# [solved]vmware-player: Kernel panic: No available partitions

## mw007

I recently installed vmware-player-2.5.3.185404. The gentoo livecd boots just fine, and I've installed the latest kernel on the vm image.  However, when trying to boot the newly installed gentoo partition, I get the following kernel panic:

```
VFS: Cannot open root device "sda3" or unknown-block(2,0)

Please append a correct "root=" boot option: here are the available partitions:

Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(2,0)

```

sda3 is what the livecd recognizes as my root partition, and my filesystem reflects this:

```
Disk /dev/sda: 16.1 GB, 16106127360 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1958 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x04f07454

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sda1               1           5       40131   83  Linux

/dev/sda2               6          71      530145   83  Linux

/dev/sda3              72        1958    15157327+  83  Linux

```

Here is the relevant output of lspci -v:

```
00:07.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01) (prog-if 8a [Master SecP PriP])

   Subsystem: VMware Virtual Machine Chipset

   Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 64

   [virtual] Memory at 000001f0 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=8]

   [virtual] Memory at 000003f0 (type 3, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=1]

   [virtual] Memory at 00000170 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=8]

   [virtual] Memory at 00000370 (type 3, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=1]

   I/O ports at 10c0 [size=16]

   Kernel driver in use: PIIX_IDE

   Kernel modules: ata_piix

```

And here is the corresponding portion of my kernel config that reflects I'm using the correct driver. Note that I have no other ata drivers enabled.

```
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PIIX=y

CONFIG_ATA_PIIX=y

# CONFIG_PATA_MPIIX is not set

# CONFIG_PATA_OLDPIIX is not set

# CONFIG_I2C_PIIX4 is not set

```

And here is the grub.conf I'm using, just for good measure.

```
default 0

timeout 5

#splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title Gentoo Linux 2.6.30

root (hd0,0)

kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.30 root=/dev/sda3 raid=noautodetect acpi=off

```

I'm not sure where to go at this point. I might try using a genkernel image first, then tweaking with menuconfig.

Performance isn't a priority. Only that I can get it working without having to boot into the livecd, mount, chroot, etc. This is going to be a virtualized webserver so I don't have to install apache and what not on my desktop.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I'll keep googling and post the solution, if I find one.

Thanks!

mw007Last edited by mw007 on Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:39 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## VoidMage

Have you compared kernel config of livecd and

your new kernel ?

Perhaps one of them still has some /dev/hd* devices ?

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## mw007

Using genkernel worked like a charm!

 *VoidMage wrote:*   

> Have you compared kernel config of livecd and
> 
> your new kernel ?
> 
> Perhaps one of them still has some /dev/hd* devices ?

 

If I'm feeling spunky tonight, I'll have a look at what was incorrect about my regular kernel config. For now, the genkernel will more than suffice.

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## reisio

As with any install, you have to enable the drivers for the hardware (whether it's virtual or not): http://kmuto.jp/debian/hcl/ ('Check').

Specifically, you were probably missing support for the virtual scsi device (CONFIG_FUSION / CONFIG_FUSION_SPI at time of this post).

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