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RE: minimum initrd to satisfy init



recap:
kernel fails boot proccess at the point where /sbin/init 'should' execute, kernel panic, results.

In a most excellent article by Richard Ferri in Linux Journal:
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5465

it was explained that I needed to execute '/dev/MAKEDEV console' in the directory on the NFS server that would provide a root mount point for the old i386 remote (client). This solved the 'can not open initial console' problem, but then init still fails.

It has occurred to me that I can not simply link to the compilied base binaries present on the NFS server because they are (most likely??) compiled binaries appropriate for the host's more powerfull cpu, and most inappropriat for the less powerful, and much older i386 on the client machine. Meaning that I will have to search out a complete Debian base package of compiled binaries appropriate for that i386, and make them available to the client machine when it mounts its root point on the NFS server. (installing those base packages without corrupting the base packages present on the host NFS server...)

The kernel image I am attempting to start was compiled without the complexities introduced by initrd.

There are actually two kernel images involved, one loaded from a boot floppy into the client i386, a second pushed to the remote client by the tftpboot server. I can not yet confirm exactly which kernel is executing on the remote (client) machine.

Monitoring the tftpboot server, via tcpdump, I can see that the NFS root mount does take place, and it is reported in the server's syslog as an authenticated mount request. While monitoring the tftpboot server, via tcpdump, filtering for bootp activity, I can not yet confirm that the tftp (simple file transfer) exchange has actually pushed the second kernel image from the server to the client. The client machine does report, on its local console, that is has successfully mounted root on the NFS server.

comments welcome

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