INIT: Respawn too fast error

[MB[DK]]

I just compiled a 2.6.6 kernel on my debian unstable. Now when I reboot, I get this error:


INIT: Id '1-5' respawned too fast: disabled for 5 minutes

Now I gather that this means, its trying to start getty, so I can login, but getty doesnt want to start. How do I fix that?

[stumbles]

Originally posted by MB[DK]
I just compiled a 2.6.6 kernel on my debian unstable. Now when I reboot, I get this error:

Now I gather that this means, its trying to start getty, so I can login, but getty doesnt want to start. How do I fix that?

IIRC that has something to do with pty (pseudo terminals). Was that selected when it was compiled?

[MB[DK]]

Yes it was:
Legacy (BSD) PTY support
256 Number of legacy pty in use.



I guess thats what you mean.

[stumbles]

Originally posted by MB[DK]
Yes it was:
Legacy (BSD) PTY support
256 Number of legacy pty in use.



I guess thats what you mean.


Yes, that's it.

Hmm, I had this problem once before with a source based distro. Thing is I don't remember exactly what it took to fix it. I think it had something to do with /etc/inittab.

It was either this section (a Mandrake example):

# System initialization.
si::sysinit:/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit

l0:0:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 0
l1:1:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 1
l2:2:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 2
l3:3:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 3
l4:4:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 4
l5:5:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 5
l6:6:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 6

or this section;

# Run gettys in standard runlevels
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty1
2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty2
3:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty3
4:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty4
5:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty5
6:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty6

[MB[DK]]

Originally posted by stumbles

# Run gettys in standard runlevels
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty1
2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty2
3:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty3
4:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty4
5:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty5
6:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty6

I think thats it. But how is it fixable? I do have to run getty to login, it fails, and I guess something is missing from the kernel.

[stumbles]

Originally posted by MB[DK]
I think thats it. But how is it fixable? I do have to run getty to login, it fails, and I guess something is missing from the kernel.

You don't have a rescue CD from another distro or Knoppix laying around? You might be able to boot into single mode but don't remember if that mode is dependent on inittab.

Oh, thought of one other item. In /etc/fstab do you have an entry like this;

none /dev/pts devpts mode=0620 0 0

Debian might want it like this;

devpts /dev/pts devpts defaults 0 0

[MB[DK]]

I did just insert it, although indstead of mode=0620, I wrote rw. I was then able to ssh into the laptop, and found that /dev was void of ttys'.

So I can now ssh in, but direct login is impossible

[stumbles]

Originally posted by MB[DK]
I did just insert it, although indstead of mode=0620, I wrote rw. I was then able to ssh into the laptop, and found that /dev was void of ttys'.

So I can now ssh in, but direct login is impossible

Umm sounds like devfs was not compiled in or as a module during the kernel build.

[MB[DK]]

Originally posted by stumbles
Umm sounds like devfs was not compiled in or as a module during the kernel build.

Its working! It seems that I can easily go without devfs in the kernel, but if I did include it, I can install devfsd, and add it to init 3, then I can login.

Thx, for your help.

[stumbles]

Originally posted by MB[DK]
Its working! It seems that I can easily go without devfs in the kernel, but if I did include it, I can install devfsd, and add it to init 3, then I can login.

Thx, for your help.

Your welcome.

[bwkaz]

If devfs is not required for your particular setup, DO NOT USE IT with kernel 2.6!

It is deprecated for a reason -- internal APIs have been changing, and devfs has not (its maintainer has mysteriously disappeared). It will be going away first thing in the development of 2.7.

If you can boot without devfs successfully, then leave it off. If you need dynamic device creation, try udev instead (it hooks into hotplug, and everything happens in userspace).

[MB[DK]]

Originally posted by bwkaz
If devfs is not required for your particular setup, DO NOT USE IT with kernel 2.6!

It is deprecated for a reason -- internal APIs have been changing, and devfs has not (its maintainer has mysteriously disappeared). It will be going away first thing in the development of 2.7.

If you can boot without devfs successfully, then leave it off. If you need dynamic device creation, try udev instead (it hooks into hotplug, and everything happens in userspace).

Well the lack of a proper howto, and not reading the menuconfig comments, made me compile devfs, I have recompiled without devfs, and subsequently apt-removed devfsd, since it does work without.
I am however not able to use the special chars in the danish language, this puzzles me, since it seems to be a kernel problem, and I did remember to include "all" the appropriate keymaps.

EDIT: Maybe I should recompile, and just to make sure, include all the different keymaps.

[DarkVenom]

im having the same problem as well and i dont know how to get rid of it and when i type


# Run gettys in standard runlevels
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty1
2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty2
3:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty3
4:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty4
5:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty5
6:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty6

its says i dont have permission and says cant find directory
all i did was trying to update the verison bc it had said 98 updates and i did it but it kept on saying it then when i rebooted this thing u know the x respawn too fast thing

im using Fedora Core 1

[bwkaz]

Originally posted by MB[DK]
I am however not able to use the special chars in the danish language, this puzzles me, since it seems to be a kernel problem, and I did remember to include "all" the appropriate keymaps. You are loading the appropriate keymap (and console font) at boot time, correct? I don't know for sure, but I think that unless you actually patch the kernel, the default keymap is for a US-ASCII keyboard...

[MB[DK]]

Originally posted by bwkaz
You are loading the appropriate keymap (and console font) at boot time, correct? I don't know for sure, but I think that unless you actually patch the kernel, the default keymap is for a US-ASCII keyboard...

I did:

dpkg-reconfigure locales
dkpg-reconfigure console-data,
quite a few times already, but no luck.

[bwkaz]

Having never used Debian, I don't have a clue what that's supposed to do... but I don't think I have any other ideas, either. :(