Bootup: cannot execute /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit

[Rick Stevens]

VB wrote:
> --- Rick Stevens <rstevens at vitalstream.com> wrote:
> 
>>VB wrote:
>>
>>>--- Rick Stevens <rstevens at vitalstream.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>VB wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>--- Chris Hewitt <g0pae at manordat.demon.co.uk>
>>>>
>>>>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>VB wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Hi,
>>>>>>>I just modified my /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit since
>>>>
>>>>I've
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>>been having problems with the 2.6.3 kernel. 
>>
>>Now
>>
>>>>on
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>>bootup I can't execute the /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit
>>>>>>
>>>>>>file
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>(that's what the kernel tells me on
>>>>>>
>>>>>>bootup)...assuming
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>the file has some syntax error or something, as
>>>>
>>>>the
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>>file is executable.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I have a backup of a working copy and the
>>>>
>>>>"broken"
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>>copy both on a floppy and on the linux
>>
>>partition,
>>
>>>>>>how
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>can I boot an alternate /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit?
>>
>>how
>>
>>>>>>can
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I verify the correctness of a modified
>>>>>>>/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit? I'm using grub, RH9 and
>>>>
>>>>FC1.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>If you boot from the first installation CD and
>>
>>put
>>
>>>>>>"linux rescue" in at 
>>>>>>the boot prompt you will end up with your linux
>>>>
>>>>root
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>system mounted 
>>>>>>under /mnt/sysimage. From there you can swap
>>
>>over
>>
>>>>>>your working and 
>>>>>>non-working /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit (which would
>>
>>now
>>
>>>>be
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>/mnt/sysimaage/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit).
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Hope this helps
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Chris
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Is there a way I can verify my modified
>>
>>rc.sysinit
>>
>>>>>file? i.e. check if there are syntactic errors?
>>>>
>>>>Not really.  There's no syntax checker in the
>>
>>manner
>>
>>>>of "perl -c" for
>>>>Bourne (sh) or Bourne Again (bash) scripts.  You
>>>>have to know the
>>>>syntax.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>If there were syntactic errors, would that cause
>>>>
>>>>the
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>kernel to tell me it can't execute
>>>>
>>>>/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit?
>>>>
>>>>It depends on what the actual error message is. 
>>
>>Is
>>
>>>>it "no such file"?
>>>>Is it "rc.sysinit:somenumber error message"? 
>>
>>That'd
>>
>>>>be a big help.
>>>
>>>
>>>A big help follows:
>>>INIT: Cannot execute "/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit"
>>
>>Uhm, stupid question...did the root filesystem mount
>>OK?  If it didn't,
>>that message is the last one that's spit out before
>>it dies.
>>
> 
> 
> I'm pretty sure the root filesystem mounted.  Since
> you say if it didn't the message above would have been
> the last one printed and I get through more of the
> boot process. The last message I see is "Starting
> system message bus..." and then the screen flickers
> for a while.  I'm guessing these are failed attempts
> to start X (gdm).

Could be almost anything. rc.sysinit sets up the initial system
environment (default path and such).

> Also, I was told that using 'bash -n' will do a weak
> syntax checking on the rc.sysinit file.  It gave me an
> error that I couldn't track down right away, but I'll
> look again when I have time.

Ah, yes, I forgot about "-n".  I will send you the RH9 and FC1 default
rc.sysinit scripts under direct mail.  You could do a rescue boot off
the first CD and replace your script with one of those.
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- Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer     rstevens at vitalstream.com -
- VitalStream, Inc.                       http://www.vitalstream.com -
-                                                                    -
-         If this is the first day of the rest of my life...         -
-                        I'm in BIG trouble!                         -
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