2.6.16-1.2080_FC5 kernel panic (nv raid0, 86_64 architecture)

[Debbie Deutsch]

Terry Kemp wrote:

> 
> Sorry for the delay is responding... digest mode and crashed Winblows
> server (raid problem hehe)
> 
> With LVM on Raid0 you have got a hard one to resolve!
> 
> I do remember having some problems with the device mapper on
> 2.6.15-1.2054_FC5. On 2.6.16-1.2080_FC5 there is
> no /dev/mapper/nvidiaxxxxxx but if I reboot into the install 2054 kernel
> I see /dev/mapper/nvidia_abaaggda. I am sure this is where the problem
> is but whether its the kernel or dmraid I never found out. 
> 
> Having raid1 I was able to boot off 1 of the raid disks and ended up
> backing out of raid all together. I did have a raid0 swap partition and
> that would definitely not come up with the new kernel (or even a vanilla
> kernel I built).
> 
> In my search for answers I stumbled across this...
> http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-96108.html
> 
> maybe it will help.
> 
> Terry
> 
> 

Not to worry....  I work at a job that has nothing to do with my use of
FC5, so I would not have been able to do anything about your response
until this evening, anyway.

The thread you reference is exactly what I experienced trying to install
FC5T3.  However that problem went away with the formal FC5 release.  In
the solution that was suggested in the thread, mkinitrd is updated using
yum, then the new mkinitrd is used to do the right thing about the boot
image.

What's going on in my case seems different.  The boot image is fine for
the kernel that shipped with FC5.  Unlike the thread, there is no
problem booting after the install.  However the same install won't boot
when the kernel is updated to 2.6.15-1.2080_FC5.  Thank goodness I can
still choose the original kernel and keep on using that until this
problem is ironed out.

Bottom line is, I think you are onto something.  The problem may well be
with the output of mkinitrd.  I don't remember if there was a change to
mkinitrd after the FC5 release.  If there was, it could have broken
things and the changes in kernels themselves could be a red herring.
Argh, I wish I could remember how to tell if mkinitrd has been updated.
 It's probably time to do a man yum again to find the right incantation.

In any case, thanks again for your help.  At this point, maybe I just
should write something up for bugzilla.

Cheers,

Debbie

P.S. I have a RAID0 setup on a Windows machine here at home.  It works
perfectly well... once you manage to get through the install.  I had
heard about the little zinger that Uncle Bill has for folks who want to
boot off a RAID array... hehe... so I was not surprised.  However I am
still appalled that ANYONE would think it reasonable in this day and age
to require that you use a floppy disk... and only a floppy disk... can't
use a CDROM or a DVDROM, noooo..... to install the RAID disk driver
during Windows install.  There are some other particularly delicious
aspects to the process, omg. Well at least I have that machine all built
and running nicely.