Hi

 

I installed Unraid v6 a few night ago before going away. I configured the system, added drives (parity, storage and cache) and then allowed the drives to format and the parity to sync. I rebooted the server without issue and did some final tweaking such as Time Zone etc but nothing more with the drives. There are no shares, no docker or VM setup at present, just installed and basic config done.

 

I have come back to the system after a few days to finalise the build and I can't even get the server to boot. It posts, recognises the hardware, I see the UNRAID menu, it loads bzimage ok, then starts loading bzroot, pauses at initramfs, seems to be configuring drives and then I get a kernel panic. And I'm stuck with a bust system. I'm hoping someone understands the line below and help me out

 

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

 

What have I done wrong?

 

 

So.. I've done some reading and tried a few things.

 

I've checked my BIOS is configured correctly still and everything is OK there. I've tried passing some  kernel parameters and I am now getting drives recognised and the vfat file system mounted thanks to append root=/dev/sda1 .

 

I'm now getting a devtmpfs cannot be mounted error -2 message along with no init found - try passing init= option when the kernel panic happens. The wording isn't 100% correct as the unRaid box is upstairs and the pc I'm using to do the research is downstairs, if nothing else this reading and testing is helping with my fitness!

 

I'll keep at it for a bit longer tonight, if anyone has any ideas what I could try next I'd be happy to hear them.

 

The best time for trouble like this is when you are first setting up, before there's any data to worry about.  At this point, can't tell if it's defective hardware or defective configuration.  I'd start with a long Memtest, from that boot menu you saw.  Once you know you can trust the memory, then redo your flash drive, prepare it correctly, and make sure you eject it correctly ("Safe to remove").  Then see how far you get, and whether it stops at the same point, with the same messages.

 

Also, check for a BIOS update for the motherboard, and any firmware updates for added cards.  Actually, try booting without any extra cards, especially controller cards, it helps to isolate the source of the trouble.  Once running reliably, you can add things back, one at a time.

Hi Rob,

 

thanks for your suggestions. I'm with you on this is the best time for this to happen before I get any data to worry about.

 

I've run the chkdsk and the memtest overnight, both reported no errors and I'm still in the same situation. I'm going to try a new USB stick and have my licence moved over. The stick I was using is most likely the issue, it wasn't new and it's not a named brand.

 

Thanks again for your help.