Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

Gradient · 2014-01-07 00:54:03

My console font is reset when I boot with Syslinux instead of Grub.

Grub entry :

menuentry 'Arch Linux, with Linux core repo kernel' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-true-a1f655a2-cf5e-4cf9-9f50-7588ea8286ae' {
load_video
set gfxpayload=keep
insmod gzio
insmod part_gpt
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,gpt2'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt2 --hint-efi=hd0,gpt2 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,gpt2 a1f655a2-cf5e-4cf9-9f50-7588ea8286ae
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root a1f655a2-cf5e-4cf9-9f50-7588ea8286ae
fi
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=a1f655a2-cf5e-4cf9-9f50-7588ea8286ae rw quiet
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img
}

Syslinux entry :

LABEL arch
MENU LABEL Arch Linux
LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux
APPEND root=UUID=a1f655a2-cf5e-4cf9-9f50-7588ea8286ae rw
INITRD ../initramfs-linux.img

vconsole.conf :

FONT=Lat2-Terminus16

I found this in the wiki.

If the fonts seems to not change on boot, or change only temporarily, it is most likely that they got reset when graphics driver was initialized and console was switched to framebuffer. To avoid this, load your graphics driver earlier.

I would have been satisfied, but I don't understand why there is a difference between Grub and Syslinux when I boot?

karol · 2014-01-07 01:03:24

Are you loading your graphics driver early?

WonderWoofy · 2014-01-07 01:07:42

I don't know why this would be different between the two bootloaders. But if you are going to be using anything in /etc/vconsole.conf besides the absolute defaults, you should be using early KMS.

jasonwryan · 2014-01-07 01:25:56

Not an Installation issue, moving to Apps & DEs...

Gradient · 2014-01-07 01:43:39

The following line in /etc/mkinitcpio.conf solved the problem with Syslinux :

MODULES="i915"

Still, I don't understand why Grub is bahaving differently. Is it activating early KMS by default?

Last edited by Gradient (2014-01-07 01:45:04)

karol · 2014-01-07 01:44:56

I don't know, I've never used grub (grub2). I only know that syslinux needs it.

jasonwryan · 2014-01-07 02:44:43

Gradient wrote:

Still, I don't understand why Grub is bahaving differently. Is it activating early KMS by default?

You told it to.

Gradient's Grub config wrote:

load_video
set gfxpayload=keep

Gradient · 2014-01-07 02:56:15

Commenting those lines did not change Grub's behaviour.

jasonwryan · 2014-01-07 03:10:43

Don't you have to regenerate grub? I don't use it, but according to the docs, that is what you are doing.

WonderWoofy · 2014-01-07 03:16:32

I think that commenting those lines is actually happening directly in the grub.cfg. So I think regenerating in this case would actually reset those commented lines.

But I too am not much of a grub user. I have it set up on my machine as a fallback, but it is not my primary bootloader and never will be...

Gradient · 2014-01-07 03:52:16

I edited grub.cfg directly. So I should not have to regenerate the configuration.

Anyway, I switched to Syslinux because it is simpler and more understandable. Maybe I should just stop trying to understand what I do not need to...

For now, I will just assume it is Grub doing some magic. I will not mark this thread as solved, though, as it it not. If someone has an explanation, I would still appreciate.

progandy · 2014-01-07 05:31:34

You might get a similar result with syslinux if you add "vga=current" in your APPEND line.
Grub has more extensive support for the linux boot protocol and can set more options in the zero page.
https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/x86/

Last edited by progandy (2014-01-07 05:46:45)

Arch Linux

#1 2014-01-07 00:54:03

Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#2 2014-01-07 01:03:24

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#3 2014-01-07 01:07:42

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#4 2014-01-07 01:25:56

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#5 2014-01-07 01:43:39

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#6 2014-01-07 01:44:56

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#7 2014-01-07 02:44:43

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#8 2014-01-07 02:56:15

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#9 2014-01-07 03:10:43

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#10 2014-01-07 03:16:32

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#11 2014-01-07 03:52:16

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

#12 2014-01-07 05:31:34

Re: Console font is reset when booting with Syslinux

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