[SOLVED] Debian 8.1 Fresh Install Grub Rescue

astrogeek · 07-05-2015, 03:01 PM

Hi Ztcoracat!

It looks to me like grub did actually install to the second drive and you are actually chain-loading to it.

The F-11 thing, is that a motherboard/BIOS option... I would guess that is a BIOS drive select option?

To eliminate confusion down the road, let's be sure before changing the fstab entries...

Could you post your Slackware lilo.conf, at least the boot, prompt, timeout, append and all the boot stanzas from the bottom of the file. That way my tired brain won't make more than the usual mistakes!

Ztcoracat · 07-05-2015, 03:42 PM

Code:

bash-4.2$ cat /etc/lilo.conf
# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append=" vt.default_utf8=0"
boot = /dev/sda

#compact        # faster, but won't work on all systems.

# Boot BMP Image.
# Bitmap in BMP format: 640x480x8
  bitmap = /boot/slack.bmp
# Menu colors (foreground, background, shadow, highlighted
# foreground, highlighted background, highlighted shadow):
  bmp-colors = 255,0,255,0,255,0
# Location of the option table: location x, location y, number of
# columns, lines per column (max 15), "spill" (this is how many
# entries must be in the first column before the next begins to
# be used.  We don't specify it here, as there's just one column.
  bmp-table = 60,6,1,16
# Timer location x, timer location y, foreground color,
# background color, shadow color.
  bmp-timer = 65,27,0,255

# Standard menu.
# Or, you can comment out the bitmap menu above and 
# use a boot message with the standard menu:
#message = /boot/boot_message.txt

# Wait until the timeout to boot (if commented out, boot the
# first entry immediately):
prompt
# Timeout before the first entry boots.
# This is given in tenths of a second, so 600 for every minute:
timeout = 1200
# Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:
change-rules
  reset
# Normal VGA console
vga = normal
# Ask for video mode at boot (time out to normal in 30s)
#vga = ask
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
#vga=791
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
#vga=790
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
#vga=773
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
#vga=788
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
#vga=787
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
#vga=771
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
#vga=785
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
#vga=784
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
#vga=769
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sda2
  label = Linux
  read-only
other = /dev/sdb1
label =Debian_1TB

# Linux bootable partition config

Yes, F11 is a option in my BIOS to choose which device I want to boot-

astrogeek · 07-05-2015, 04:10 PM

OK, so when you use the F-11 BIOS option to boot to Debian, you are actually bypassing the lilo chain loader and booting straight to the installed grub.

Do you know if you can boot to Debian via the "other" stanza in lilo?

To test, let's add one more "other" stanza so that we can see both possible cases:

Code:

other = /dev/sdb
label =Debian_MBR

...run lilo, then reboot and select Debian_1TB from the lilo menu - does it boot to Debian? Then try again and select Debian_MBR - does it boot to Debian?

And one final question - does Debian think it is on /dev/sda or /dev/sdb? To find out, boot into Debian and post the contents of /etc/fstab.

Sorry for the extra steps, but let's be sure what we have!

Ztcoracat · 07-05-2015, 04:45 PM

Code:

@debian:~$ cat /etc/fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
# / was on /dev/sdb1 during installation
UUID=3fa92f90-9ce7-44b1-bf72-5fed8dae88a5 /               ext4    errors=remount-ro 0       1
# swap was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=e0cae917-4f07-4435-a04f-8efaf445551e none            swap    sw              0       0
# swap was on /dev/sdb2 during installation
UUID=411c3203-faea-4e11-9b23-b48982d523c1 none            swap    sw              0       0
/dev/sr0        /media/cdrom0   udf,iso9660 user,noauto     0       0
@debian:~$

After making the entry in lilo.conf booting into Debian was a breeze from tapping F11.

Code:

Disk /dev/sdb: 931.5 GiB, 1000204886016 bytes, 1953525168 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x000a06f2

Device     Boot     Start       End   Sectors   Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1  *         2048 904296447 904294400 431.2G 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2       904296448 906250239   1953792   954M 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Do you still think that Grub is attatched to the Debian install on /dev/sdb?

astrogeek · 07-05-2015, 07:51 PM

Sorry for the slow reply, I had to step out for a bit...

Let me start with the last question first and go from there...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ztcoracat

Do you still think that Grub is attatched to the Debian install on /dev/sdb?

It pretty much has to be, otherwise you would not be able to chain-boot from lilo on the first drive (which I don't think you have done yet), nor would you be able to boot from the F-11 options. As far as I can tell, the F-11 option has nothing to do with the lilo stanza you added - I think that is a red herring!

There must be a bootloader that is aware of the Debian kernel location and how to load it, and grub is the only candidate visible in this discussion. So the F-11 BIOS option is simply transferring control to the second drive boot sector and running whatever is there - presumably grub.

What exactly do you see when you press F-11? That is, what are the options labeled? Do they say "Slackware" and "Debian"? If so, how does the BIOS know the names... it can't which would make me think that you are actually looking at the grub menu at that point... You also called it a GNU menu, which would be consistent with grub but not with BIOS.

I admit to being a little confused by that...

