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PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs

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scavenger
PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
October 23, 2022 09:02PM
I dug up my Pogoplug Pro and tried to install Debian on it this weekend. I followed the steps from this thread https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,16044 using the Debian-4.14.180-oxnas-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2 tarball. Something must have gone wrong with my uBoot setup or the Debian usb boot disk setup because my pogoplug won't boot. It stopped with a kernel panic with the following error:

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

Attached it the serial output during the boot process. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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Attachments:
open | download - PogoPlugPro-Boot.log (16 KB)
bodhi
Re: PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
October 23, 2022 09:38PM
scavenger,

You should not do Step 4 when booting with new u-boot,

Quote
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,16044


4. Create uImage with embedded DTB for booting with stock u-boot. Skip this step if you have installed the latest released uboot for OXNAS, or are installing this u-boot at the same time.

- If you have the Pogo V3 Classic (without Wifi), then the DTB name below should be ox820-pogoplug-classic.dtb (see below for the list of OX820 DTBs).

cd /media/sdb1/boot
cp -a uImage uImage.orig
cp -a zImage-4.14.180-oxnas-tld-1 zImage.fdt
cat dts/ox820-pogoplug-pro.dtb >> zImage.fdt
mkimage -A arm -O linux -C none -T kernel -a 0x60008000 -e 0x60008000 -n 'Linux-4.14.180-oxnas-tld-1' -d zImage.fdt uImage
sync

So reverse Step 4: 

cd /media/sdb1/boot
cp -a uImage.orig uImage
sync

And bring the USB rootfs back to the Pogo and boot.

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2022 09:38PM by bodhi.
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scavenger
Re: PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
October 24, 2022 05:09PM
bodhi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> So reverse Step 4:
>
> 
> cd /media/sdb1/boot
> cp -a uImage.orig uImage
> sync
>
>
> And bring the USB rootfs back to the Pogo and
> boot.

Thanks bodhi. I reverted back to the original uImage and my pogoplug pro booted debian successfully. I went ahead and did the update and upgrade. During the update, I got the following warnings:

Reading package lists... Done
N: Skipping acquire of configured file 'main/binary-armel/Packages' as repository 'http://security.debian.org buster/updates InRelease' doesn't support architecture 'armel'
N: Skipping acquire of configured file 'contrib/binary-armel/Packages' as repository 'http://security.debian.org buster/updates InRelease' doesn't support architecture 'armel'
N: Skipping acquire of configured file 'non-free/binary-armel/Packages' as repository 'http://security.debian.org buster/updates InRelease' doesn't support architecture 'armel'
E: Could not open file /var/lib/apt/lists/http.debian.net_debian_dists_buster-updates_main_source_Sources.diff_Index - open (2: No such file or directory)
E: Could not open file /var/lib/apt/lists/http.debian.net_debian_dists_buster-updates_main_binary-armel_Packages.diff_Index - open (2: No such file or directory)
E: Could not open file /var/lib/apt/lists/http.debian.net_debian_dists_buster-updates_main_i18n_Translation-en.diff_Index - open (2: No such file or directory)

which didn't seem to have caused any harm, so I ignored them. Other than that, everything went smoothly.

What's the difference between the newest version of the kernel (5.4.210) vs the one that I'm using (4.14.180)? Did the kernel upgrade to the newest version after I ran "apt-get upgrade"?

Thanks again!
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bodhi
Re: PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
October 24, 2022 07:47PM
scavenger ,

> What's the difference between the newest version
> of the kernel (5.4.210) vs the one that I'm using
> (4.14.180)?

> Did the kernel upgrade to the newest
> version after I ran "apt-get upgrade"?
>

No, "apt-get upgrade" is for Debian packages in the rootfs (i.e. userland).

When you want to upgrade the kernel, follow the instruction in the release thread.

Quote

Updated 26 Aug 2022:

Kernel linux-5.4.210-oxnas-tld-1 package was uploaded.
....

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
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stokeymj
Re: PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
August 07, 2025 07:48AM
Hi. This is my first posting. Thanks so much for your detailed and comprehensive forum and generous sharing of your skaills and knowledge.

I am trying to get a Pogoplug E02 to work again. I have been frustrated trying to SSH in, because it seems to boot with an old USB stick, but then won't accept any known passwords (I'm fairly sure I have the cirrect one for root, but no dice). Without a USB stick it does boot and I get a flashing and then steady green light. Again, logging in seems impossible due to the password (I've tried the ones you mention in a different thread, but with no success).

I then connected the Pogo to a serial console on my Linux/Ubuntu main computer, and that way I can get a root prompt both without the USB stick and with it.

