9.2 Boot Problem

dteske at FreeBSD.org dteske at FreeBSD.org
Wed Apr 9 21:17:31 UTC 2014



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris H [mailto:bsd-lists at bsdforge.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 9, 2014 2:03 PM
> To: Doug Hardie
> Cc: freebsd-stable at freebsd.org List
> Subject: Re: 9.2 Boot Problem
> 
> >
> > On 9 April 2014, at 13:49, "Chris H" <bsd-lists at bsdforge.com> wrote:
> >
> >>>
> >>> On 9 April 2014, at 11:29, "Chris H" <bsd-lists at bsdforge.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On 4 April 2014, at 21:08, Doug Hardie <bc979 at lafn.org> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> I put this out on Questions, but got no responses. Hopefully
> >>>>>> someone here has some ideas.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> FreeBSD 9.2.  All of my systems are hanging during boot right
> >>>>>> after the screen that has the picture.  Its as if someone hit a
> >>>>>> space on the keyboard.  However, these systems have no keyboard.
> >>>>>> If I plug one in, or use the serial console, and enter a return,
> >>>>>> the boot continues properly.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The boot menu is displayed along with Beastie.  However, the line
> >>>>>> that says Autoboot in n seconds… never appears.  It just stops
> >>>>>> there.  These are all new installs from CD systems.
> >>>>>> I just used freebsd-update to take a toy server from 9.1 to 9.2
> >>>>>> and it doesn't exhibit this behavior.  It boots properly.  I have
> >>>>>> updated one of the production servers with the latest 9.2 changes
> >>>>>> and it still has the issue.  I first thought that some config
> >>>>>> file did not get updated properly on the CD.  I have dug around
> >>>>>> through the 4th files and don't see anything obvious that would
> >>>>>> cause this.  I have now verified that all the 4th files in boot
> >>>>>> are identical (except for the version number.  They are slightly
> >>>>>> different).  I don't believe this is a BIOS setting issue as
> >>>>>> FreeBSD 7.2 didn't exhibit this behavior.  All
> >>>>>> 4
> >>>>>> systems are on totally different motherboards.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> I tried setting loader_logo="none" in /boot/config.rc and that
> >>>>>> eliminated the menu and Beastie.  I think the system completed
> booting, but the serial console was then dead.
> >>>>>> It
> >>>>>> did not respond or output anything.  I had to remove that and
> >>>>>> reboot to get the console back again.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> I need to get this fixed as these are production servers that are
> >>>>>> essentially unmanned so its difficult to get them back up again.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> No response here either.  Surely someone must know the loader.  I
> have been digging
> >>>>> through
> >>>>> the code, and can't find any differences between the systems that
> work and those that
> >>>>> don't.
> >>>>> Is there any way to debug this?  Is there a way to find out where the
> loader is sitting
> >>>>> waiting on input from the terminal.  That might give a clue as to why it
> didn't
> >>>>> autoboot.
> >>>>>
> >>>> OK. This is the first I've seen of your post. I'm not going to profess
> >>>> being an expert. But I might suggest adding the following to
> >>>> loader.conf(5)
> >>>>
> >>>> verbose_loading="YES"
> >>>> boot_verbose="YES"
> >>>>
> >>>> This raises the "noise level". Maybe that will help to provide you with
> >>>> a bit more information, as to what, or if, your booting. DO have a look
> >>>> through /boot/defaults/loader.conf for more hints, as to what, and
> how
> >>>> you can control the boot process. As well as /etc/defaults/rc.conf.
> >>>> In fact, you can pre-decide what, and how, to boot. Even passing by the
> >>>> boot menu entirely.
> >>>
> >>> Thanks Chris.  I did that and here is what I get:
> >>>
> >>> Rebooting...
> >>> cpu_reset: Stopping other CPUs
> >>> /boot.config: -Dh
> >>> Consoles: internal video/keyboard  serial port
> >>> BIOS drive A: is disk0
> >>> BIOS drive C: is disk1
> >>> BIOS 640kB/2087360kB available memory
> >>>
> >>> FreeBSD/x86 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1
> >>> (doug at zool.lafn.org, Tue Apr  8 20:30:20 PDT 2014)
