Static Kernel booting issues... for server oriented custome kernel

[jery_wang]

Ran in to a fascinating problem,

Background:
  I need a custome compiled kernel that is static.. (i.e. all drivers built into the kernel... not modular) for a server system that is being built.  
  I have generated 2 kernels:
    1 with module loading enabled.
    1 with module loading disabled.
For the server system the kernel will be deployed on module loading must be disabled.

Problem:
  If I try to boot the kernel with module loading disabled and the boot process halts with failure to open initial console.  But,  I boot the kernel with module loading enabled, and the boot proceeds fine everything functions.

The problem may be in the way udev is setup in the fedora core 3 initialization.

Questions:
1) Has anyone tried turning module loading off and booted
   successfully?  If so I would appreciate knowing how you
   solved the boot problem I have run into.
2) Does anyone have a fix or suggestions of a fix for the 
   sysinit scripts for the system.

Thanks for any suggestions...
D. Lissimore

[Gain Paolo Mureddu]

Lissimore wrote:
> Ran in to a fascinating problem,
>
> Background:
>  I need a custome compiled kernel that is static.. (i.e. all drivers built into the kernel... not modular) for a server system that is being built.  
>  I have generated 2 kernels:
>    1 with module loading enabled.
>    1 with module loading disabled.
> For the server system the kernel will be deployed on module loading must be disabled.
>
> Problem:
>  If I try to boot the kernel with module loading disabled and the boot process halts with failure to open initial console.  But,  I boot the kernel with module loading enabled, and the boot proceeds fine everything functions.
>
> The problem may be in the way udev is setup in the fedora core 3 initialization.
>
> Questions:
> Has anyone tried turning module loading off and booted
>
> successfully?  If so I would appreciate knowing how you
>   solved the boot problem I have run into.
> 2) Does anyone have a fix or suggestions of a fix for the 
>   sysinit scripts for the system.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions...
> D. Lissimore

I can't say I ever could do this... May I inquire why do you must NOT 
have module loading support? That seems a bit interesting and I would be 
willing to try and build a non modular kernel.

[Serge de Souza]

Lissimore wrote:
<snip>
> Questions:
> Has anyone tried turning module loading off and booted
> successfully?  If so I would appreciate knowing how you
> solved the boot problem I have run into.

<snip>

Yes. Do as indicated in http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/udev/ :

Udev without initrd

Install Fedore Core as usual and reboot. Execute the following commands

mkdir /tmp/dev
mount --move /dev /tmp/dev
sbin/MAKEDEV null console zero
mount --move /tmp/dev /dev

Install your kernel without an initrd. Reboot.

You will get some SELinux errors, and syslogd will not work as expected.

PS sorry for the late response just going through old mail ;)