[SOLVED] latest kernel unable to boot

jheengut · 01-25-2016, 04:48 PM

Hi , I just upgraded a new slackware install on my new ssd to current.

I copied the 4.4 kernel file to /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware/vmlinuz. Now it is unbootable. elilo just restarts, no kernel message is present.

If I recopy the 3.10 old kernel to /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware/vmlinuz, it works.

I did test up to 3.14, it was bootable. If I remember well 3.18 was unbootable too, at that time I was still a noob with uefi.

how do I debug elilo ??

I still have not been able to configure elilo.conf for a second kernel version

ReaperX7 · 01-25-2016, 05:55 PM

Did you rerun and reinstall elilo's configuration and boot loader?

Didier Spaier · 01-25-2016, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jheengut

how do I debug elilo ??

I still have not been able to configure elilo.conf for a second kernel version

You don't have to edit elilo.conf nor to copy the new kernel to /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware, that's eliloconfig's job.

Jut insure that /boot/vmlinuz be a symlink to the new kernel (also installed in /boot) and, as root, run "eliloconfig". That should work. If you have a file /boot/inird.img and use a generic kernel, that will work too.

Actually eliloconfig calls efibootmgr to register a boot entry in the firmware for your new kernel, but better let it do its job that manually run efibootmgr yourself, unless you be really comfortable with that command and its options.

jheengut · 01-25-2016, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Didier Spaier

You don't have to edit elilo.conf nor to copy the new kernel to /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware, that's eliloconfig's job.

from this link docs.slackware.com howtos slackware admin :: linux kernel options for uefi and_elilo

Quote:

Upgrading your kernel
This task is now much easier than it used to be. All you really need to do is copy vmlinuz onto the
ESP on top of the old kernel. No need to edit any configs or add any boot entries, unless you want to.
Note that you can edit the config in place and ELILO will pick up the changes on next boot, no need
to run any commands like with the old lilo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Didier Spaier

Actually eliloconfig calls efibootmgr to register a boot entry in the firmware for your new kernel, but better let it do its job that manually run efibootmgr yourself, unless you be really comfortable with that command and its options.

I have been able to understand efibootmgr and did deleted and created a few uefi boot options.I'm comfortable with it.
My laptop has a hard disk and a ssd, so even if one of the devices is unbootable I can use the other one.

kingbeowulf · 01-26-2016, 02:10 AM

eliloconfig just needs to be run once to create/register the appropriate boot partition. It won't copy the generic kernel nor create an initrd. If your drive won't boot then the UEFI can't find your ESP (/boot/efi) or the ESP if not a fat/vfat partition. After a full install, when later you need to update the kernel, or add a second boot kernel, initrd etc, all you need to do is
1. copy the new kernel (and initrd if any)
2. edit eliloconfig as needed.
You don't need to run elilocionfig/efibootmgr to re-register a boot entry. For example, I dual boot 14.1 and 14.2 (current). I run mkinitrd as normal. After I did a full install of current on /dev/sda, I added 14.1 on /dev/sdb by simpley copying the kernel, initrd and adding a stanza to elilo.conf. <TAB> displays the labels otherwise current will automatically boot.
My elilo.conf

Code:

prompt
#chooser=textmenu
chooser=simple
delay=1
timeout=50
default=current
message=message.txt
#
image=vmlinuz-generic
        label=current
        initrd=initrd.gz
        read-only
        append="root=/dev/sda2 vga=normal ro"
image=vmlinuz-generic-3.10.17
        label=stable
        initrd=initrd2.gz
        read-only
        append="root=/dev/sdb1 vga=normal ro"

Contets of /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware

Code:

elilo.conf  
initrd.gz   
message.txt  
vmlinuz-generic          
vmlinuz-huge-4.4
elilo.efi   
initrd2.gz  
slack.bmp    
vmlinuz-generic-3.10.17

If you have it all sorted out, please mark your post as SOLVED. Also, please fix your link to
http://docs.slackware.com/howtos:sla...uefi_and_elilo
as yours gives a 404 (Not Found) error.

Didier Spaier · 01-26-2016, 02:29 AM

Actually eliloconfig does copy the kernel, and the initrd if found, to /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware/

However it writes a new /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware/elilo.conf every time it runs. For that reason it records only one boot entry.

But if you just want to replace your kernel keeping only one boot entry, that's fine.

Only if you want to have several boot entries managed by the PE/COFF file /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware/elilo.efi (provided by elilo as boot/elilo-x86_64.efi then copied by eliloconfig) it is necessary to manually edit /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware/elilo.conf and copy the kernel and possibly the initrd yourself.

PS Only caveat: eliloconfig won't clean the house for you: It won't remove from /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware/ a kernel or an initrd that you won't use anymore.

jheengut · 01-29-2016, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingbeowulf

eliloconfig just needs to be run once to create/register the appropriate boot partition.