> >>> Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf
> >>> Warning: unable to open file /boot/loader.conf.local
> >>> /boot/kernel/kernel text=0xdb3171 data=0xf3c04+0xbb770
> syms=[0x4+0xeda80+0x4+0x1b8ebf]
> >>> zpool_cache...failed!
> >>> \
> >>> H[Esc]ape to loader prompt_   _____ _____
> >>> |  ____|             |  _ \ / ____|  __ \
> >>> | |___ _ __ ___  ___ | |_) | (___ | |  | |
> >>> |  ___| '__/ _ \/ _ \|  _ < \___ \| |  | |
> >>> | |   | | |  __/  __/| |_) |____) | |__| |
> >>> | |   | | |    |    ||     |      |      |
> >>> |_|   |_|  \___|\___||____/|_____/|_____/    ```                        `
> >>>                                             s` `.....---.......--.```   -/
> >>> +            Welcome to FreeBSD           + +o   .--`         /y:`      +.
> >>> |                                         |  yo`:.            :o      `+-
> >>> |  1. Boot Multi User [Enter]             |   y/        3;46H /
> >>> |  2.--  /                                |
> >>> |                                         |
> >>> |  4. Reboot                              | `:                          :`
> >>> |                                         | `:                          :`
> >>> |  Options:                                  /                          /
> >>> |  5. Configure Boot [O]ptions...            .-                        -.
> >>> |                                             --                      -.
> >>> |                                              `:`                  `:`
> >>> |                                                .--             `--.
> >>> |                                                   .---.....----.
> >>> +-----------------------------------------+
> >>>
> >>>                                                FreeBSD `Nakatomi Socrates' 9.2
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Now it waits for a return.  I have tried changing the logo, setting the
> autoboot timeout
> >>> and
> >>> a couple others.  The only thing that did anything different was setting
> the logo to an
> >>> invalid value.  Basically the console was dead after that, but the system
> did boot.  I
> >>> never
> >>> see the Auto Boot in n seconds message.  Its also interesting that the list
> of options
> >>> above
> >>> appears incomplete.  On the working system, items 1 through 5 are all
> present.  I have
> >>> now
> >>> checked all the cksum's for all the files in /boot and they are all the same.
> >>>
> >> Hmmm. Looks like you're going to make me do all your research, for you.
> ;)
> >> You /did/ read the contents of /boot/defaults/loader.conf. Yes? I'm
> guessing
> >> that you've also already read loader.4th(8), and the other related info.
> >> Now this is pure supposition; as it appears that you're looking for a serial
> >> console. I'd /speculate/ that you want to turn all that NASTY ANSI stuff
> OFF
> >> That's why your not seeing the complete menu -- hear that Devin!
> >> I'm going to post just this much for now, just to get you started. I know
> >> what else you need/are looking for. But need to find the /correct/ syntax
> --
> >> paraphrasing, just won't get it. :)\
> >
> > Setting loader_color="NO"   (from man page)  does give back the full menu.
> Still waits for
> > return after the version name.  I haven't found in the forth where it is
> reading the
> > keyboard.  Yes, I have to use a serial console.  These machines are about
> 100 miles away.
> > Something is stopping the autoboot from even starting.
> 
> See my reply to this. I think I've given you the hints you need -- fingers
> crossed. :)
> 

He's using console=comconsole (serial boot).
When that is the case, loader_color is automatically set to NO.
There's no reason to set both loader_color=NO and console=
comconsole. The code that does this is here:

http://svnweb.freebsd.org/base/release/9.2.0/sys/boot/forth/color.4th?revision=255898&view=markup
Line 48 within the loader_color? function:
	boot_serial? if FALSE else TRUE then

As for answering the quandary of where the keyboard is polled
during the timeout countdown, that's the getkey function in here:

http://svnweb.freebsd.org/base/release/9.2.0/sys/boot/forth/menu.4th?revision=255898&view=markup
-- 
Devin

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