[uml-user] Problem with hostfs as rootfs

[<fer...@ag...>]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to boot UML using hostfs as root filesystem, as described in
http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/UserModeLinux-HOWTO-9.html, but
I'm getting problems in the booted UML.

I'm using the following booting line:

linux root=3D/dev/root hostfs=3D/uml/filesystems/hostfs/ rootfstype=3Dhostfs
uml_dir=3D/var/vnuml/simple_hostfs/ umid=3Dhost1 con=3Dnull con0=3Dxterm

Where:

- linux is the UML kernel (2.4.22, compiled with CONFIG_HOSTFS=3Dy)
- /uml/filesystems/hostfs/ is the host path to a root filesystem

Using this line, UML boots in a xterm, but it behaves extrange:

- ls always returns empty file listing. For example 'ls -l /etc' inside
UML returns 'total 0', but 'cat /etc/fstab' returns the actual content
of /ect/fstab file!

- I can't write in the filesystem. For example, a 'touch /tmp/foo'
inside UML returns: 'touch: cannot touch `/tmp/foot': Read-only file
system'

Maybe the problem is related with the following line, that appears in the
xterm boot log:

   VFS: Mounted root (hostfs filesystem) readonly.

How can I specify that the hostfs rootfs must be mounted read-write? Maybe
I'm missing some kernel switch?

Anyway, given the output of 'mount' inside UML, all mounting points
seem right configured:

none on / type hostfs (rw)
proc on /proc type proc (rw)
sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,mode=3D0622,gid=3D5,mode=3D620)
tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)

As a reference, I also include the contents of
/uml/filesystems/hostfs/etc/fstabf file:

none / hostfs defaults 1 1
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/ubd/1 /opt ext2 defaults 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts  mode=3D0622 0 0

Please, any help about solutions and similar experiencies is very welcome.

Thank you in advance!

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Ferm=EDn