Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 19:51:05 +0200 (MEST) From: Ruediger Oertel <ro@suse.de> Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.21.0006131939530.30086-100000@fatou.suse.de> Subject: Re: [suse-axp] FW: [suse-axp] Getting "Block 0 not valid boot block" error
Hi,
I've added comments below...
On Tue, 13 Jun 2000, Jim Hoepner wrote:
> 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
this looks like a real strange error, but in most cases this just
means that the boot-loader could not find/start your boot image,
see below.
>
>
> 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'
ok, so you are using SRM and not the arc/Milo variant.
>
> 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)
you won't need this first partition, just some empty space.
It is not really wrong to have it, but just be warned of a problem
that has bitten me many times: If you try to format this boot-partition
with ext2, older version of mke2fs will happily erase your disk label...
> b:Cyl 3-1024, type ext2 (8)
> c:Cyl 1025-1280, type swap (1)
> d:Cyl 1281-8347, type ext2 (8)
these look perfect.
> 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
I should be possible to just leave YaST, back into linuxrc and re-start
YaST again: it will scan the existing partitions during startup.
> 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'
no, just the other way around:
"swriteboot -fl /dev/sda /boot/bootlx"
to write the boot-loader to the start of the disk.
The path to the kernel-image is correct in /etc/aboot.conf
>
> 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
basically "boot_file" should be empty and "boot_osflags" should be set to "0"
to have aboot read it's configuration and use the "0:" line.
If you want to use the environment variables or commandline-options, it would be
"boot dka0 -file "/boot/vmlinux.gz" -flags "ro root=/dev/sda2"
or "set bootdef_dev dka0
set boot_file /boot/vmlinux.gz
set boot_osflags "ro root=/dev/sda2
boot"
>
> 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 ?
>
>
>
--
with kind regards (mit freundlichem Grinsen),
Ruediger Oertel (ro@suse.de)
----------------------------------------------------------
does "DONT PANIC" give a hint ?
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