RH302 Question #33: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

A 'Kernel Panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!' error indicates a critical issue during the boot process, often related to the boot loader (GRUB) configuration or kernel parameters. Procedure: 1. Reboot the system and access the GRUB boot menu. You might need to edit the

Question

You are giving RHCE exam. Examiner gave you the Boot related problem and told to you that make successfully boot the system. While Booting system, you saw some error and stop the boot process by displaying some error messages.
Kernel Panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!
And no further boot process. What you will do to boot the system.

Explanation

A 'Kernel Panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!' error indicates a critical issue during the boot process, often related to the boot loader (GRUB) configuration or kernel parameters.

Procedure:

Reboot the system and access the GRUB boot menu. You might need to edit the kernel boot parameters directly from the GRUB prompt.
The GRUB boot loader configuration file is typically /etc/grub.conf (or /boot/grub/grub.conf).
The problem likely stems from a misconfigured boot loader. You need to ensure the kernel line has correct parameters, especially root=LABEL=/ or root=/dev/sdX pointing to the correct root filesystem and essential parameters like ro (read-only) and rhgb quiet.

Correct GRUB Configuration example: default=0 timeout=5 splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz hiddenmenu title Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES (2.6.9-5.EL) root (hd0,0) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-5.EL ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet initrd /initrd-2.6.9-5.EL.img

By correctly configuring these parameters, either temporarily at the GRUB prompt or permanently in /etc/grub.conf, you can resolve the kernel panic and allow the system to boot successfully.

Community Discussion

No community discussion yet for this question.

Full RH302 Practice