be arranged (the "recovery" function on the CD) in such a
>  way that I can't easily simply reinstall from scratch?

I don't know.  There is much about "modern" Linux distros that I
despise.  It has always been the Unix way to provide tools to
recover a damaged machine anywhere short of total hardware failure.

If you're still confused about doing the `ls -l' just post your grub.conf
file.  We *must* see the timestamps on the kernel image, the module
directory and the initrd image in order to advise you what to do next.

-sb