No installable kernel was found in the defined APT sources

Bug #1422675 reported by sudodus
22
This bug affects 4 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
linux (Ubuntu)
Invalid
Low
Unassigned

Bug Description

Edit:

This new syntax for boot options (alias this bug) affects also the Ubuntu Server 14.04.2 LTS iso files. I tested the 32-bit version,

ubuntu-14.04.2-server-i386.iso

and it needed

... forcepae -- forcepae

to work in my Thinkpad T42 with Pentium M.

Expect that there are other cases, where the boot option must be entered twice!

I made the following wiki page to help users

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions/before--after
_____

I tried to install from the Ubuntu Vivid 32-bit mini.iso into a computer with Pentium M

http://www.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-t42-2373/4507-3121_7-31155666.html

and booted the installer with the forcepae boot option. This made the installer start and work until it should get the kernel. Then it stopped with the following message

"No installable kernel was found in the defined APT sources ... Continue the installation without installing a kernel?"

I checked if this is a PAE issue ... and yes, it is.

Forcepae makes the installer work, but later on, during installation, it refuses to manage the [PAE] kernel. I tested, and it works in a computer with CPU with a built-in PAE flag. And the trusty mini.iso can install in the same computer with Pentium M, so this is a regression.

At 'ctrl+alt+F4' it complains that the kernels found are not usable on 486. But forcepae should allow it. And the same kernels work when installed with the corresponding daily Lubuntu Vivid desktop iso file.

-o-

This bug is reported from another computer, because I don't know how to report it from the mini.iso system. So you should disregard the collected data, that I might not be able to remove.

ProblemType: Bug

sudodus (nio-wiklund)
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Brad Figg (brad-figg) wrote : Missing required logs.

This bug is missing log files that will aid in diagnosing the problem. From a terminal window please run:

apport-collect 1422675

and then change the status of the bug to 'Confirmed'.

If, due to the nature of the issue you have encountered, you are unable to run this command, please add a comment stating that fact and change the bug status to 'Confirmed'.

This change has been made by an automated script, maintained by the Ubuntu Kernel Team.

Changed in linux (Ubuntu):
status: New → Incomplete
Revision history for this message
Ubuntu QA Website (ubuntuqa) wrote :

This bug has been reported on the Ubuntu ISO testing tracker.

A list of all reports related to this bug can be found here:
http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/reports/bugs/1422675

tags: added: iso-testing
Revision history for this message
sudodus (nio-wiklund) wrote :

Sorry,

apport-collect 1422675

does not work in the mini.iso system :-(

Changed in linux (Ubuntu):
status: Incomplete → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
sudodus (nio-wiklund) wrote :

This same problem occurs during iso-testing for the point version 14.04.2 LTS

lubuntu-trusty-alternate-i386.iso

Revision history for this message
ԜаӀtеr Ⅼарсһуnѕkі (wxl) wrote :

Why don't you `apport-collect ` in the alternate then?1

Revision history for this message
Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury) wrote :

12.04 is the last release that will support non-PAE.

Changed in linux (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Invalid
importance: Undecided → Low
Revision history for this message
sudodus (nio-wiklund) wrote :

Someone managed to make you add the boot option forcepae, and it has been used successfully until now.

Please fix what is probably a minor bug, to keep 14.04.x available for computers with Pentium M and Celeron M processors !

Revision history for this message
sudodus (nio-wiklund) wrote :

I tried: Neither apport-collect nor apt-get are available in the alternate installer, so I can't run it and I don't know how to install it.

