# Odroid XU4 - Kernel panic after update

**URL:** https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405
**Category:** Troubleshooting
**Created:** [3 January 2025 10:18 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405 "2025-01-03T10:18:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Elthi](https://dietpi.com/forum/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Elthi](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/Elthi)
#### Post date: [3 January 2025 10:18 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/1 "2025-01-03T10:18:26Z")

</div>

Hello,  
First off all thanks so much for these distribution!  
In the past I builded 2 nas with Odroid XU4 and DietPI. They works very well since few years and this morning I saw a new update. After apt update, I reboot and nothing more… I connected a screen and I discovered the logs with “end Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs unknow-block(0,0)”.  
I rebuilded a new card with the last version and the XU4 restart but with the new installation there is an automatic update then the system reboot and I obtained the same error message…  
What can I do??

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![lamosca01](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/lamosca01/32/7324_2.png) [@lamosca01](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/lamosca01)
#### Post date: [3 January 2025 10:41 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/2 "2025-01-03T10:41:19Z")

</div>

> [@Elthi](#):
>
> XU4

Hi! The exact same thing just happened to me. With the new update on an XU4.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Joulinar](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/joulinar/32/57_2.png) [@Joulinar](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/Joulinar)
#### Post date: [3 January 2025 10:42 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/3 "2025-01-03T10:42:38Z")

</div>

Can you have a look @MichaIng

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![GerryK](https://dietpi.com/forum/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@GerryK](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/GerryK)
#### Post date: [3 January 2025 16:44 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/4 "2025-01-03T16:44:20Z")

</div>

Same here!  
Did an update on Odroid HC1 and no boot anymore!

Fortunately found a working backup:

[visible UART-output after buggy update NO BOOT ANYMORE](http://0x0.st/8i-h.txt)

and by comparsion:

[UART-output before buggy update BOOT OK](http://0x0.st/8ioK.txt)

I assume the problem is here:

```auto
[4.879383] Disabling rootwait; root= is invalid.
[4.883718] RAMDISK: Couldn't find valid RAM disk image starting at 0.
[4.891991] /dev/root: Can't open blockdev
[4.894661] VFS: Cannot open root device "UUID=a3af1683-ebad-4def-b14b-3bdb314411d2" or unknown-block(0,0): error -6
```

Not even a recovery shell is available - can do absolutely nothing…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Joulinar](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/joulinar/32/57_2.png) [@Joulinar](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/Joulinar)
#### Post date: [3 January 2025 17:07 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/5 "2025-01-03T17:07:19Z")

</div>

For reference a related GitHub issue [New install on odroid X4U (HC2) fails to boot after first start · Issue #7341 · MichaIng/DietPi · GitHub](https://github.com/MichaIng/DietPi/issues/7341)

Probably @MichaIng will answer there when the problem has been looked at.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![lamosca01](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/lamosca01/32/7324_2.png) [@lamosca01](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/lamosca01)
#### Post date: [3 January 2025 17:21 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/6 "2025-01-03T17:21:29Z")

</div>

Ok, thanks! Looking forward to a solution to the problem. Regards!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/michaing/32/7_2.png) [@MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/MichaIng)
#### Post date: [4 January 2025 02:15 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/7 "2025-01-04T02:15:14Z")

</div>

I took the new kernel off the APT repo for now. It seems to have some issues with the initramfs. The `root=UUID` support is something the initramfs should provide, and apart of the fact that it detects this as invalid, there is another difference in the log:

```auto
[1.861869] Trying to unpack rootfs image as initramfs...
[1.862068] rootfs image is not initramfs (invalid magic at start of compressed archive); looks like an initrd

```

The 2nd line is not present in the successful boot.

The kernel upgrade was minor only, hence I need to check possible config changes at Armbian end. Looks like we strictly need to test even minor kernel upgrades manually first.

That kernel contained only Hardkernel updates, and there were no changes Armbian end or in the config etc. The nighly smoke tests at Armbian fail since a while, so we do not see whether it worked their end: [Smoke tests (cronjob) · Workflow runs · armbian/os · GitHub](https://github.com/armbian/os/actions/workflows/smoke-tests.yml)  
… it doesn’t: [Debian Trixie brick after kernel update - Odroid XU4 - Armbian Community Forums](https://forum.armbian.com/topic/49086-debian-trixie-brick-after-kernel-update/)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/michaing/32/7_2.png) [@MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/MichaIng)
#### Post date: [4 January 2025 03:39 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/8 "2025-01-04T03:39:07Z")

</div>

@GerryK as you seem to have the failing image with the new kernel on a dedicated SD card. Could you check/compare the content of old and new initramfs?

```sh
lsinitramfs /boot/initrd-*

```

Maybe there is a way to mount the failing image to the Odroid XU4 as well, or to another Linux system.

And does someone have a log from the kernel upgrade itself, respectively the initramfs generation?

I have access to my Odroid XU4 only after 2 weeks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![GerryK](https://dietpi.com/forum/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@GerryK](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/GerryK)
#### Post date: [4 January 2025 10:26 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/9 "2025-01-04T10:26:36Z")

</div>

Hello;  
I provide the requested logs:

dietpi with 6.6.43-current-odroidxu4:  
[# lsinitramfs /boot/initrd\*](http://0x0.st/8iNJ.txt)

broken dietpi with 6.6.68-current-odroidxu4  
[# lsinitramfs /boot/initrd\*](http://0x0.st/8iNv.txt)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/michaing/32/7_2.png) [@MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/MichaIng)
#### Post date: [4 January 2025 12:47 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/10 "2025-01-04T12:47:24Z")

</div>

My goodness, I may have found it: [conf/conf.d/zz-resume-auto at DuckDuckGo](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=conf%2Fconf.d%2Fzz-resume-auto)  
And I even saw a changelog entry somewhere within the last days, that support for resume from hibernation was added, but I don’t remember where exactly, as I did not pay attention for this, which seemed unrelated to what I was actually looking for.

