PVE9.1 installation - ISCSI boot problem/kernel panic

Merkos

New Member
Dec 1, 2025
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Hi There,

From a bunch of information on this forum and other websites I managed to install PVE8.4 onto an iscsi based SAN.
Worked like a dream, but upgrading a node in the cluster to 9.1 or installing 9.1 from scratch results in a kernel panic.

The process I was using for 8.4 is as follows:

  1. Pre-setup and create the ZFS and iscsi LUNs, etc.
  2. Boot from the install ISO.
  3. Select graphical debug installation mode
  4. ctrl+d at the first pause.
  5. At the second pause,
    1. Setup an IP interface
    2. use dpkg to install libisns, libopeniscsiusr and open-iscsi
    3. mkdir -p /run/locl/iscsi
    4. Put The right initiator name into /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
    5. start iscsid service
    6. iscsiadm discovery and login
    7. ctrl+d to continue with the install.
  6. After the installation....
    1. chroot into the new install
      1. configure iscsi, etc.
        echo "ISCSI_AUTO=true" > /etc/iscsi/iscsi.initramfs
        echo "ISCSI_IBFT=true" >> /etc/iscsi/iscsi.initramfs
        echo iscsi_ibft | tee -a /etc/initramfs-tools/modules
        echo iscsi_tcp | tee -a /etc/initramfs-tools/modules
        echo BOOT=iscsi >> /etc/initramfs-tools/initramfs.conf
        echo "InitiatorName=*****************" > /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
      2. update grub and initramfs
  7. reboot


In PVE9.1 I tried the same process, but get a kernel panic of "attempted to kill init" right at the tail end of initramfs.
I've tried a number of variations/additions to the process to try and resolve this with no luck at all :(
I saw this thread:
But
"mkdir -p /var/lib/iscsi

iscsistart -b"
Didnt fix it either.

Panic trace:

Code:
[    9.458349] iBFT detected.
[    9.471336] Loading iSCSI transport class v2.0-870.
[    9.473231] usb 2-1: new high-speed USB device number 2 using ehci-pci
[    9.493925] iscsi: registered transport (tcp)
[    9.507742] Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init! exitcode=0x00000200
[    9.516328] CPU: 47 UID: 0 PID: 1 Comm: init Not tainted 6.17.2-1-pve #1 PREEMPT(voluntary)
[    9.525748] Hardware name: Cisco Systems Inc UCSB-B200-M3/UCSB-B200-M3, BIOS B200M3.2.2.6h.0.110720191420 11/07/2019
[    9.537497] Call Trace:
[    9.540227]  <TASK>
[    9.542568]  dump_stack_lvl+0x5f/0x90
[    9.546658]  dump_stack+0x10/0x18
[    9.550357]  vpanic+0xda/0x2e0
[    9.553767]  panic+0x67/0x67
[    9.556981]  ? acct_update_integrals+0x4e/0x120
[    9.562042]  do_exit.cold+0x15/0x15
[    9.565935]  do_group_exit+0x34/0x90
[    9.569917]  __x64_sys_exit_group+0x18/0x20
[    9.574585]  x64_sys_call+0x232c/0x2330
[    9.578865]  do_syscall_64+0x80/0xa30
[    9.582952]  ? vfs_write+0x274/0x490
[    9.586944]  ? __f_unlock_pos+0x12/0x20
[    9.591227]  ? ksys_write+0x8d/0xf0
[    9.595113]  ? __x64_sys_write+0x19/0x30
[    9.599492]  ? x64_sys_call+0x79/0x2330
[    9.603770]  ? do_syscall_64+0xb8/0xa30
[    9.608050]  ? __f_unlock_pos+0x12/0x20
[    9.612331]  ? ksys_write+0x8d/0xf0
[    9.616223]  ? __x64_sys_write+0x19/0x30
[    9.620600]  ? x64_sys_call+0x79/0x2330
[    9.624879]  ? do_syscall_64+0xb8/0xa30
[    9.629159]  ? do_syscall_64+0xb8/0xa30
[    9.633439]  ? irqentry_exit+0x43/0x50
[    9.637624]  ? exc_page_fault+0x90/0x1b0
[    9.641992]  entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
[    9.647630] RIP: 0033:0x782db94f6295
[    9.651621] Code: 69 9b 10 00 f7 d8 bd ff ff ff ff 64 89 02 eb c6 e8 20 f9 03 00 48 8b 35 51 9b 10 00 ba e7 00 00 00 eb 03 66 90 f4 89 d0 0f 05 <48> 3d 00 f0 ff ff 76 f3 f7 d8 64 89 06 eb ec 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00
[    9.672582] RSP: 002b:00007fff40c43c98 EFLAGS: 00000202 ORIG_RAX: 00000000000000e7
[    9.681034] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 000058c8a90af2a0 RCX: 0000782db94f6295
[    9.688999] RDX: 00000000000000e7 RSI: ffffffffffffff88 RDI: 0000000000000002
[    9.696963] RBP: 0000000000000004 R08: 00007fff40c43d80 R09: 00000000000000be
[    9.704929] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000202 R12: 0000000000000001
[    9.712893] R13: 00007fff40c44070 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 000058c88533d8b8
[    9.720858]  </TASK>
[    9.723396] Kernel Offset: 0x2b800000 from 0xffffffff81000000 (relocation range: 0xffffffff80000000-0xffffffffbfffffff)
[    9.738790] pstore: backend (erst) writing error (-28)


Anyone have thoughts/experience or able offer encouraging words? :D