[SOLVED]Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
[SOLVED]Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
Hi,
This is a centos 6 server with software raid1 drives. One of the drives has smart errors, so we needed to change the hard drive /dev/sdb.
We shutdown the server. Replaced /dev/sdb with a new drive and booted the server.
The grub shows up and starts to boot. Then the error happens. "mount: you must specify the filesystem type".
Next we removed the new drive and just booted with /dev/sda. We got the grub and it started to boot but got the same error, "mount: you must specify the filesystem type".
After that we put back the original hard drive and boot the server up and this time it booted up fine.
We reinstalled grub on both hard drives just to be sure. But that did not solve the problem.
Did some searching and google listed some pages saying dracut was the problem but no solution.
How can we solve this problem? Really need help with this. Hope someone can give some pointers and hints.
This is a centos 6 server with software raid1 drives. One of the drives has smart errors, so we needed to change the hard drive /dev/sdb.
We shutdown the server. Replaced /dev/sdb with a new drive and booted the server.
The grub shows up and starts to boot. Then the error happens. "mount: you must specify the filesystem type".
Next we removed the new drive and just booted with /dev/sda. We got the grub and it started to boot but got the same error, "mount: you must specify the filesystem type".
After that we put back the original hard drive and boot the server up and this time it booted up fine.
We reinstalled grub on both hard drives just to be sure. But that did not solve the problem.
Did some searching and google listed some pages saying dracut was the problem but no solution.
How can we solve this problem? Really need help with this. Hope someone can give some pointers and hints.
Last edited by pvanthony on 2020/01/21 15:40:49, edited 2 times in total.
- KernelOops
- Posts: 428
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Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
If only the failing drive contains the /boot partition, then you won't be able to boot.
In software raid situations, I always place a raid1 /boot partition on all drives, so they are all bootable no matter what.
In software raid situations, I always place a raid1 /boot partition on all drives, so they are all bootable no matter what.
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R.I.P. CentOS
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R.I.P. CentOS
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Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
You haven't given enough information for anyone to be able to help you. Post the output from fdisk -lu on all drives, the contents of /etc/fstab, the grub.cfg stanza for the current kernel, the output from the commands pvs, vgs and lvs.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
My bad. Here's the information. Let me know if more is needed.
Code: Select all
---------- fstab ------------------
/dev/md2 /backup ext4 defaults 1 1
/dev/md1 / ext4 defaults,usrjquota=aquota.user,grpjquota=aquota.group,jqfmt=vfsv0 1 1
/dev/md0 /boot ext3 defaults 1 2
/dev/sda2 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/sdb2 swap swap defaults 0 0
tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
------- end fstab ----------------
Code: Select all
------- fdisk -lu /dev/sda ----------------
# fdisk -lu /dev/sda
Disk /dev/sda: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7d6a3838
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 63 433751 216844+ fd Linux raid autodetect
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
Partition 1 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sda2 433752 16466623 8016436 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda3 16466624 3907024063 1945278720 fd Linux raid autodetect
------- end fdisk -lu /dev/sda ----------
Code: Select all
------- fdisk -lu /dev/sdb ----------------
# fdisk -lu /dev/sdb
Disk /dev/sdb: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x120a7cda
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 63 433751 216844+ fd Linux raid autodetect
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
Partition 1 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb2 433752 16466623 8016436 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb3 16466624 3907024063 1945278720 fd Linux raid autodetect
------- end fdisk -lu /dev/sdb ----------
Code: Select all
--------- grub.conf ---------------------
default=0
timeout=15
title CentOS (2.6.32-754.24.3.el6.x86_64)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.32-754.24.3.el6.x86_64 ro root=/dev/md1 rd_NO_LUKS crashkernel=auto SYSFONT=latarcyrheb-sun16 LANG=en_US.UTF-8 KEYTABLE=us
rd_NO_LVM rd_NO_DM LANG=en_US.UTF-8 SYSFONT=latarcyrheb-sun16
KEYBOARDTYPE=pc KEYTABLE=us crashkernel=auto rdshell
initrd /initramfs-2.6.32-754.24.3.el6.x86_64.img
--------- end grub.conf ----------------
If yes, how do I set the boot flag now? Is it too late?
Thank you for replying and offering to help. I do appreciate it very much.
Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
If you're trying to remove /dev/sdb then you will need to stop the system from using that swap area (swapoff /dev/sdb2) and comment it out of fstab. I suspect that's the error you hit that caused the problem./dev/sdb2 swap swap defaults 0 0
Incidentally that would have stopped your system from functioning if the drive had failed too. You have 2 swap areas, one on each disk but they are separate so loss of either will most likely kill your system. You'd be better off RAIDing those too.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
I took a while to reply because I just had access to the server and tried the recommended. Unfortunately it still does not work.TrevorH wrote: ↑2020/01/13 17:36:37If you're trying to remove /dev/sdb then you will need to stop the system from using that swap area (swapoff /dev/sdb2) and comment it out of fstab. I suspect that's the error you hit that caused the problem./dev/sdb2 swap swap defaults 0 0
Incidentally that would have stopped your system from functioning if the drive had failed too. You have 2 swap areas, one on each disk but they are separate so loss of either will most likely kill your system. You'd be better off RAIDing those too.
Did the following.
1. Stop swap on /dev/sdb
2. comment out the swap partition in /etc/fstab.
Any other suggestions I can try?
Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
Took a picture of the problem.
Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
Tried with rdshell in grub. Then it says that it cannot find the root. Some how it does not seem to mount the root. I am guessing. Here is the photo with the rdshell.
Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
And that particular kernel boots ok normally?
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Re: Booting problem: mount: you must specify the filesystem type
With /dev/sda and /dev/sdb in the server, the kernel boots ok and the server is working fine.
I remove /dev/sdb, the grub comes up, starts the kernel. When it needs to go to the root to continue, then we get the error.
Very strange. When I do "cat /proc/mdstat" all looks good.
Thank you for continuing to help. I do appreciate it very much.