I'm trying to revive an older Lenovo. It has worked in the past.
Here is the kernel panic error (3 lines)...

VFS: Cannot open device "801" or unknown-block (8,1): error -6
Please append a correct "root=" boot option: here are the available partitions: Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root on unknown-block (8,1)

I've pulled in a working configuration from an old backup, so it
should work. I'm also listing "fdisk -l", "ll /boot", and
/etc/lilo.conf (the machine is too old for UEFI). Any ideas?

===========================================================================

Disk /dev/sda: 74.53 GiB, 80026361856 bytes, 156301488 sectors
Disk model: WDC WD800BEVS-08
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x16cab3f2

Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sda1 * 2048 134219775 134217728 64G 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 134219776 156301487 22081712 10.5G 82 Linux swap / Solaris

===========================================================================

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Jul 24 06:34 .
drwxr-xr-x 21 root root 4096 Apr 25 03:16 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 Apr 12 18:57 .keep
-rw------- 1 root root 165376 Jul 24 06:34 .map
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3806788 Jul 24 06:30 System.map.experimental
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3806788 Jul 24 06:31 System.map.production
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 512 Jul 24 05:38 boot.0800
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 106972 Jul 24 06:30 config.experimental
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 106972 Jul 24 06:31 config.production
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7596800 Jul 24 06:30 kernel.experimental
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7596800 Jul 24 06:31 kernel.production

===========================================================================

# Faster, but won't work on all systems:
#compact
# Should work for most systems, and do not have the sector limit:
lba32
# If lba32 do not work, use linear:
#linear

# MBR to install LILO to:
boot = /dev/sda
map = /boot/.map

install = /boot/boot-menu.b # Note that for lilo-22.5.5 or later you
# do not need boot-{text,menu,bmp}.b in
# /boot, as they are linked into the lilo
# binary.

menu-scheme=Wb
prompt
# If you always want to see the prompt with a 15 second timeout:
timeout=150
delay = 50
#
# End LILO global section
#

#
# Linux bootable partition config begins
#
image = /boot/kernel.production
root = /dev/sda1
label = Production
read-only # read-only for checking
append = "noexec=on net.ifnames=0 intel_pstate=disable ipv6.disable=1"

image = /boot/kernel.experimental
root = /dev/sda1
label = Experimental
read-only # read-only for checking
append = "noexec=on net.ifnames=0 intel_pstate=disable ipv6.disable=1"

#
# Linux bootable partition config ends
#

===========================================================================

--
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 24/07/2022 12:01, Walter Dnes wrote:

I'm trying to revive an older Lenovo. It has worked in the past.
Here is the kernel panic error (3 lines)...

VFS: Cannot open device "801" or unknown-block (8,1): error -6
Please append a correct "root=" boot option: here are the available partitions:
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root on unknown-block (8,1)

I've pulled in a working configuration from an old backup, so it
should work. I'm also listing "fdisk -l", "ll /boot", and
/etc/lilo.conf (the machine is too old for UEFI). Any ideas?

Dunno about modern lilo, and I get the impression from what you're
saying that the kernel may have loaded but be crashing looking for root?

But my memories of lilo was it was very important you had to re-run it
every time you changed kernel, because it didn't know where the kernel
was by path, it coded the actual lba reference into the boot code.

So that might mean, if the kernel has been upgraded, an old boot config
might not work.

I know older SUSE install media had "boot system on disk" as one of
their options - might that work if you can boot from CD-Rom or USB?

Cheers,
Wol

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Sun, 24 Jul 2022 07:01:21 -0400, Walter Dnes wrote:

I'm trying to revive an older Lenovo. It has worked in the past.
Here is the kernel panic error (3 lines)...

VFS: Cannot open device "801" or unknown-block (8,1): error -6
Please append a correct "root=" boot option: here are the available partitions: Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root on unknown-block (8,1)

It looks like your boot partition is not found, which points to a disk
driver issue. Check the BIOS of the computer to make sure it is using
SATA for the controller, or whatever your kernel is set up to use.


--
Neil Bothwick

The thrill of victory, the agony of delete.

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--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Walter Dnes:

VFS: Cannot open device "801" or unknown-block (8,1): error -6
Please append a correct "root=" boot option: here are the available partitions:
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root on unknown-block (8,1)

...

I've pulled in a working configuration from an old backup, so it
should work.

...

Disk model: WDC WD800BEVS-08

...

image = /boot/kernel.production
root = /dev/sda1
label = Production
read-only # read-only for checking
append = "noexec=on net.ifnames=0 intel_pstate=disable ipv6.disable=1"

...

The kernel is missing the driver for your disk device.

801 is /dev/sda1:
# ls -l /dev/sda1
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 1 Aug 4 2013 /dev/sda1

WD800BEVS-08 is a 5400rpm 2.5inch sata disk.
Go into the bios and set up sata to be AHCI.

You have no initrd/initramfs so:
"SCSI disk support"
"Serial ATA and Parallel ATA drivers (libata)"
"AHCI SATA support"
and possilbe also
"Platform AHCI SATA support"
driver must be compiled in in the kernel.

You can check that by doing something like:
# grep BLK_DEV_SD= /boot/config.production
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SD=y
# grep CONFIG_SATA_AHCI /boot/config.production
CONFIG_SATA_AHCI=y
CONFIG_SATA_AHCI_PLATFORM=y

You must also compile in the filesystem used for /
(perhaps it is ext4).

# grep CONFIG_EXT4_FS= /boot/config.production
CONFIG_EXT4_FS=y

Every time you change the kernel you have to rerun lilo.

Regards,
/Karl Hammar

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sun, Jul 24, 2022 at 02:31:47PM +0100, Neil Bothwick wrote

It looks like your boot partition is not found, which points to a disk
driver issue. Check the BIOS of the computer to make sure it is using
SATA for the controller, or whatever your kernel is set up to use.

To quote Elvis... "Thank you, thank you, thank you very very much". I
went into the BIOS, toggled from "SATA" to "AHCI", and it booted up just
fine. I'm now running update world on the laptop.

--
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sun, Jul 24, 2022 at 05:15:48PM +0200, karl@aspodata.se wrote

WD800BEVS-08 is a 5400rpm 2.5inch sata disk.
Go into the bios and set up sata to be AHCI.

Thanks for the additional details. At Neil Bothwick's suggestion I've already toggled the BIOS from SATA to AHCI, and the system now boots up
fine. I'm currently running an update world on it.

--
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)