Kernel Upgrade IV - Troubleshooting

LiLo Errors

LiLo errors most often happen after a kernel upgrade if either '/etc/lilo.conf' has not been updated properly or if the lilo command hasn't been run to update the LiLo boot sector.
If you are using GRUB, you are able to edit the boot command line before booting, furthermore doesn't GRUB need any updating of the boot sector. Thus it is usually no problem to boot a GRUB system, even if the boot menu is wrong.

Large parts taken from The LiLo's User Guide in /usr/share/doc/lilo-[...]/, p.44:

• (nothing)

  No part of LILO has been loaded. LILO either isn't installed or the partition on which its boot sector is located wasn't started.
  Use a boot floppy. Check '/etc/lilo.conf' and run /sbin/lilo again.

• L [error] ...

  The first stage boot loader has been loaded and started, but it can't load the second stage boot loader. The two-digit error codes indicate the type of problem. This condition usually indicates a media failure or a geometry mismatch.
  You will find a list of error codes on the same page of the User Guide. The 'geometry mismatch' error might occur, if you've moved the kernel to a different location or changed the partition setup and forgot to run lilo afterward.

• LI

  The first stage boot loader was able to load the second stage boot loader, but has failed to execute it. This can either be caused by a geometry mismatch or by moving /boot/boot.b without running the map installer
  Same as above. Running /sbin/lilo should help.

• LIL

  The second stage boot loader can't load the descriptor table from the map file. This is typically caused by a media failure or by a geometry mismatch.

• LIL?

  Second stage boot loader has been loaded at an incorrect address. See LI.

• LIL-

  Corrupt descriptor file table. See LI.

In short: Never forget to run lilo having made changes to the kernel, its location or the partition layout!
If you have, read System Doesn't Boot From Disk Anymore, which will tell you how to recover from this.

• Kernel [name] is too big!

  You have compiled a kernel bigger than 512KB with make zImage instead of make bzImage. Note that 'bzImage' won't make the kernel smaller, but will instead enable it to be loaded into a different memory address space.

Consult the Lilo User's Guide for much more...

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Module loading errors

These are errors like boot-hangs at Finding modules dependencies, unresolved dependencies, can't locate module, or kernel version mismatch.

• You've forgotten to run make modules && make modules_install. Do that then.

• You've forgotten to change the EXTRA_VERSION flag in the Makefile. Check /lib/modules. If you don't find a directory in there that carries the new kernel version label, that's your problem. You've installed the new modules in the old directory.
  Remove or rename the old modules directory and run make modules && make modules_install again.

• Some links in /boot still points to the old versions of their respective source files. Relink them with ln -sf [source file] [new version file].

• You've forgotten to set the installation directory in the Makefile. The files are now in / and not in /bin. Move them there, set the links and run /sbin/lilo.

• You use binary-only modules which are linked against a specific kernel version. Either go back to your old kernel or ask the module manufacturer to release an update. These modules are not a good thing.

• If you get errors with the loopback interface 'lo' on boot, you probably compiled 'UNIX 98 pty' support as a module. You should better change this.

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