software RAID1 with 2.6.x kernel

[Urs Traber <urs.traber@swissonline.ch>]

Hello,

I'm still running Sarge on a AS300 4/266 with a self-built 2.4.32
kernel from pristine sources in a software RAID1 configuration. I
thought it's about time to use a 2.6.x kernel and upgrade to Etch. My
first attempts to do this date back to when 2.6.21 was Latest, so I'm
still trying with this version for the moment - without success so
far.

I'm not using ramdisk, RAID1 support is compiled in, the root
filesystem is ext2. SRM variables are:

>>>show boot*
boot_dev                dka0.0.0.6.0
boot_file               2/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.32
boot_osflags            ro root=/dev/md0 console=ttyS0 md=0,/dev/sda2,/
dev/sdb2
boot_reset              ON
bootdef_dev             dka0.0.0.6.0
booted_dev
booted_file
booted_osflags

trying to boot a 2.6.21 kernel ends up in nothing more than this (and
the machine is stuck):

>>>b
(boot dka0.0.0.6.0 -file 2/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21 -flags ro root=/dev/md0
console=ttyS0 md=0,/dev/sda2,/dev/sdb2)
block 0 of dka0.0.0.6.0 is a valid boot block
reading 173 blocks from dka0.0.0.6.0
bootstrap code read in
base = 1f2000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = 15a00
initializing HWRPB at 2000
initializing page table at 1e4000
initializing machine state
setting affinity to the primary CPU
jumping to bootstrap code
aboot: Linux/Alpha SRM bootloader version 0.9
aboot: switching to OSF/1 PALcode version 1.46
aboot: booting from device 'SCSI 0 6 0 0 0 0 0'
aboot: valid disklabel found: 8 partitions.
aboot: loading uncompressed boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21...
aboot: loading compressed boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21...
aboot: zero-filling 160552 bytes at 0xfffffc000062eb78
aboot: starting kernel boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21 with arguments ro root=/dev/
md0 console=ttyS0 md=0,/dev/sda2,/dev/sdb2

And hints are greatly appreciated.

TIA, Urs