@GerryK can you show:

```sh
ls -l /etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d
ls -l /etc/initramfs-tools/hooks
cat /etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d/zz-resume-auto

```

There should be a `zz-resume-auto` inside (or maybe just a `resume`). The `conf/conf.d/zz-resume-auto` within the initramfs is generated by `mkinitramfs`, if its config defines the `RESUME` variable, which should have a value like `UUID=...`, defining a swap partition, used for suspent-to-disk. We have no swap partition, hence this cannot work anyway like that, so that file should not exist in the first place. But that `RESUME` variable is not defined in the default config, nor passed from `/etc/kernel/postinst.d/initramfs-tools`, nor set in Armbian’s kernel package maintainer script. So I am puzzled where it is suddenly coming from. Also I could not find the changelog or what it was anymore, where something with enabling hibernation support was mentioned. No idea if it even was related to the Odroid XU4 at all, as I was checking a lot of changelogs today, for various other SBCs 🤔. Maybe just a coincidence. Also weird that the vast amount of finds for this configs are about a syntax error in the hook script, which looks more like an old bug in `initramfs-tools` to me, which should be fixed long ago. But that this appears for various platforms during a long range of years is strange.

Many questions, let’s try to get to the bottom of this.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![GerryK](https://dietpi.com/forum/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@GerryK](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/GerryK)
#### Post date: [4 January 2025 15:18 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/11 "2025-01-04T15:18:55Z")

</div>

Hello;  
Seems like none of the directories / files does exist:

On update-failed dietpi bookworm sd-card:

ls -l etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d  
total 0

ls -l etc/initramfs-tools/hooks  
total 0

cat etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d/zz-resume-auto  
cat: etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d/zz-resume-auto: No such file or directory

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/michaing/32/7_2.png) [@MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/MichaIng)
#### Post date: [7 January 2025 10:57 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/12 "2025-01-07T10:57:29Z")

</div>

Can you check the content of this `zz-resume-auto` within the initramfs?

```sh
mkdir /boot/initramfs
unmkinitramfs /boot/initrd-* /boot/initramfs
cat /boot/initramfs/conf/conf.d/zz-resume-auto

```

Searching around, this should work to disable its generation. Let’s hope it allows this system to reboot:

```sh
echo 'RESUME=none' > /etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d/resume 
update-initramfs -u

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Elthi](https://dietpi.com/forum/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Elthi](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/Elthi)
#### Post date: [8 January 2025 11:03 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/13 "2025-01-08T11:03:12Z")

</div>

Hi,  
Sorry I can’t test because I rebuilded a new card.

Regards.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/michaing/32/7_2.png) [@MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/MichaIng)
#### Post date: [9 January 2025 03:52 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/14 "2025-01-09T03:52:26Z")

</div>

Okay no problem. If you or anyone else finds time and mood to try it again, to investigate this further, it would be great. Otherwise I can do so from January 17th on.

It can cause the kernel panic again, so at best do with a test system, or have another Linux system where you can insert the SD card to downgrade the kernel. This is possible by downloading the older/functional kernel package and use `dpkg -i --root=/path/to/mount ...`, I can give detailed instructions, if needed.

To test/investigate:

```sh
lsinitramfs /boot/initrd-*
# verify the current/functional initramfs does not contain conf/conf.d/zz-resume-auto
update-initramfs -u
lsinitramfs /boot/initrd-*
# verify it does neither when freshly re-generating it on up-to-date system
cd /tmp
wget https://dietpi.com/downloads/binaries/linux-{dtb,image}-current-odroidxu4.deb
dpkg -i linux-{dtb,image}-current-odroidxu4.deb
# the part of the output where the initramfs is generated would be interesting
lsinitramfs /boot/initrd-*
# check whether it now contains conf/conf.d/zz-resume-auto
mkdir /boot/initramfs
unmkinitramfs /boot/initrd-* /boot/initramfs
cat /boot/initramfs/conf/conf.d/zz-resume-auto
# see content of that script, since there is actually nothing "correct" it could contain
echo 'RESUME=none' > /etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d/resume 
update-initramfs -u
lsinitramfs /boot/initrd-*
# see whether above initramfs-tools config prevents it from generating the faulty script
reboot
# and whether this solves the kernel panic

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/user_avatar/dietpi.com/michaing/32/7_2.png) [@MichaIng](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/MichaIng)
#### Post date: [31 May 2025 02:21 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/15 "2025-05-31T02:21:08Z")

</div>

It seems to have been a buggy kernel config, fixed with: [Odroid XU4: disable BTF as it crashes kernel load · armbian/build@5115cdf · GitHub](https://github.com/armbian/build/commit/5115cdf)  
I’ll push a new tested kernel build to our APT repository.

initramfs was a wrong track as of the misleading error message. The initramfs has been loaded already at this stage. The kernel might try to load a given root device as initramfs again, if it fails to load as regular boot device. In my case if failed, while no `zz-resume-auto` was added to my initramfs. A coincidence that searching for this only content difference before and after resulted in a lot of kernel panic search results.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![system](https://dietpi.com/forum/uploads/default/original/1X/7e1021de2213860bce185915ce2c1786e56490ec.png) [@system](https://dietpi.com/forum/u/system)
#### Post date: [29 August 2025 02:22 UTC](https://dietpi.com/forum/t/odroid-xu4-kernel-panic-after-update/22405/16 "2025-08-29T02:22:06Z")

</div>

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
