# LILO hangs while writing to MBR [solved]

## daemonflower

Trying to install a new kernel, LILO hangs busily (with 100% CPU usage). It does so even in test mode. 

Here is its output:

```
[ 10:38:09 ] sudo lilo -t -v

LILO version 22.7.2 (test mode), Copyright (C) 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger

Development beyond version 21 Copyright (C) 1999-2006 John Coffman

Released 05-Jul-2006 and compiled at 12:47:23 on Jul 16 2006

Warning: LBA32 addressing assumed

Reading boot sector from /dev/hda

Warning: '/proc/partitions' does not match '/dev' directory structure.

    Name change: '/dev/dm-0' -> '/dev/volume00/home'
```

At this point it hangs.

In fact LILO has given me the error message about mismatched directory structure for a long time, without ever hanging. Because it worked, I always ignored it up to now.

I googled this error message and found some old mentions, stemming from the migration from a staticc /dev to devfs. I am using udev, so that didn't help me. Maybe there is something wrong with my udev rules, but I haven't tweaked them. I use udev-096-r1 and baselayout-1.12.4-r7 (the current versions, I think).

In fact, /dev/volume00/home is a remnant from an old system setup of mine. It is not used anymore (and I don't know why it is still in /dev/mapper, it is not created at boot time).

Here some, maybe relevant, directory listings:

```
[ 10:46:43 ] sudo ls -l /dev/volume00/

Password:

total 0

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25 Aug 28 14:04 home -> /dev/mapper/volume00-hom

[ 10:46:53 ] ll /dev/mapper/

total 0

crw-rw---- 1 root root  10, 62 Apr 11 20:31 control

brw------- 1 root root 253,  3 Aug 29 16:50 helge

brw------- 1 root root 253,  2 Aug 29 16:45 sam

brw------- 1 root root 253,  1 Aug 28 14:05 var

brw------- 1 root root 253,  0 Aug 28 14:04 volume00-home

[ 10:56:03 ] mount | grep mapper

/dev/mapper/var on /var type xfs (rw)

/dev/mapper/sam on /mnt/sam type ext3 (rw,noatime,acl)

/dev/mapper/helge on /mnt/helge type ext3 (rw,noatime,acl)

[ 11:08:55 ] grep dm /proc/partitions

 253     0  241172480 dm-0

 253     1  241172480 dm-1

 253     2   97667167 dm-2

 253     3   97667136 dm-3
```

I hope someone finds a solution soon, I don't dare reboot my computer in this state =(

Thanks,

Helge

Edit: Maybe I should add that /etc/lilo.conf references neither /dev/dm-0 nor /dev/volume00/home.Last edited by daemonflower on Sun Sep 10, 2006 1:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## alienjon

Could I see your lilo.conf please?

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## daemonflower

Sure thing:

```
boot = /dev/hda

prompt

vga = 791

timeout = 80

default = Gentoo-2.6.17.6

password = kgMhm2LILO

restricted

image = /boot/kernel-2.6.17-gentoo-r6

    label = Gentoo-2.6.17.6

    append="splash=verbose"

    vga=791

    optional

    root = /dev/hdb2

image = /boot/kernel-2.6.16-gentoo-r1

    label = Gentoo-2.6.16

    append="real_root=/dev/hdb2 splash=verbose"

    vga=791

    optional

    initrd = /boot/initrd-2.6.16-gentoo-r1

image = /boot/kernel-2.6.16-gentoo-r8

    label = Gentoo-2.6.16.8

    append="splash=verbose"

    vga=791

    optional

    root = /dev/hdb2

other = /dev/hda1

    table=/dev/hda

    label = FreeBSD

image = /boot/memtest.bin

    label = memtest86

    append = ""

    optional
```

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## alienjon

Well, I'm afraid that nothing seems to be too far out of place (although you do have several options that I didn't use when I used LILO. I saw your other post for grub and in cause you are curious, here's my grub.conf. I know that your partitioning scheme is non-standard (you have the /boot/ in your root directory, right? Anyway, if it helps, here's my grub.conf:

```

#

# Sample boot menu configuration file

#

# Boot automatically after 30 secs.

#timeout 30

timeout 15

# By default, boot the first entry.

default 0

# Fallback to the second entry.

fallback 1

# Nice, fat splash-image to spice thing up :)

splashimage=(hd1,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title=Gentoo Linux

root (hd1,0)

kernel (hd1,0)/bzImage-082706 root=/dev/hdc3 vga=0x31a splash=silent,fadein,theme:emergence fbcon=scrollback:128k quiet CONSOLE=/dev/tty1

initrd (hd1,0)/fbsplash-emergence-1280x1024

title=Windows XP

rootnoverify (hd0,0)

makeactive

chainloader +1

title=Gentoo Linux (safe-mode)

root (hd1,0)

kernel (hd1,0)/bzImage-072306 root=/dev/hdc3

```

Please feel free to ignore all of the vga/splash/framebuffer stuff, as you may not need to worry about those

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## daemonflower

Apparently upgrading to lilo-22.7.2-r2 solved the issue. In fact I had switched to grub in the meantime, but as emerging lilo ran it as well, automatically, I am now back with lilo.

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