how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

callmejoe · 2021-09-19 16:09:27

I don't see any logs that save this information. i thought journalctl -b would have them, but it doesn't show the exact messages displayed.

I came across this wiki page

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Genera … e_messages

so simply accessing tty1 does show those messages, but you cant scroll back to see them all.

is there any other way to view these messages?

archimboldo · 2021-09-19 16:39:54

To enable scrolling

 journalctl -b | less

callmejoe · 2021-09-19 20:43:22

archimboldo wrote:

To enable scrolling
 journalctl -b | less

the systemd journal doesn't show those exact messages displayed on screen during boot. at least i could not find them in the journal

dreamycrane · 2021-09-19 20:51:23

Plz try also

journalctl -k
dmesg
cat /var/log/dmesg

...Whatever works for you.

SHIFT+pgup|pgdn
also works for scrolling in terminal.

Last edited by dreamycrane (2021-09-19 20:56:32)

WorMzy · 2021-09-19 20:58:35

Can you provide an example of the output you believe to be present at boot yet absent from the journal?

Also, how is your initrd (if applicable) configured? Do you use systemd in early userspace or busybox?

callmejoe · 2021-09-19 22:02:04

dreamycrane wrote:

Plz try also
journalctl -k
dmesg
cat /var/log/dmesg
...Whatever works for you.
SHIFT+pgup|pgdn
also works for scrolling in terminal.

to my knowledge SHIFT +pgup|pgdn functionality was removed from the kernel recently. but yes that works in terminal emulators

callmejoe · 2021-09-19 22:09:38

WorMzy wrote:

Can you provide an example of the output you believe to be present at boot yet absent from the journal?
Also, how is your initrd (if applicable) configured? Do you use systemd in early userspace or busybox?

sorry, didnt do a good job explaining myself. certainly there are kernel messages in the journal pertaining to recent boot, just not in the same format as what is displayed on screen during boot.

this is a screen shot of a video i took during boot. couldn't get it any better focused

this is a screenshot of tty1. looks like this is what i am after, but you cant scroll back anymore in the virtual console

Last edited by callmejoe (2021-09-20 10:43:33)

seth · 2021-09-20 07:07:50

Please remove/replace the oversized images w/ links/thumbnails, the board has a 200x200px max rule.

a) "Why?"
b) By not using systemd for logging stuff, https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Syslog-ng

NuSkool · 2021-09-20 15:46:17

sorry, didnt do a good job explaining myself. certainly there are kernel messages in the journal pertaining to recent boot, just not in the same format as what is displayed on screen during boot.

I've been down this road as well. My solution was to install plymouth, and use it only for creating a log of the boot messages. I prefer login to console, and plymouth seems so overkill for my usage, but was the only solution I was able to come up with.

On my system, I run cat /var/log/boot.log to read it with color codes.

a) "Why?"

I find it more convenience to read the details of what failed, so I have something more than just checking for any/all errors in the journal.

Last edited by NuSkool (2021-09-20 15:58:02)

Ferdinand · 2021-09-20 17:30:27

Just a quick opinion:

The stuff that fails is important. The rest is superfluous
The display of the stuff that fails should be clear and easy to read
dmesg gives the kernel messages, much the same as journalctl -k - but all those messages are included in journalctl -b, so that's the one to use
You'll want to filter out the important stuff by specifying priority levels
For readibility ccze is good stuff

Put it in a function and call it after you boot:

booterrors()
{
    printf "\nEmergency level:\n"
    journalctl -b -p emerg | grep -v "Journal begins" | ccze -m ansi
    printf "\n\nAlert level:\n"
    journalctl -b -p alert | grep -v "Journal begins" | ccze -m ansi
    printf "\n\nCritical level:\n"
    journalctl -b -p crit | grep -v "Journal begins" | ccze -m ansi
    printf "\nError level:\n"
    journalctl -b -p err | grep -v "Journal begins" | ccze -m ansi
}

callmejoe · 2021-09-20 18:22:21

NuSkool wrote:

I find it more convenience to read the details of what failed, so I have something more than just checking for any/all errors in the journal.

Yes, this is spot on.

and for some reason i do not have the boot.log file in /var/log/ or messages.log

a few posts here have referenced it. i just assumed it was removed and integrated into the systemd journal. should i be seeing it still?

loqs · 2021-09-20 19:39:35

callmejoe wrote:

and for some reason i do not have the boot.log file in /var/log/ or messages.log
a few posts here have referenced it. i just assumed it was removed and integrated into the systemd journal. should i be seeing it still?

You would need to install and enable syslog-ng to produce those log files.
If you want to see if any service has failed

systemctl --failed

or to check the general state of the system

systemctl

Coming back to your initial question everything you posted in those screenshots will be recorded in the journal with the exception of the 'Welcome to %s!' message.
Service startup in the journal spans multiple entries rather than a single entry that changes state.

Last edited by loqs (2021-09-20 19:40:21)

callmejoe · 2021-09-20 20:56:48

Ferdinand wrote:

Just a quick opinion:

booterrors()
{
    printf "\nEmergency level:\n"
    journalctl -b -p emerg | grep -v "Journal begins" | ccze -m ansi
    printf "\n\nAlert level:\n"
    journalctl -b -p alert | grep -v "Journal begins" | ccze -m ansi
    printf "\n\nCritical level:\n"
    journalctl -b -p crit | grep -v "Journal begins" | ccze -m ansi
    printf "\nError level:\n"
    journalctl -b -p err | grep -v "Journal begins" | ccze -m ansi
}

very nice. will prove to be useful, thanks

papajoke · 2021-09-21 12:27:31

Ferdinand wrote:

    printf "\n\nAlert level:\n"
    journalctl -b -p alert

-p alert return emerg to alert
if we want only one level (err) : journalctl -b0 PRIORITY=3

seth · 2021-09-21 14:08:15

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Systemd/Journal
The "problem" is that while all information is preserved, the form is not.
If the OP is interested in seeing the boot messages "as is", they need an additional syslog provider.
Otherwise the answer to"why?" is "actually not at all".

Arch Linux

#1 2021-09-19 16:09:27

how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#2 2021-09-19 16:39:54

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#3 2021-09-19 20:43:22

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#4 2021-09-19 20:51:23

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#5 2021-09-19 20:58:35

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#6 2021-09-19 22:02:04

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#7 2021-09-19 22:09:38

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#8 2021-09-20 07:07:50

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#9 2021-09-20 15:46:17

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#10 2021-09-20 17:30:27

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#11 2021-09-20 18:22:21

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#12 2021-09-20 19:39:35

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#13 2021-09-20 20:56:48

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#14 2021-09-21 12:27:31

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

#15 2021-09-21 14:08:15

Re: how to see init messages displayed on screen after boot?

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