Code:

prompt
#chooser=textmenu
chooser=simple
delay=1
timeout=50
default=current
message=message.txt
#
image=vmlinuz-generic
        label=current
        initrd=initrd.gz
        read-only
        append="root=/dev/sda2 vga=normal ro"
image=vmlinuz-generic-3.10.17
        label=stable
        initrd=initrd2.gz
        read-only
        append="root=/dev/sdb1 vga=normal ro"

I tried to configure the eliloconfig as such before , the same kernel but different labels, this eliloconfig never booted at all

Code:

chooser=simple
#chooser=textmenu
delay=1
timeout=1
#
image=vmlinuz
        label=vmlinuz
        read-only
        root=/dev/sda7
        append="vga=normal ro"

image=vmlinuz-huge-4.3.0-rc6
        label=vmlinuz-huge-4.3.0-rc6
        read-only
        root=/dev/sda7
        append="vga=normal ro"

image=vmlinuz-huge-3.10.17
        read-only
        root=/dev/sda7
        append="vga=normal ro"

label=vmlinuz-huge-3.10.17
        read-only
        root=/dev/sda7
        append="vga=normal ro"

image=vmlinuz-generic-4.3.0-rc6
        label=vmlinuz-generic-4.3.0-rc6
        read-only
        root=/dev/sda7
        initrd=initrd-generic-4.3.0-rc6.gz
        append="vga=normal ro"

jheengut · 01-29-2016, 02:41 AM

My problem still persist.

I installed slackware 14.1. It works fine on my MSI GP60 2PE Gaming laptop. I upgraded to Slackware-current. The kernel 3.10 boots fine. But if I copy the kernel 4.4 and copy it as /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware/vmlinuz. It does not boot at all.

The laptop just keeps on rebooting to elilo, looping forever.

With elilo I'm not supposed to rerun eliloconfig or efibootmgr. None of them. How am I suppose to debug elilo or get a message indicating me the error?

Didier Spaier · 01-29-2016, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jheengut

With elilo I'm not supposed to rerun eliloconfig or efibootmgr. None of them.

Maybe you are not supposed to, but still that would be simpler IMO.

Quote:

How am I suppose to debug elilo or get a message indicating me the error?

This project is orphaned, so you will have to find out yourself. I tried to compile elilo from source, no luck. Have a look at the source and find out yourself if you really want. Not even knowing what elilo command was used to build the efi images shipped in the package and unless you succeed in building the elilo binary yourself that's not going to be easy, I'm afraid. Good luck

jheengut · 01-29-2016, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Didier Spaier

Maybe you are not supposed to, but still that would be simpler IMO.

I just cleared some efi values, I was unable to boot my system after running eliloconfig/efibootmgr too much(I read thats a bug too).

My best bet is to install grub in \EFI partition.
I will test it.

Thanks for mentioning that elilo is orphaned. But Pat did mentioned that he will take care of lilo, dunno if elilo will fall under his umbrella too :-).

qunying · 01-29-2016, 03:59 PM

Maybe you could give rEFInd a try?

jheengut · 01-30-2016, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qunying

Maybe you could give rEFInd a try?

rEFInd is a boot manager,I need a boot loader that can accept a new shiny 4.4 kernel

Didier Spaier · 01-30-2016, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jheengut

I just cleared some efi values, I was unable to boot my system after running eliloconfig/efibootmgr too much(I read thats a bug too).

We can't know for sure if this is a bug with the information provided. I suggest that you use efibootmgr alone to check all firmware menu entries.

Other than that, did you try having a single entry in elilo.conf with only the 4.4 kernel? as we don't know how the efi image provided in the elilo package was compiled, maybe it accepts just the first entry in the config file?

I will make some tests in a VM to check that myself.

jostber · 01-31-2016, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jheengut

My problem still persist.

I installed slackware 14.1. It works fine on my MSI GP60 2PE Gaming laptop. I upgraded to Slackware-current. The kernel 3.10 boots fine. But if I copy the kernel 4.4 and copy it as /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware/vmlinuz. It does not boot at all.

The laptop just keeps on rebooting to elilo, looping forever.

With elilo I'm not supposed to rerun eliloconfig or efibootmgr. None of them. How am I suppose to debug elilo or get a message indicating me the error?

Check that these symlinks points to your 4.4 kernel before you run eliloconfig and reboo:

/boot/System.mao
/boot/vmlinuz
/boot/config
/usr/src/linux

brobr · 01-31-2016, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jheengut

I tried to configure the eliloconfig as such before , the same kernel but different labels, this eliloconfig never booted at all

Code:

chooser=simple
#chooser=textmenu
delay=1
timeout=1
#
image=vmlinuz
        label=vmlinuz
        read-only
        root=/dev/sda7
        append="vga=normal ro"

etc.. etc..

You will never get a chance/choice booting any of these; you don't get the opportunity:

To give oneself some time and choice let elilo.conf begin with 'prompt' as first line to force interactive mode (see http://sourceforge.net/projects/elilo/files/)
with a timeout much longer than 1 (=0.1 sec) to be able to pick another than the default.

Also, I do not have a 'root= ' line whereas my 'append' line reads as : append="root=proc vga=normal ro". The "root=proc" differs from what has been said above and seems to be put in during setup (but I cannot really tell, it has been a while back). But others got it as well, see this post:slackware14-1-uefi-gpt-installation-on-hp-slimline-does-not-boot-4175534087/page2.html#post5321872

Hope you get it to work,

Rob

EDIT: FWIW, I am on slackware64-current, efi-booting kernel-4.4