Greetings:

I've compiled my own kernels since 2006 and I've had some scream and die on me, but not recently. It is my understanding that the grub2 fallback entry will boot an alternate kernel should the default kernel scream and die.

If this is the case, I want to build/compile a kernel that WILL scream and die so that grub has to use the fallback entry. While I have built kernels that will scream and die, it's always been an accident.

How do I do this intentionally?
Will messing with the initramfs do the trick?

PS: this is on a headless system, and I just wanted to verify that fallback does, indeed, work.

To the bootloader, once control is passed to the kernel it's done. Whether the kernel functions correctly or not is immaterial at that point. A bootloader fallback is almost worthless, as it needs to be something that prevent control from being passed from grub/grub2 to the kernel. For example, it you rename the kernel file on disk (or its name in grub), the bootloader won't be able to load it, and so it should fallback. It pretty much just protects you against a typo if you are manually editing grub entries. With LiveCDs, it's not of much use.

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macemoneta:

Thank you for clarifying the fallback entry for me.
If the system in question weren't headless, then it wouldn't be such an issue for me.
You also prevented me from doing something "damn foolish".