Problems updating after core155 - kernel panic

Hi everyone!

I’m successfully running IPFire 2.25 (x86_64) - core155 on an Black Dwarf G2 with VIA Nano U3500@1000MHz processor. Everything works fine.
Fireinfo profile:
https://fireinfo.ipfire.org/profile/0b2e6728f910733243e7beeb3c93c6269ef536a1

I’m having trouble updating after core155; using pakfire my system rendered unbootable. Trying a fresh install of core159 from an external usb key ended up in a kernel panic shortly after the grub boot screen.

Any hints what I can do? Is maybe my hardware outdated?

Thanks for info in advance!

Can you show us that screen? It is hard to debug anything without this information.

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Yes of course!

What I did:

  • redownloaded the installation image ipfire-2.27.x86_64-full-core159.iso and successfully checked the sha256
  • recreated the installation usb key and booted up in the grub boot screen

  • started installtion … which ended up in kernel panic

You could try rebooting to the Welcome! screen, from the USB key, then select:

Tools → memtest

1 Like

Your hardware uses relatively uncommon VIA CPU & chipset. /boot/config on my running x86_64 installation shows VIA notionally enabled, although it’s possible that some essential component is missing from the compliation or the initramfs.

You could try booting a Linux distribution, such as Archlinux, which runs a similar level of kernel. That might indicate whether or not code for the hardware is still supported & maintained.

Even if you are not interested in pursuing this hardware yourself, it would be useful to establish whether or not it is supportable with Linux kernel 5.10. If so, then VIA did make dual & quad core variants that might be more usable with IPFire. If not, then a note that it is not working could be put in the wiki.

System-rescue is a useful test of Linux compatibility, because it contains an omnibus initramfs and boots in text mode. Version 8.04 is using kernel 5.10.

system-rescue-download

2 Likes

Hello Robert,

I‘m running the same kind of HW (Terra Black Dwarf G2 with Via Nano) and having trouble with the latest ipfire version. (See Core 170: general protection fault )

I see that you you had similar problems with esrlier version and you are still on ipfire 2.19.

did you stay on purpose at this version? Wasn‘t any newer version stable??

Thanks for exchange
Regards Alex