How to disable GRUB 2 menu, even after server crash.

FireRaven · 03-19-2010, 03:10 PM

Just wanted to share this with anyone wanting to know.
If your headless server crashes, GRUB2 (at least on Ubuntu Server) is designed to force the GRUB menu to load up next time it starts up, which means you are locked out of SSH until someone physically makes a kernel selection on the PC.

To prevent this do the following change to your grub.cfg file.

#nano /boot/grub/grub.cfg

You want to find this line and change it:

Code:

if [ ${recordfail} = 1 ]; then
  set timeout=-1
else
  set timeout=10
fi

And change to:

Code:

if [ ${recordfail} = 1 ]; then
  set timeout=3
else
  set timeout=10
fi

Or a number other than -1.

I was looking for a solution for this for a long time and found no hel with google. Let me know if there is a better way.
I aware this file will get overwritten and need reediting if the Kernel gets updated.

aus9 · 03-21-2010, 08:14 AM

hi

thanks for posting

I do not run a server or ubuntu

when it is convenient for you....could you post the section for which script grub2 is using to embed to grub.cfg pls?

AFAIK that script does not exist in my /etc/grub.d unless its some kind of ubuntu 40_custom?

thanks

sniffski · 08-30-2013, 01:46 AM

Just try with "grub-editenv create"

This will clear grub environment file and should boot clearly the next time.