Can only login with a specific kernel

I have a running FreeBSD server

Code:
niu-lug:~> uname -a
FreeBSD niu-lug.gotdns.org 5.5-RELEASE-p20 FreeBSD 5.5-RELEASE-p20 #17: Sun Jan rc/sys/i386/compile/YUETIME  i386

Note that now the kernel is #17. I compiled a kernel numbered #18, which with QUOTA enabled. My server ran with #18 for 46 days. Yesterday, the server shutdown due to a power problem. When I restart it, I found that I can not login.

The problem is: Sometimes, the "login:" prompt shows up, but when you are inputting password, the password echoed directly on the screen, and the system never accept it. Sometimes, the "login:" prompt doesn't even shows up, and the system just stops at the last step before login. But you still can switch ttys...

Then I switched to the Single User mode, did fsck, and checked all login related files, everything is OK. Then I used kernel #17 instead when booting. This time, I can login now.

I guessed my kernel #18 may be broken due to the crash, so I recompiled the kernel with the configuration of #18. Still can't login. Then I recompiled #17, still doesn't work.

I don't know why only my old kernel works. If the problem is on the linkage, the kernel should stop earlier, I guess. No problems that I searched match my condition, so I have to ask you for help. Any suggestions are welcome (except asking me to install a newer version of FreeBSD : ). Thank you.
 
SirDice said:
It would probably help if you posted your kernel config.

I'd better repeat my problem. I used the configuration for my kernel #17, and the compiled results still doesn't work. But the #17 that I compiled 2 months ago works....

Here is my configuration file:

Code:
#
# YUETIME -- Ray's kernel configuration file for FreeBSD/i386
#

machine		i386
cpu			I686_CPU
ident		YUETIME

options 	SCHED_4BSD		# 4BSD scheduler
options 	INET			# InterNETworking
options 	FFS			# Berkeley Fast Filesystem
options 	SOFTUPDATES		# Enable FFS soft updates support
options 	UFS_ACL			# Support for access control lists
options 	UFS_DIRHASH		# Improve performance on big directories
options 	MD_ROOT			# MD is a potential root device
options 	NFSCLIENT		# Network Filesystem Client
options 	NFSSERVER		# Network Filesystem Server
options 	NFS_ROOT		# NFS usable as /, requires NFSCLIENT
options		QUOTA			# Enable file system limits
#options 	LIBICONV
#options 	MSDOSFS			# MSDOS Filesystem
#options 	MSDOSFS_ICONV
#options 	NTFS			# NT Filesystem
#options 	NTFS_ICONV
#options 	CD9660			# ISO 9660 Filesystem
#options 	CD9660_ICONV
options 	PROCFS			# Process filesystem (requires PSEUDOFS)
options 	PSEUDOFS		# Pseudo-filesystem framework
options 	GEOM_GPT		# GUID Partition Tables.
options 	COMPAT_43		# Compatible with BSD 4.3 [KEEP THIS!]
options 	COMPAT_FREEBSD4		# Compatible with FreeBSD4
options 	SCSI_DELAY=5000	# Delay (in ms) before probing SCSI
options 	KTRACE			# ktrace(1) support
options 	SYSVSHM			# SYSV-style shared memory
options 	SYSVMSG			# SYSV-style message queues
options 	SYSVSEM			# SYSV-style semaphores
options 	_KPOSIX_PRIORITY_SCHEDULING # POSIX P1003_1B real-time extensions
options 	KBD_INSTALL_CDEV	# install a CDEV entry in /dev
#options 	AHC_REG_PRETTY_PRINT	# Print register bitfields in debug
					# output.  Adds ~128k to driver.
#options 	AHD_REG_PRETTY_PRINT	# Print register bitfields in debug
					# output.  Adds ~215k to driver.
options 	ADAPTIVE_GIANT		# Giant mutex is adaptive.
options 	NETGRAPH

device		apic			# I/O APIC

# Bus support.  Do not remove isa, even if you have no isa slots
device		isa
#device		eisa
device		pci

# Floppy drives
#device		fdc

# ATA and ATAPI devices
device		ata
device		atadisk		# ATA disk drives
#device		ataraid		# ATA RAID drives
device		atapicd		# ATAPI CDROM drives
#device		atapicam
#device		atapifd		# ATAPI floppy drives
#device		atapist		# ATAPI tape drives
options 	ATA_STATIC_ID	# Static device numbering

# SCSI peripherals
device		scbus		# SCSI bus (required for SCSI)
#device		ch		# SCSI media changers
device		da		# Direct Access (disks)
#device		sa		# Sequential Access (tape etc)
#device		cd		# CD
device		pass		# Passthrough device (direct SCSI access)
#device		ses		# SCSI Environmental Services (and SAF-TE)

# atkbdc0 controls both the keyboard and the PS/2 mouse
device		atkbdc		# AT keyboard controller
device		atkbd		# AT keyboard
device		psm		# PS/2 mouse

device		vga		# VGA video card driver

device		splash		# Splash screen and screen saver support

# syscons is the default console driver, resembling an SCO console
device		sc

device		agp		# support several AGP chipsets

# Floating point support - do not disable.
device		npx

# PCMCIA and cardbus bridge support
#device		cbb		# cardbus (yenta) bridge
#device		pccard		# PC Card (16-bit) bus
#device		cardbus		# CardBus (32-bit) bus

# Serial (COM) ports
#device		sio		# 8250, 16[45]50 based serial ports

# PCI Ethernet NICs that use the common MII bus controller code.
# NOTE: Be sure to keep the 'device miibus' line in order to use these NICs!
device		miibus		# MII bus support
device		bfe		# Broadcom BCM440x 10/100 Ethernet

# Pseudo devices.
device		loop		# Network loopback
device		mem		# Memory and kernel memory devices
device		io		# I/O device
device		random		# Entropy device
device		ether		# Ethernet support
#device		sl		# Kernel SLIP
device		ppp		# Kernel PPP
device		tun		# Packet tunnel.
device		pty		# Pseudo-ttys (telnet etc)
device		md		# Memory "disks"
device		gif		# IPv6 and IPv4 tunneling
device		faith		# IPv6-to-IPv4 relaying (translation)

# The `bpf' device enables the Berkeley Packet Filter.
# Be aware of the administrative consequences of enabling this!
# Note that 'bpf' is required for DHCP.
device		bpf		# Berkeley packet filter

# USB support
device		uhci		# UHCI PCI->USB interface
device		ohci		# OHCI PCI->USB interface
device		ehci		# EHCI PCI->USB interface (USB 2.0)
device		usb		# USB Bus (required)
#device		udbp		# USB Double Bulk Pipe devices
device		ugen		# Generic
#device		uhid		# "Human Interface Devices"
device		ukbd		# Keyboard
device		ulpt		# Printer
device		umass		# Disks/Mass storage - Requires scbus and da
device		ums		# Mouse
#device		urio		# Diamond Rio 500 MP3 player
#device		uscanner	# Scanners

# FireWire support
#device		firewire	# FireWire bus code
#device		sbp		# SCSI over FireWire (Requires scbus and da)
#device		fwe		# Ethernet over FireWire (non-standard!)

# Sound card support
#device sound
#device snd_ich
 
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