[gentoo-user] Anyone figure out how to boot kernel 6.9+?

[gentoo-user] Anyone figure out how to boot kernel 6.9+?

[Alan Grimes]

Because my system was booting reliably, the penguins decided it was time 
to jack around with the bootup code. Kernel 6.9 panics on boot because 
the way the root partition is configured changed utterly... When I 
installed my new machine, the bootup changed to some crazy initramfs bs 
crap that I don't understand at all, and then is supposed to go to my 
normal root partition on one of my M.2 sticks... It was working 
beautifully in 6.8 and earlier with:

         menuentry 'Gentoo GNU/Linux, with Linux 6.8.9-x86_64' --class 
gentoo --c  ??????????????????            lass gnu-linux --class gnu 
--class os $menuentry_id_option 
'gnulinux-6.8.9-x86_64-advanced-d218b143-ba28-4614-b2c8-e93bb8614207' {
load_video ???
                 if [ "x$grub_platform" = xefi ]; then ?????????n
                         set gfxpayload=keep ?????
fi ?
                 insmod gzio ???
                 insmod part_gpt ????
                 insmod fat ???
                 search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root BD38-02F6 
????????????6
                 echo    'Loading Linux 6.8.9-x86_64 
...'                            ? ????????
                 linux   /vmlinuz-6.8.9-x86_64 
root=UUID=d218b143-ba28-4614-b2c8- ?x?????????????? e93bb8614207 ro
                 echo    'Loading initial ramdisk 
...'                               ? ???????'
                 initrd  /amd-uc.img /initramfs-6.8.9-x86_64.img 
????????????
         }


I just mouse-copied from a cat to console so I have no idea where the 
???? marks came from...

Has anyone figured out how the new garbage is supposed to work? Has 
anyone actually gotten it running? From my point of view any change to 
the bootstrap code is strong evidence for fairly profound brain damage 
unless a very specific failure class has been identified and well 
documented.... I mean going from linux 6 to linux 7, ... ok.... maybe... 
but for a point release? OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

-- 
You can't out-crazy a Democrat.
#EggCrisis  #BlackWinter
White is the new Kulak.
Powers are not rights.

Re: [gentoo-user] Anyone figure out how to boot kernel 6.9+?

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hello, Alan.

On Wed, Aug 14, 2024 at 16:08:39 -0400, Alan Grimes wrote:
> Because my system was booting reliably, the penguins decided it was time 
> to jack around with the bootup code. Kernel 6.9 panics on boot because 
> the way the root partition is configured changed utterly...

Why, then, did you not configure your new machine like the old one,
relying on the notes you made when installing the old one?  ;-)

Why kernel 6.9?  I just looked at $ eshowkw gentoo-sources, and there is
currently nothing there between 6.6.46 and 6.10.1.

> When I installed my new machine, the bootup changed to some crazy
> initramfs bs crap that I don't understand at all, and then is supposed
> to go to my normal root partition on one of my M.2 sticks...

Why have you built it with an initramfs?  You only need such if you have
an encrypted root partition, or a /usr not on the root partition, or
something like that, that prevents the kernel booting normally.  I've
never had an initramfs.

> It was working beautifully in 6.8 and earlier with:

>          menuentry 'Gentoo GNU/Linux, with Linux 6.8.9-x86_64' --class 
> gentoo --c  ??????????????????            lass gnu-linux --class gnu 
> --class os $menuentry_id_option 
> 'gnulinux-6.8.9-x86_64-advanced-d218b143-ba28-4614-b2c8-e93bb8614207' {
> load_video ???
>                  if [ "x$grub_platform" = xefi ]; then ?????????n
>                          set gfxpayload=keep ?????
> fi ?
>                  insmod gzio ???
>                  insmod part_gpt ????
>                  insmod fat ???
>                  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root BD38-02F6 
> ????????????6
>                  echo    'Loading Linux 6.8.9-x86_64 
> ...'                            ? ????????
>                  linux   /vmlinuz-6.8.9-x86_64 
> root=UUID=d218b143-ba28-4614-b2c8- ?x?????????????? e93bb8614207 ro
>                  echo    'Loading initial ramdisk 
> ...'                               ? ???????'
>                  initrd  /amd-uc.img /initramfs-6.8.9-x86_64.img 
> ????????????
>          }

Sorry, can't help with any of that.

> I just mouse-copied from a cat to console so I have no idea where the 
> ???? marks came from...

If you used GPM here for the mouse, possibly they're Ufffd characters,
i.e. ones which are outside the set of 256 which the console has been
configured for.

> Has anyone figured out how the new garbage is supposed to work? Has 
> anyone actually gotten it running? From my point of view any change to 
> the bootstrap code is strong evidence for fairly profound brain damage
> ...

I'd tend to agree.  Are you sure there's been change, rather than you
just finding your way into a different section of the maze of options
that characterizes insalling Gentoo?  I'd certainly be interested, given
how I've ordered a new machine for myself and expect to be going through
the process in maybe a week's time.

> ... unless a very specific failure class has been identified and well
> documented.... I mean going from linux 6 to linux 7, ... ok....
> maybe...  but for a point release? OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

There's nothing but point releases in the kernel, anyway.  Going from
5.xx.yy to 6.1 just happend because Linus T felt it was time, not for
any specific new kernel features.

> -- You can't out-crazy a Democrat.  #EggCrisis  #BlackWinter White is
> the new Kulak.  Powers are not rights.

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).