Installing a new kernel...

[alan brown]

I used apt-get install kernel-image-2.4.18-386 to update my kernel.

 

I added a line to lilo.conf regarding initrd=/initrd.img (or whatever it was that I was told to do while the new kernel was being installed).  Everything went swimmingly.  When I rebooted my system, I couldn’t see any problems with the modules being loaded and the devices being checked.  But, just as I was expecting it to offer me the graphical login screen, the whole screen went blank (not black though, it’s cyan or turquoise or a bluey green or…).

 

I was able to reboot and then use LILO to boot my old kernel so everything is under control, but I’m not sure what I did wrong in the install.  The instructions were pretty straightforward.  /vmlinuz points to the new kernel.  /vmlinuz.old points to the old one.  It was all done for me during the install.  In fact, the only thing I had to do was put the aforementioned line in lilo.conf

 

Any pointers would be appreciated…

 

alan

[Oliver Fuchs]

On Mon, 23 Dec 2002, alan brown wrote:

> I added a line to lilo.conf regarding initrd=/initrd.img (or whatever it
> was that I was told to do while the new kernel was being installed).
> Everything went swimmingly. When I rebooted my system, I couldn't see
> any problems with the modules being loaded and the devices being
> checked. But, just as I was expecting it to offer me the graphical
> login screen, the whole screen went blank (not black though, it's cyan

> or turquoise or a bluey green or.).

Are you able to switch to the console?
If so try to rreconfigure your xfree86 driver with (for me it
works):

dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86

Oliver
--
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[Ken McFelea]

In article <005801c2aa5c$e2971320$6501a8c0@alan>, alan brown wrote:
> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>
> --Boundary_(ID_U5UCWBOUUH+8lW+zpNw4/w)
> Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

>
> I used apt-get install kernel-image-2.4.18-386 to update my kernel.
>
>
>
> I added a line to lilo.conf regarding initrd=/initrd.img (or whatever it
> was that I was told to do while the new kernel was being installed).
> Everything went swimmingly. When I rebooted my system, I couldn't see
> any problems with the modules being loaded and the devices being
> checked. But, just as I was expecting it to offer me the graphical
> login screen, the whole screen went blank (not black though, it's cyan

> or turquoise or a bluey green or.).
>

If you added initrd=/initrd.img to lilo.conf you must also create
another file. That file is /etc/kernel-img.conf

The contents of kernel-img.conf must read:

do_initrd = Yes

Not sure if that will cure your particular problem but it is a step that
you appeared to overlook.

Ken

--
Ken "Buddy" McFelea
Registered Linux User #194388
Running Debian GNU/Linux Sarge (testing)

[Narins, Josh]

Is there any chance you were in TWM, Tim(Tom's?) Window Manager?

 

It's just a big blue screen, until you start clicking.

 

I'm no smart guy on kernel upgrades (I've never tried it via apt, for instance) but that blue color rings a bell.

 

The other suggestion is correct, type Ctrl-Alt-F1 to get a console to see what is going on.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: alan brown [mailto:alan...@pacbell.net]
Sent: Monday, December 23, 2002 3:26 AM
To: debia...@lists.debian.org
Subject: Installing a new kernel...

I used apt-get install kernel-image-2.4.18-386 to update my kernel.

 

I added a line to lilo.conf regarding initrd=/initrd.img (or whatever it was that I was told to do while the new kernel was being installed).  Everything went swimmingly.  When I rebooted my system, I couldn't see any problems with the modules being loaded and the devices being checked.  But, just as I was expecting it to offer me the graphical login screen, the whole screen went blank (not black though, it's cyan or turquoise or a bluey green or...).

 

I was able to reboot and then use LILO to boot my old kernel so everything is under control, but I'm not sure what I did wrong in the install.  The instructions were pretty straightforward.  /vmlinuz points to the new kernel.  /vmlinuz.old points to the old one.  It was all done for me during the install.  In fact, the only thing I had to do was put the aforementioned line in lilo.conf

 

Any pointers would be appreciated...

 

alan

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[alan brown]

You were right.  At least, sort of.  When I did ctrl-alt-F1, I just got a blank, black screen.   The same with ctrl-alt-F2 -> ctrl-alt-F6.  But when I did ctrl-alt-F7, up popped the gnome login manager.  I was then able to log in just fine and confirm I was running the new kernel.

 

So I tried rebooting to see if my problem was permanently cured, but it happened again, exactly the same way.  And even after I had logged in, I was still unable to get to a text console with ctrl-alt-Fx.

 

Has anyone else ever noticed this problem.  I don’t see why it would be an x86-config4 problem as once I’ve logged in the mouse and key board work fine.

 

alan

[Narins, Josh]

This is way over my head, but it sounds like your choice of "getty" is broken?bad?

 

The process that should be listening for logins on consoles 1 through 6 is called getty, or mingetty, or some othe replacement

 

dpkg-reconfigure it?

 

It's definitely not an X problem, since you say that works.

