FW: [suse-axp] Getting "Block 0 not valid boot block" error

From: Jim Hoepner (jhoepner@tvsw.org)
Date: Tue Jun 13 2000 - 07:50:32 PDT

  • Next message: Ruediger Oertel: "Re: [suse-axp] FW: [suse-axp] Getting "Block 0 not valid boot block" error"

    From: "Jim Hoepner" <jhoepner@tvsw.org>
    Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 09:50:32 -0500
    Message-ID: <000b01bfd546$ba2ecec0$921f43a7@pc01319.emd.com>
    Subject: FW: [suse-axp] Getting "Block 0 not valid boot block" error
    

    Thanks for the info. I re-ran my install last night, got
    block0 formated and recognized as a valid boot sector but
    then it stops on the following process: aboot: (loading PAL
    or something - didn't write it down)

    error 5
    HALT
    something
    CP something

    Could you take a look at my install procedure and see if I
    missed something or am in error somewhere? It looks to me
    like either step 6 and/or 13b are wrong??? Also, I'm not
    sure about step 13c. I got the swriteboot command from
    http://artists.at/alphalinux/ compliments of Martin Tanzer.
    It took the command ok though.

    Here's my 'SuSE-AXP 6.3' install sequence:
            - CPU: Digital AlphaStation 200
                    - SuSE-AXP 6.3 Manual/Page14
                            - Family/Model: AS 200 4/233
                            - Aliases: MUSTANG
                            - BootDis-Image: Avanti

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    STEP CONSOLE COMMAND DESCRIPTION
    1 insert CD 1 / powerup

    2 SRM 'show dev' dka200 is my scsi CD

    3 SRM 'boot dka200 -fl 0' boot from CD
    or
    3 SRM 'boot dka200 -file /vmlinux.gz -flags 0'

    4 LINUXRC select LANGUAGE
    4a LINUXRC select COLOR
    4b LINUXRC select 'Start installation / System'
    4c LINUXRC select 'Start installation'
    4d LINUXRC select 'Install from 'CD-ROM'
    4e LINUXRC select 'Install Linux from scratch'
            See SuSE-AXP 6.3 Manual/Page17-22 for screenshots.

    5 ALT+F2 #/: fdisk create BSD partitions
    5a fdisk b BSD partitioning menu
    5b fdisk p look at partition tbl
    5c fdisk d delete partitions
    5d fdisk n create partition tbl
                            a:Cyl 1-2, type boot (d)
                            b:Cyl 3-1024, type ext2 (8)
                            c:Cyl 1025-1280, type swap (1)
                             d:Cyl 1281-8347, type ext2 (8)
    5e fdisk w write partition to disk
    5f fdisk q quit fdisk
    The manual did'nt say to do step 6 but this was the only way
    I could get YaST to recognize my swap partitions. So, I am
    thinking I maybe should be doing something else in place of
    step 6?

    6 fdisk #/: fdisk restart fdisk to create
                                                    partitions 1-4
    6b fdisk p see if partitions exist
    6c fdisk d delete partitions
    6d fdisk n create new partition tbl
                            1:Cyl 1-2, type Linux native' (83)
                            2:Cyl 3-1024, type Linux native' (83)
                            3:Cyl 1025-1280, type Linux swap' (82)
                             4:Cyl 1281-8347, type Linux native' (83)

    6c fdisk t partition 1 boot flag
    6e fdisk w writes partition to disk
    6f fdisk q quit fdisk
    6g ALT-F1 go back to YaST

    7 SHUTDOWN / RESTART
    7a Repeat steps: 1-4e
                                                    boots to YaST
                                                    swap is recognized
            When YaST starts choose 'DO NOT PARTITION' and it
            finds the partitions created in step 6. I just hit
            <CONTINUE> to move out of the 'EDITING THE PARTITION
            TABLE' menu to the 'CREATING FILESYSTEMS' menu on page
            45 of the SuSE-AXP 6.3 Manual.
    7b YaST F5 Set / and /root "block size" to 1024
    7c YaST F4 Set mount points
                                            sda1 /boot
                                            sda2 /
                                            sda4 /usr
    7d YaST F6 Choose 'NORMAL' format all sectors
    7c YaST Press <CONTINUE> to format and boot
                                    to 'Installation' screen. See
                                    SuSE-AXP 6.3 Manual/Page23.

    8 YaST Select 'Load Configuration'
    8a YaST Just installed the minimum for now.
                            - SuSE Minimal
                            - SuSE Default

    9 Remove CD's and prepare for
                                            initial system start.

    10 YaST Yast reboots and now I input the
                                            configuration settings.
                            Set 'TIMEZONE'
                            Set 'HOSTNAME'
                            Set 'SENDMAIL CONFIGURATION'
                            Set 'MODEM CONFIGURATION'
                            Set 'MOUSE CONFIGURATION'

    11 YaST Yast boots system.

    12 SuSE 'rpm -q aboot' Make sure aboot is installed.

    13 SuSE 'cp /etc/aboot.conf /etc/aboot.conf.original
    13a 'jed /etc/aboot.conf
    13b Create Entry: 0:2/boot/vmlinuz.gz ro root=/dev/sda2
                                            NOTE: I think the above entry should be:
                                            0:2/boot/bootlx ro root=/dev/sda2
    13c SuSE 'swriteboot -fl /dev/sda /boot/linux'

    14 SHUTDOWN / RESTART
                                            NOTE: When YaST restarts it gets stuck at SRM
    menu again.

    15 SRM >>>set boot_file 2/boot/bootlx
    15a SRM >>>set bootdef_dev dka0
    15c SRM >>>set boot_osflags "root=/dev/sda2"

    16 SRM >>>boot dka0 -file /boot/bootlx

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    HERE'S WHERE I'M STUCK WITH THE ERROR. SuSE says my block 0
    is valid but stops with a 'HALT' on an aboot: process.

    Do I need to change my aboot.conf from:
            0:2/boot/vmlinuz.gz ro root=/dev/sda2
            to
            0:2/boot/bootlx ro root=/dev/sda2
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    Thanks!
    jrh, 06-13-00

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Ruediger Oertel [mailto:ro@suse.de]
    Sent: Monday, June 12, 2000 4:23 PM
    To: Jim Hoepner
    Cc: SuSE-axp (E-mail)
    Subject: Re: [suse-axp] Getting "Block 0 not valid boot
    block" error

    On Mon, 12 Jun 2000, Jim Hoepner wrote:

    > Hi,
    >
    > I'm installing SuSE6.3 AXP on a AS200. I did the install
    > and then let YaST reboot but it says that block 0 on my
    hard
    > drive does not have a valid boot block.
    The 6.3 did not automatically generate a boot-block, I
    finally
    added this in 6.4. You should however be able to boot from
    CD and select "boot installed system".
    >
    > I think I might have the answer but I'm not sure if it
    will
    > work: The manual says the "block size" for / and /boot
    must
    > be set to 1024. I need to try this next but, if someone
    > else has any other ideas please let me know. I will
    assume
    > the "inode" setting does NOT have to be set to 1024 too??
    Yes, at the time of 6.3 none of the alpha-bootloaders could
    handle ext2 filesystem layouts for blocksize != 1024 ; the
    inode-density does not have a direct relation to this.
    >
    > PS What does the "i" option -install bootstrap- (fdisk BSD
    > menu) do and if I need to run some sort of bootstrap
    install
    > then what commands do I issue.

    --
    with kind regards (mit freundlichem Grinsen),
                                  Ruediger Oertel (ro@suse.de)
    ----------------------------------------------------------
              does "DONT PANIC" give a hint ?
    



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