So I have now been trying to set up a fresh USB stick with a fresh Debian install (using my Linux box, of course). I have followed your instructions in Linux Kernal 6.15.2 etc and built the installation on several usb sticks. None of them have worked. I have tried Debian-4.12.1-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi, Debian-5.13.6-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi and Debian-6.5.7-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi. In each case I have plugged the USB stick into the Pogo, done a cold start and watched the boot sequence on the serial console and all goes well until:

Quote
From serial console
[ 19.747449][ T1] List of all bdev filesystems:
[ 19.752177][ T1] ext3
[ 19.752184][ T1] ext4
[ 19.754819][ T1] exfat
[ 19.757501][ T1] fuseblk
[ 19.760226][ T1] xfs
[ 19.763121][ T1] f2fs
[ 19.765667][ T1]
[ 19.770544][ T1] Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs)
[ 19.779552][ T1] CPU: 0 PID: 1 Comm: swapper Not tainted 6.5.7-kirkwood-t3
[ 19.790833][ T1] Hardware name: Marvell Kirkwood (Flattened Device Tree)
[ 19.797836][ T1] unwind_backtrace from show_stack+0x10/0x14
[ 19.803819][ T1] show_stack from dump_stack_lvl+0x28/0x30
[ 19.809617][ T1] dump_stack_lvl from panic+0xf0/0x320
[ 19.815059][ T1] panic from mount_root_generic+0x1c8/0x288
[ 19.820955][ T1] mount_root_generic from prepare_namespace+0x180/0x214
[ 19.827885][ T1] prepare_namespace from kernel_init_freeable+0x1b0/0x204
[ 19.834992][ T1] kernel_init_freeable from kernel_init+0x10/0x130
[ 19.841489][ T1] kernel_init from ret_from_fork+0x14/0x28
[ 19.847278][ T1] Exception stack(0x90819fb0 to 0x90819ff8)
[ 19.853064][ T1] 9fa0: 00000000 000000
[ 19.861986][ T1] 9fc0: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 000000
[ 19.870905][ T1] 9fe0: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000013 000000
[ 19.878260][ T1] ---[ end Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to moun-


(I can send a file with the full report if that would be useful).

I have not yet attempted to upgrade the U-Boot, so am working on the 2011 version:


Quote
From serial console
U-Boot 2011.12 (Feb 20 2012 - 21:21:59)
Pogoplug E02

SoC: Kirkwood 88F6281_A0
DRAM: 256 MiB
WARNING: Caches not enabled
NAND: 128 MiB
In: serial
Out: serial
Err: serial
Net: egiga0
88E1116 Initialized on egiga0
Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0
(Re)start USB...
USB: Register 10011 NbrPorts 1
USB EHCI 1.00

I have been hesitatnt to try to flash the U-Boot because of the difficulties of establishing an SSH connection.

Any advice on building a bootable Debian install given the kernel panic errors mentioned above would be greatly appreciated!
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bodhi
Re: PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
August 07, 2025 11:23AM
stokeymj,

First of, this thread is about the Pogo Pro, not Pogo E02 (2 different devices). But it's OK to keep this trouble shooting in this thread.

Did you follow this instructions
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,139998

There are a few possible reasons for this booting problems: u-boot envs were not set correctly, or the rootfs partition was not labled rootfs, or other file system errors ... So it is best that you post the entire serial console log here (from power up until the last error on the terminal).

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
bodhi's corner (buy bodhi a beer)
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stokeymj
Re: PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
August 07, 2025 02:18PM
Thanks for your reply.

Quote
From Bodhi
Did you follow this instructions
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,139998

No, I didn't see this and will investigate. I imagine that my u-boot requies Method 1. I'm not quite sure how to interrupt the boot count-down, though.

I also wonder whether it is an Ext2 versus Ext3 problem.

In the meantime, I attach the serial console log.

Many thanks.
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Attachments:
open | download - Console output 6.5.7 Kirkwood.txt (24.9 KB)
bodhi
Re: PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
August 07, 2025 10:55PM
stokeymj,

> No, I didn't see this and will investigate. I
> imagine that my u-boot requies Method 1. I'm not
> quite sure how to interrupt the boot count-down,
> though.

The problem was the old setup instruction is no longer valid with the new kernel (kernel files are a lot larger now). Just follow the Method 1 and it will boot OK.

To interrupt u-boot count down, type any key, e.g. <Enter>.

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
bodhi's corner (buy bodhi a beer)
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stokeymj
Re: PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
August 08, 2025 06:27AM
Thank you so much. I ran the setenv instructions, and it all booted perfectly! I'm thrilled.

For the sake of completeness, and for anybody else reading this thread, I did encounter a problem logging in to Debian as root. The passwords ceadmin and stxadmin didn't work, and nor did anything else that I tried.

I therefore mounted the USB stick in my debian box, and I edited the etc/paswd file. I changed the line which reads:

$ root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
to
$ root::0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
(ie, I removed the 'x'.)

The password was therefore blank, and I was able to log in. Of course, once I was logged in I set a new secure password.

I want to send you a virtual beer as a token of thanks, and have accessed the msf site. A donation will be on its way!
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bodhi
Re: PogoPlug Pro Kernel panic - unable to mount root fs
August 08, 2025 12:29PM
> Thank you so much. I ran the setenv instructions,
> and it all booted perfectly! I'm thrilled.

> I want to send you a virtual beer as a token of
> thanks, and have accessed the msf site. A donation
> will be on its way!

Cool!

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
bodhi's corner (buy bodhi a beer)
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