[CentOS-virt] xen CentOS 5.2 domU install error: "Error mounting device xvda1 as /boot"

Thu Jan 15 18:19:52 UTC 2009
Jim Trainor <jim.trainor at jptrainor.com>

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 at 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 at 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 at 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
>
>