Revision history for this message
sudodus (nio-wiklund) wrote :

I try to make it clear what works and what does not work with Pentium M and Celeron M processors that have PAE capability but lack the PAE flag.
_________________________________________

These iso files work:

Ubuntu Trusty mini.iso (dated jan 30)
http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/trusty-updates/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/mini.iso
http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/trusty-updates/main/installer-i386/current/images/utopic-netboot/mini.iso

Lubuntu trusty-desktop-i386.iso (14.04.2 LTS release candidate dated feb 18 01:08)
__________________________________________________________________________________

These iso files do not work:

Ubuntu Vivid mini.iso (dated feb 9)
http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/vivid/main/installer-i386/20101020ubuntu363/images/netboot/mini.iso

Lubuntu trusty-alternate-i386.iso (14.04.2 LTS release candidate dated feb 18 00:41)

Revision history for this message
Chris Bainbridge (chris-bainbridge) wrote :

Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury) wrote
> 12.04 is the last release that will support non-PAE.

This bug report is not about running non-PAE, it is about running PAE on the Pentium M. Ubuntu 14.04 supports PAE on the Pentium M - the Ubuntu Kernel Team merged the patch on 2014-03-06, shortly before 14.04 was released - https://bugs.launchpad.net/baltix/+bug/930447/comments/284

Revision history for this message
Chris Bainbridge (chris-bainbridge) wrote :

The problem is not PAE, the problem is that the kernel parameters parser was changed as a result of the systemd debug params controversy.

You need to repeat the 'forcepae' twice in the linux kernel parameters, before and after the -- i.e.:

        linux ... forcepae -- forcepae

Kernel patch that changed the previous behaviour was:

        commit 51e158c
        Author: Rusty Russell <email address hidden>
        Date: Mon Apr 28 11:34:33 2014 +0930
            param: hand arguments after -- straight to init

        The kernel parses parameters from the kernel command line up to "--";
        if it doesn't recognize a parameter and it doesn't contain a '.', the
        parameter gets passed to init: parameters with '=' go into init's
        environment, others are passed as command line arguments to init.
        Everything after "--" is passed as an argument to init.

With "forcepae -- forcepae" I did a full install of the Vivid ISO link above. It worked ok.

(There was a non-related bug, Ubuntu/grub puts "vt.handoff=7" in grub.cfg which causes a black screen on boot - looks like bug #913731 or some related regression).

Revision history for this message
sudodus (nio-wiklund) wrote :

I tested the Ubuntu Vivid daily 32-bit mini.iso (dated feb 9) in my IBM Thinkpad T42 with Pentium M, and it works for me too with this double boot option.

I clicked tab to get to the boot line.

I edited the boot line from

> linux vga=788 initrd=initrd.gz -- quiet

to

> linux vga=788 initrd=initrd.gz forcepae -- quiet forcepae

and the installation of a minimal text system worked for me.

Thank you very much for helping us to solve this problem, Chris :-)

-o-

Is this new usage of boot options general?

1. The entry before -- means that it will be used by the live system / the installer

2. The entry after -- means that it will be carried to and used by the installed system

Revision history for this message
sudodus (nio-wiklund) wrote :

I tested Lubuntu trusty-alternate-i386.iso (14.04.2 LTS) in my IBM Thinkpad T42 with Pentium M, and this bug is squashed here too with this double boot option.

I clicked F6 and ESC to get to the boot line and changed the end of it from

... quiet --

to

... quiet forcepae -- forcepae

But the other red bug (1417918) must be solved by other methods.

-o-

It is funny that the corresponding Lubuntu desktop installer works with the single boot option

... quiet -- forcepae

Revision history for this message
Chris Bainbridge (chris-bainbridge) wrote :

> Is this new usage of boot options general?
>
> 1. The entry before -- means that it will be used by the live system / the installer
>
> 2. The entry after -- means that it will be carried to and used by the installed system

Yes that is correct.

Revision history for this message
sudodus (nio-wiklund) wrote :

This new syntax for boot options (alias this bug) affects the Ubuntu Server 14.04.2 LTS iso files. I tested the 32-bit version,

ubuntu-14.04.2-server-i386.iso

and it needed

... forcepae -- forcepae

to work in my Thinkpad T42 with Pentium M.

Expect that there are other cases, where the boot option must be entered twice!

I made the following wiki page to help users

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions/before--after

sudodus (nio-wiklund)
description: updated
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