Second, the Debian fstab looks good with the UUIDs, so if it boots it is OK!

Third, are you seeing the Slackware lilo options at any point in the boot process? If you do not press F-11, where does the boot process go by default?

This is not an EFI machine is it?

Ztcoracat · 07-06-2015, 04:11 PM

Quote:

What exactly do you see when you press F-11?

I get a window asking me to choose a device in a list to boot.

-card reader 1 through 4
-usb 1 or usb 2
- WDCxxx 500 GG HDD
- 1 TB HDD St31000524NS

They do not say Slackware or Debian. To confirm; Slackware is on the WDCxxx and Debian is on the Se31000524NS.

If I don't tap F11 the machine boots directly into Slackware.
If I want to boot into Debian than I have to tap F11 to get to the green GNU Menu with Debian as the first choice to boot into.

Everything is booting properly and I'm happy with what I have. I was concerned that having Grub as a bootloader would be a problem if and when I have to upgrade Debian. -::-Do you see Grub being a problem in the future borking the boot process of Debian?-::-

Code:

Second, the Debian fstab looks good with the UUIDs, so if it boots it is OK!

Yup it boots so all is good with that.

Quote:

Third, are you seeing the Slackware lilo options at any point in the boot process?

Only when Slack boots by it'self and at that time I can use the Tab key for other LILO options. (never tried it)

Quote:

where does the boot process go by default?

Letting the desktop boot on it's own it boots directly into Slack. Using F11 the default os at the top of the green menu (which I think is a Grub Menu) boots to Debian.

No this isn't an EFI machine.:-

astrogeek · 07-06-2015, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ztcoracat

I get a window asking me to choose a device in a list to boot.

-card reader 1 through 4
-usb 1 or usb 2
- WDCxxx 500 GG HDD
- 1 TB HDD St31000524NS

They do not say Slackware or Debian. To confirm; Slackware is on the WDCxxx and Debian is on the Se31000524NS.

If I don't tap F11 the machine boots directly into Slackware.
If I want to boot into Debian than I have to tap F11 to get to the green GNU Menu with Debian as the first choice to boot into.

Thanks, that makes it a bit more clear, and also means that grub has installed to the 1-TB drive, otherwise Debian would not boot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ztcoracat

Everything is booting properly and I'm happy with what I have. I was concerned that having Grub as a bootloader would be a problem if and when I have to upgrade Debian. -::-Do you see Grub being a problem in the future borking the boot process of Debian?-::-

Probably not, as long as the drive order remains consistent. Having UUIDs in the fstab provides additional protection against drive ordering problems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ztcoracat

Code:

Second, the Debian fstab looks good with the UUIDs, so if it boots it is OK!

Yup it boots so all is good with that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ztcoracat

Only when Slack boots by it'self and at that time I can use the Tab key for other LILO options. (never tried it)

Ah! That was one missing piece of the puzzle for me - I was never sure whether you were seeing the lilo boot screen at all! I would suggest trying the "other" stanzas with both /dev/sdb (MBR) and /dev/sdb1 (Debian partition). Worst case, it won't boot. Best case you end up at the same Debian grub boot screen via another path - chain boot. If it works for one but not the other, simply remove the one that doesn't work and run lilo again.

If you are happy with F-11 and/or the lilo chain method then there is no point in adding an image stanza to lilo unless you just want to see it work (it will!).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ztcoracat

Letting the desktop boot on it's own it boots directly into Slack. Using F11 the default os at the top of the green menu (which I think is a Grub Menu) boots to Debian.

No this isn't an EFI machine.:-

OK thanks, that is what I thought but you know what they say about assuming anything...

So we still don't know why grub says it did not install, but I might guess it is because it knows it is not on the BIOS-first-drive. But if it works reliably I wouldn't worry too much about it - until you add a new drive...

Glad it works! Thanks for the PM, you are welcome!

Ztcoracat · 07-06-2015, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrogeek

Thanks, that makes it a bit more clear, and also means that grub has installed to the 1-TB drive, otherwise Debian would not boot.

Probably not, as long as the drive order remains consistent. Having UUIDs in the fstab provides additional protection against drive ordering problems.

Ah! That was one missing piece of the puzzle for me - I was never sure whether you were seeing the lilo boot screen at all! I would suggest trying the "other" stanzas with both /dev/sdb (MBR) and /dev/sdb1 (Debian partition). Worst case, it won't boot. Best case you end up at the same Debian grub boot screen via another path - chain boot. If it works for one but not the other, simply remove the one that doesn't work and run lilo again.

If you are happy with F-11 and/or the lilo chain method then there is no point in adding an image stanza to lilo unless you just want to see it work (it will!).

OK thanks, that is what I thought but you know what they say about assuming anything...

So we still don't know why grub says it did not install, but I might guess it is because it knows it is not on the BIOS-first-drive. But if it works reliably I wouldn't worry too much about it - until you add a new drive...

Glad it works! Thanks for the PM, you are welcome!

Your Welcome!

I'm not going to worry about my system it's ok now and boots into both distributions so I'm happy.

Thanks for staying with me these past few days-