[uml-user] Re: [insert distro name here] install instructions

[Paul W. <pd...@ex...>]

On Tue, May 04, 2004 at 11:30:25PM +1200, Peter wrote:
> I tried this howto out on a WhiteBox Linux http://whiteboxlinux.org
> install (basically a Red Hat Advanced Server 3 distro build from
> sources) to see if the same concept would work there.  Since if we can
> just use a regular installer to get UML file systems created, then the
> creation of UML file systems becomes trivial and it'd be much easier
> to get a UML running your personal preference distro.
> 
> The installer from
> ftp://mirror.physics.ncsu.edu/pub/whitebox/3.0/en/os/i386/images/
> boots up just fine.  It progresses through the install, hard disk
> partitioning, package selection, even package installation. Then the
> UML instance reboots (and brings back up the installer).  I kill the
> UML linux process.
> 
> But after the installer has done its thing I have a 'what next question'.
> 
> How do I activate the next phase of the install process?  The root
> files system does not seem able to boot up.  Nor be readable by the
> any of the usual methods I use.  e.g. I get this when using it to boot
> up a UML instance: kjournald starting.  Commit interval 5 seconds
> EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.  VFS: Mounted root
> (ext3 filesystem) readonly.  Warning: unable to open an initial
> console.  Kernel panic: No init found.  Try passing init= option to
> kernel.

Interesting - my next job is to do this for White Box, so your mail is
very timely.  What happens if you give it init=/bin/sh ?

> I try to mount the root file system on the host but get: 
> # mount -o loop -t ext3 rootfs.ext3 tmp/
> mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/loop1,
>        or too many mounted file systems

I don't understand that bit fully - is it because there is now a
partition table at the beginning of that disk?

I suspect that there may be a second stage of the installer that also
uses an initrd to get started.  To make it work, you'd need to find that
initrd, extract it, and pass it as an initrd option.

Paul