Loop stuck in -D state

Loop stuck in -D state

[Richard B. Johnson]

I tried Linux 2.4.2
Now I'm in a load of trouble. I can't make a boot-disk to get back
to 2.4.1 because I use initrd for my hard disk modules and the loop
device is broken.

   100     0  1055  1040   9   0    780   780 wait_on_buf D   1  0:00
mount -o loop -t ext2 /tmp/ram /tmp/Ramdisk 

This is gonna be fun. I'll have to make a boot floppy on another machine
that doesn't have a broken loop device.

Cheers,
Dick Johnson

Penguin : Linux version 2.4.2 on an i686 machine (799.53 BogoMips).

"Memory is like gasoline. You use it up when you are running. Of
course you get it all back when you reboot..."; Actual explanation
obtained from the Micro$oft help desk.

Re: Loop stuck in -D state

[Mike Galbraith]

On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Richard B. Johnson wrote:

> I tried Linux 2.4.2
> Now I'm in a load of trouble. I can't make a boot-disk to get back
> to 2.4.1 because I use initrd for my hard disk modules and the loop
> device is broken.

What's wrong with 2.4.2 that makes you want to go back?  Anyway, if
you grab Jens' patch, all will be peachy (at least for that kind of
basic usage).

	-Mike

Re: Loop stuck in -D state

[Mike Galbraith]

On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Mike Galbraith wrote:

> On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Richard B. Johnson wrote:
>
> > I tried Linux 2.4.2
> > Now I'm in a load of trouble. I can't make a boot-disk to get back
> > to 2.4.1 because I use initrd for my hard disk modules and the loop
> > device is broken.
>
> What's wrong with 2.4.2 that makes you want to go back?  Anyway, if
> you grab Jens' patch, all will be peachy (at least for that kind of
> basic usage).

P.S.
Are you saying that the initrd is broken again as well?  (having
trouble understanding the problem.. don't see why you need the
loop device or rather how its being busted is connected to your
[interpolation] difficulty in creating a new initrd)

	-EAGAIN ;-)

	-Mike

Re: Loop stuck in -D state

[Richard B. Johnson]

On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Mike Galbraith wrote:

> On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Mike Galbraith wrote:
> 
> > On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Richard B. Johnson wrote:
> >
> > > I tried Linux 2.4.2
> > > Now I'm in a load of trouble. I can't make a boot-disk to get back
> > > to 2.4.1 because I use initrd for my hard disk modules and the loop
> > > device is broken.
> >
> > What's wrong with 2.4.2 that makes you want to go back?  Anyway, if
> > you grab Jens' patch, all will be peachy (at least for that kind of
> > basic usage).
> 
> P.S.
> Are you saying that the initrd is broken again as well?  (having
> trouble understanding the problem.. don't see why you need the
> loop device or rather how its being busted is connected to your
> [interpolation] difficulty in creating a new initrd)
> 
> 	-EAGAIN ;-)
> 

The initial RAM disk image is created using the loop device. You
can create a RAM disk image for initrd by using the ram device.
However, that doesn't work once the system has been booted off
it (try it, be ready for a complete hang).

Cheers,
Dick Johnson

Penguin : Linux version 2.4.1 on an i686 machine (799.53 BogoMips).

"Memory is like gasoline. You use it up when you are running. Of
course you get it all back when you reboot..."; Actual explanation
obtained from the Micro$oft help desk.

Re: Loop stuck in -D state

[Sergey Kubushin]

On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Richard B. Johnson wrote:

> The initial RAM disk image is created using the loop device. You
> can create a RAM disk image for initrd by using the ram device.
> However, that doesn't work once the system has been booted off
> it (try it, be ready for a complete hang).

So don't use ext2fs for the initial RAM disk image :)) We use romfs in KSI
Linux instead for a very long time and we're quite happy with it. As a
matter of fact, we have all filesystems (including ext2fs) and all block
devises (including IDE) in modules. The only things built-in are initial RAM
disk and romfs...

One don't need a loopback device to create a romfs image...

---
Sergey Kubushin				Sr. Unix Administrator
CyberBills, Inc.			Phone:	702-567-8857
874 American Pacific Dr,		Fax:	702-567-8808
Henderson, NV, 89014

Re: Loop stuck in -D state

[Jeff Garzik]

Mike Galbraith wrote:
> On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Richard B. Johnson wrote:
> > Now I'm in a load of trouble. I can't make a boot-disk to get back
> > to 2.4.1 because I use initrd for my hard disk modules and the loop
> > device is broken.
> 
> What's wrong with 2.4.2 that makes you want to go back?  Anyway, if
> you grab Jens' patch, all will be peachy (at least for that kind of
> basic usage).

2.4.3-pre2 should be the one to test... it should include the latest
loop fixes..

-- 
Jeff Garzik       | "You see, in this world there's two kinds of
Building 1024     |  people, my friend: Those with loaded guns
MandrakeSoft      |  and those who dig. You dig."  --Blondie

Re: Loop stuck in -D state

[davidge]

On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Jeff Garzik wrote:

>...
> 
> 2.4.3-pre2 should be the one to test... it should include the latest
> loop fixes..
> 

For what I've tested, 2.4.3-pre2 works fine with the loop device.



David Gómez

"The question of whether computers can think is just like the question of
 whether submarines can swim." -- Edsger W. Dijkstra

Re: Loop stuck in -D state

[Mike Galbraith]

On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Richard B. Johnson wrote:

> On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Mike Galbraith wrote:
>
> > Are you saying that the initrd is broken again as well?  (having
> > trouble understanding the problem.. don't see why you need the
> > loop device or rather how its being busted is connected to your
> > [interpolation] difficulty in creating a new initrd)
> >
> > 	-EAGAIN ;-)
> >
>
> The initial RAM disk image is created using the loop device. You
> can create a RAM disk image for initrd by using the ram device.
> However, that doesn't work once the system has been booted off
> it (try it, be ready for a complete hang).

That's news to me.  My test images were created without using the
loop device, and my box boots just fine.

	-Mike