Hello CentOS Xen experts,
I am attempting my first Xen installation. I have a Centos 5.2 server (dom0) and am attempting to install a Centos 5.2 guest (domU). The install goes fine with one exception. At the end it complains "error mounting /boot". My efforts googling around the net to dig up a solution have come up empty, although I've seen similar issues reported. Details below. Any suggests would be much appreciated.
I've read this: http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/Xen/InstallingCentOSDomU but have not yet tried it. However, I would expect the same result, since it describes a simple variation of a normal Anaconda install.
Details:
* Centos 5.2 installation command, installing Centos 5.2 as the guest OS using nfs mounted Centos 5.2 iso dvd image: virt-install --paravirt -name vm-1 --ram 512 --file /vm/1/vm-1.img --file-size -4 --nographcs --location:nfs:192.168.1.101:/mnt/iso I select a minimal server config during the install that I know fits in 4 GB. Not much more than the base packages.
* Last install (Anaconda) screen: "Error mounting device xvda1 as /boot: Read-only file system" "This most likely means this partition has not been formated."
* Error on reboot after install: virDomainCreate() failed POST operation failed: (xend.err "Error creating doamain: Boot loader didn't return any data!")
The /etc/xen/vm-1 and /vm/1/vm-1.img files exist as expected after the install but will not boot.
Thanks, Jim Trainor
Jim Trainor wrote on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:22:38 -0500:
virt-install --paravirt -name vm-1 --ram 512 --file /vm/1/vm-1.img --file-size -4 --nographcs --location:nfs:192.168.1.101:/mnt/iso
did you type this or did you copy this from the shell? There are several errors/typos in it.
virt-install -p --location=ftp://...... --noautoconsole --nographics -- file=/home2/vm/d-minimal.img --file-size=1 --name=d-mini --ram=256
does work.
Even if it's possible to omit the equals signs I would think that "-4" *means* "minus 4" .... And ":" for the "=" are surely not allowed I guess.
Kai
You're correct there were some typos there. Sorry about that.
Here it is the corrected (cut/pasted!) virt-install command. I just ran this with the same result reported in my first message:
virt-install --paravirt --name=vm-1 --ram=512 --file=/vm/1/vm-1.img --file-size=4 --nographics --location=nfs:192.168.1.101:/mnt/iso
That starts the virtual machine to initiate the install, Anaconda connects to a local nfs server to access the Centos5.2 distribution, and the install proceeds as expected. The "Error mounting device xvda1 as /boot." failure happens after Anaconda finishes formatting /boot.
I have selinux turned off, so that shouldn't be getting the way. It's Centos 5.2 32bit if that matters.
It does appear the disk image was created and was written (to some extent) correctly:
[root@pipit ~]# ls -lh /vm/1/vm-1.img -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 4.1G Jan 14 05:03 /vm/1/vm-1.img
[root@pipit ~]# file /vm/1/vm-1.img /vm/1/vm-1.img: x86 boot sector; partition 1: ID=0x83, active, starthead 1, startsector 63, 208782 sectors; partition 2: ID=0x8e, starthead 0, startsector 208845, 8177085 sectors
However, attempting to start vm-1 yields the following:
[root@pipit ~]# virsh start vm-1 libvir: Xen Daemon error : POST operation failed: (xend.err "Error creating domain: Boot loader didn't return any data!") error: Failed to start domain vm-1
Thanks, Jim Trainor
Kai Schaetzl wrote:
Jim Trainor wrote on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:22:38 -0500:
virt-install --paravirt -name vm-1 --ram 512 --file /vm/1/vm-1.img --file-size -4 --nographcs --location:nfs:192.168.1.101:/mnt/iso
did you type this or did you copy this from the shell? There are several errors/typos in it.
virt-install -p --location=ftp://...... --noautoconsole --nographics -- file=/home2/vm/d-minimal.img --file-size=1 --name=d-mini --ram=256
does work.
Even if it's possible to omit the equals signs I would think that "-4" *means* "minus 4" .... And ":" for the "=" are surely not allowed I guess.
Kai
Problem solved:
I added the "--nonsparse" option to my virt-install command and discovered that the disk was running out of space (doh!).
Over and out.
Thanks, Jim Trainor
Jim Trainor wrote:
You're correct there were some typos there. Sorry about that.
Here it is the corrected (cut/pasted!) virt-install command. I just ran this with the same result reported in my first message:
virt-install --paravirt --name=vm-1 --ram=512 --file=/vm/1/vm-1.img--file-size=4 --nographics --location=nfs:192.168.1.101:/mnt/iso
That starts the virtual machine to initiate the install, Anaconda connects to a local nfs server to access the Centos5.2 distribution, and the install proceeds as expected. The "Error mounting device xvda1 as /boot." failure happens after Anaconda finishes formatting /boot.
I have selinux turned off, so that shouldn't be getting the way. It's Centos 5.2 32bit if that matters.
It does appear the disk image was created and was written (to some extent) correctly:
[root@pipit ~]# ls -lh /vm/1/vm-1.img -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 4.1G Jan 14 05:03 /vm/1/vm-1.img
[root@pipit ~]# file /vm/1/vm-1.img /vm/1/vm-1.img: x86 boot sector; partition 1: ID=0x83, active, starthead 1, startsector 63, 208782 sectors; partition 2: ID=0x8e, starthead 0, startsector 208845, 8177085 sectors
However, attempting to start vm-1 yields the following:
[root@pipit ~]# virsh start vm-1 libvir: Xen Daemon error : POST operation failed: (xend.err "Error creating domain: Boot loader didn't return any data!") error: Failed to start domain vm-1
Thanks, Jim Trainor
Kai Schaetzl wrote:
Jim Trainor wrote on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:22:38 -0500:
virt-install --paravirt -name vm-1 --ram 512 --file /vm/1/vm-1.img --file-size -4 --nographcs --location:nfs:192.168.1.101:/mnt/iso
did you type this or did you copy this from the shell? There are several errors/typos in it.
virt-install -p --location=ftp://...... --noautoconsole --nographics -- file=/home2/vm/d-minimal.img --file-size=1 --name=d-mini --ram=256
does work.
Even if it's possible to omit the equals signs I would think that "-4" *means* "minus 4" .... And ":" for the "=" are surely not allowed I guess.
Kai
CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
Jim Trainor wrote on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:23:42 -0500:
I added the "--nonsparse" option to my virt-install command and discovered that the disk was running out of space (doh!).
So, without it it apparently creates sparse files then ;-) Nevertheless, I find the nature of the problem somewhat suprising. The formatting of /boot should be the first thing done after creating the partitions. The "running out of space" should only happen when it has formatted / and tries to install software that needs more than those 3,9 GB on it.
Kai
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Jim Trainor -
Kai Schaetzl