Ubuntu
grub package

HP ML110 fails to boot with grub after server install via PXE / serial console

Bug #356518 reported by Ronald McCollam
4
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
grub (Ubuntu)
Won't Fix
Medium
Unassigned

Bug Description

I am seeing the following behavior on two HP ML110s:

The install of the Jaunty image is performed via PXE through the serial console. The install proceeds normally and the machine reboots at the end. However, the machine does not properly boot from the internal hard disk via GRUB, instead hanging at "GRUB loading, please wait..." This occurs whether using the amd64 or i386 image.

Replacing GRUB with LILO causes the machine to boot properly, so the install seems to be okay... it is only the boot loader that seems to have an issue.

Revision history for this message
Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote :

Assigning this to ubuntu-foundations and setting priority to high per Henirk Omma

Changed in grub (Ubuntu):
assignee: nobody → ubuntu-foundations
importance: Undecided → High
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :
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From syslog:

Apr 6 02:37:33 grub-installer: info: Installing grub on '(hd0)'
Apr 6 02:37:33 grub-installer: info: grub-install supports --no-floppy
Apr 6 02:37:33 grub-installer: info: Running chroot /target grub-install --no-floppy "(hd0)"
Apr 6 02:37:33 grub-installer: You shouldn't call /sbin/grub-install. Please call /usr/sbin/grub-install instead!
Apr 6 02:37:33 grub-installer:
Apr 6 02:37:34 grub-installer: Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.
Apr 6 02:37:34 grub-installer: Searching for GRUB installation directory ...
Apr 6 02:37:34 grub-installer: found: /boot/grub
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer: Installing GRUB to (hd0) as (hd0)...
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer: Installation finished. No error reported.
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer: This is the contents of the device map /boot/grub/device.map.
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer: Check if this is correct or not. If any of the lines is incorrect,
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer: fix it and re-run the script `grub-install'.
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer:
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer: (hd0) /dev/sda
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer: info: grub-install ran successfully
Apr 6 02:37:38 debconf: --> GET grub-installer/make_active
Apr 6 02:37:38 debconf: <-- 0 true
Apr 6 02:37:38 debconf: --> PROGRESS STEP 1
Apr 6 02:37:38 debconf: <-- 0 OK
Apr 6 02:37:38 debconf: --> PROGRESS INFO grub-installer/progress/step_config_loader
Apr 6 02:37:38 debconf: <-- 0 OK
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer: Searching for GRUB installation directory ...
Apr 6 02:37:38 grub-installer: found: /boot/grub
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: Searching for default file ...
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: found: /boot/grub/default
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file ...
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer:
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer:
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: Could not find /boot/grub/menu.lst file.
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer:
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: Generating /boot/grub/menu.lst
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: Searching for splash image ...
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: none found, skipping ...
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: Found kernel: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Apr 6 02:37:39 debconf: --> X_LOADTEMPLATEFILE /var/lib/dpkg/info/grub.templates grub
Apr 6 02:37:39 debconf: <-- 0 OK
Apr 6 02:37:39 debconf: --> X_LOADTEMPLATEFILE /var/lib/dpkg/info/ucf.templates ucf
Apr 6 02:37:39 debconf: <-- 0 OK
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: Found kernel: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28-11-server
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: Found kernel: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Apr 6 02:37:39 debconf: --> X_LOADTEMPLATEFILE /var/lib/dpkg/info/grub.templates grub
Apr 6 02:37:39 debconf: <-- 0 OK
Apr 6 02:37:39 debconf: --> X_LOADTEMPLATEFILE /var/lib/dpkg/info/ucf.templates ucf
Apr 6 02:37:39 debconf: <-- 0 OK
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: Updating /boot/grub/menu.lst ...
Apr 6 02:37:39 grub-installer: done

So this looks like a successful install of grub to hd0. Could you post a copy of the /boot/grub/menu.lst that was installed on this system?

If you re-run "grub-install --no-floppy '(hd0)'" on this system after installation (booted with li...

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Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote :
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Booted from the CD in rescue mode... contents of /boot/grub/menu.lst:

serial --unit=0 --speed=9600 --stop=1
terminal serial
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not use 'savedefault' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 3

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=c4ac79fd-fa46-480f-a153-8d3ead969a95 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=c4ac79fd-fa46-480f-a153-8d3ead969a95

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
## lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(recovery) single
# al...

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Revision history for this message
Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote :

While booted from the CD in rescue mode, I ran grub-install:

# grub-install --no-floppy '(hd0)'
You shouldn't call /sbin/grub-install. Please call /usr/sbin/grub-install instead!

Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Installing GRUB to (hd0) as (hd0)...
Installation finished. No error reported.
This is the contents of the device map /boot/grub/device.map.
Check if this is correct or not. If any of the lines is incorrect,
fix it and re-run the script `grub-install'.

(hd0) /dev/sda

This did not resolve the issue. The machine still hangs at "GRUB loading, please wait..."

I can reinstall with LILO (rather than with GRUB and the rescue CD) before running grub-install if that would be a useful test.

Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote : Re: [Bug 356518] Re: HP ML110 fails to boot with grub after server install via PXE / serial console

On Wed, Apr 08, 2009 at 03:10:51PM -0000, Ronald McCollam wrote:
> Booted from the CD in rescue mode... contents of /boot/grub/menu.lst:

> serial --unit=0 --speed=9600 --stop=1
> terminal serial

Does removing these first two lines from the file fix the boot problem, by
any chance?

--
Steve Langasek Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer http://www.debian.org/
<email address hidden> <email address hidden>

Revision history for this message
Colin Watson (cjwatson) wrote :

There's a duplicate uuid line in your first stanza, but I don't think that can be the problem here as it was introduced by a change after you filed this bug. I've fixed it in bzr anyway.

Revision history for this message
Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote :

Removing the two lines as suggested by Steve Langasek above caused the machine to boot. (However nothing was displayed on the serial console until it finished booting.)

A number of other machines in this environment are booting with these lines in their menu.lst -- at a first look it appears to be only the HP ML110s that are not booting when they are present, but I will add any additional hardware that exhibits this behavior to this bug.

Robbie Williamson (robbiew)
Changed in grub (Ubuntu):
importance: High → Medium
status: New → Triaged
Revision history for this message
Robbie Williamson (robbiew) wrote :

Does this problem still occur using the now default grub2?

Revision history for this message
Ronald McCollam (fader) wrote :

No, with grub2 I am no longer seeing this issue.

Revision history for this message
Robbie Williamson (robbiew) wrote :

Issue resolved with grub2.

Changed in grub (Ubuntu):
status: Triaged → Won't Fix
assignee: Canonical Foundations Team (canonical-foundations) → nobody
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