Isaac Wagner-Muns wrote:
> Hello, I'm running a sun sparcstation 20 and am not able to boot any  
> kernel i compile. even when i try to compile the GENERIC kernel, when  
> i try to boot the computer, it says something like:
> 
> 
> cpu0: booting secondary processors:	cpu1
> Thu Dec. 28 23:29:18 GMT 2006
> [1]	Bad system call			rcorder -s nosta...
> Thu Dec. 28 23:29:18 GMT 2006
> Dec 28 23:29:19	init:	kernel security level changed from 0 to 1
> Dec 28 23:29:19	init:	can't exec getty '/usr/libexec/getty' for port / 
> dev/consoy
> 
> the last line then just keeps repeating. when i try to boot off the  
> origionally installed kernel, the system functions fine. What's  
> wrong? Any help would be great.

What set of libraries, utilities, etc. (user-land code) is on your
system, and what kernel sources are you using to build? My first guess
would be that your userland is newer than your kernel, or your kernel
does not have the correct "options COMPAT_" line(s) in the config file.

I've gotten burned like that a few times by upgrading the userland and
forgetting to install a new kernel first. It can get a bit interesting
quickly after that. The new userland (think libc) uses system calls that
the old kernel does not support, so there is very little that you can
get done until you fix it. And many of the tools you would want to use
to fix it are not available either.

Since you claim to have also tried a GENERIC kernel (which has all the
COMPAT_ options turned on) My best guess without more information would
be that you have installed a -current system, and are now trying to run
it with a -3 kernel or something like that. Another possibility is that
you only think you are booting the kernel you thought you were, and are
actually running something else. Watch the first few lines of the boot
messages telling you which kernel version, build, etc. you are running.

Jon