[alan brown]

I tried reconfiguring package getty but was told that it is not installed and has no available information

 

So I did an apt-get install on it and was told that it existed in the database but had no available version.  But that the package util-linux replaces it, and I have the latest version of that. 

 

So I tried reconfiguring that but it ignored the command.  Perhaps it did everything behind the scenes, so I just rebooted.  But, no, the same problem exists.

 

The oddest thing about the whole thing is that when my blue/green screen comes up, I can’t just do ctrl-alt-F7 to get the login screen.  I have to do ctr-alt-Fn, and then do ctrl-alt-F7 to get it.  And then I log in to X, but am still unable to use the text consoles.

 

I’m using kernel 2.4.18-386.  It tells me that getty doesn’t exist but that util-linux replaces it.  Does that make sense?  It’s definitely saying that I can’t install getty, but perhaps that’s because it’s supposed to be part of the kernel? 

 

Any thoughts

[jeff]

alan brown wrote:
> I used apt-get install kernel-image-2.4.18-386 to update my kernel.
>
>
>
> I added a line to lilo.conf regarding initrd=/initrd.img (or whatever it
> was that I was told to do while the new kernel was being installed).

> Everything went swimmingly. When I rebooted my system, I couldn?t see

> any problems with the modules being loaded and the devices being
> checked. But, just as I was expecting it to offer me the graphical

> login screen, the whole screen went blank (not black though, it?s cyan
> or turquoise or a bluey green or?).

>
>
>
> I was able to reboot and then use LILO to boot my old kernel so

> everything is under control, but I?m not sure what I did wrong in the

> install. The instructions were pretty straightforward. /vmlinuz points
> to the new kernel. /vmlinuz.old points to the old one. It was all done
> for me during the install. In fact, the only thing I had to do was put
> the aforementioned line in lilo.conf
>
>
>

> Any pointers would be appreciated?
>
>
>
> alan
>

http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/reference/ch-kernel.en.html

--
everything is possible...
but nothing is real...

http://www.binaryfreedom.info

[Stephen Gran]

This one time, at band camp, alan brown said:
>
> I tried reconfiguring package getty but was told that it is not
> installed and has no available information
>
> So I did an apt-get install on it and was told that it existed in the
> database but had no available version. But that the package util-linux
> replaces it, and I have the latest version of that.
>
> So I tried reconfiguring that but it ignored the command. Perhaps it
> did everything behind the scenes, so I just rebooted. But, no, the
> same problem exists.
>
> The oddest thing about the whole thing is that when my blue/green
> screen comes up, I can't just do ctrl-alt-F7 to get the login screen.

> I have to do ctr-alt- Fn, and then do ctrl-alt-F7 to get it. And then

> I log in to X, but am still unable to use the text consoles.
>
> I'm using kernel 2.4.18-386. It tells me that getty doesn't exist
> but that util-linux replaces it. Does that make sense? It's
> definitely saying that I can't install getty, but perhaps that's

> because its supposed to be part of the kernel?
>
> Any thoughts
>
> alan

getty apparently used to be a seperate package, but is now part of the
util-linux package. In the absence on any additional information,
though, I think this may be barking up the wrong tree. It sounds like
this kernel you installed may be using a framebuffer, and this is dong
screwy things to your display settings, and it's reset by leaving X and
returning to it, at a guess.

Try disabling it (pass video= options to lilo) to see if that helps.
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Stephen Gran | BOFH excuse #2: solar flares |
| st...@lobefin.net | |
| http://www.lobefin.net/~steve | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[alan brown]

I'm not sure I followed your instructions correctly. I tried looking up
the video option for lilo but didn't see it on the web or the man page
for lilo.conf. Nevertheless I went to my new kernel image and added the
line

video=

to it for my new kernel image.

But it's still doing the same thing. No access to text consoles and I
begin in a blank blue-green screen till I do ctrl-alt-Fn followed be
ctrl-alt-F7

It's not an emergency, but it is irritating. More help would still be
appreciated...

alan

--

[Stephen Gran]

This one time, at band camp, alan brown said:

> I'm not sure I followed your instructions correctly. I tried looking up
> the video option for lilo but didn't see it on the web or the man page
> for lilo.conf. Nevertheless I went to my new kernel image and added the
> line
>
> video=
>
> to it for my new kernel image.
>
> But it's still doing the same thing. No access to text consoles and I
> begin in a blank blue-green screen till I do ctrl-alt-Fn followed be
> ctrl-alt-F7
>
> It's not an emergency, but it is irritating. More help would still be
> appreciated...
>
> alan

OK, clearly I should refrain from posting when I've been up all night.
I reread my post and even I'm not sure ow anyone is supposed to get
concrete help from it.

Take a look in /usr/src/linux/Documentation/fb/, there's quite a lot of
documentation about various things framebuffers are good for, and things
they're bad at. There's also a list of video options that can be passed
at boot - I meant mine as something to be looked up and then
implemented, rather than a literal piece of advice. Sorry about that.

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Stephen Gran | Your ignorance cramps my conversation. |
| st...@lobefin.net | |
| http://www.lobefin.net/~steve | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------