mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

x-yuri · 2023-01-25 08:29:24

Hi,

I have this warning every time mkinitcpio runs and it just occurred to me that that must be owing to me having skipped the "create /etc/vconsole.conf" step. If that is so, I want the default settings. And the thing is I can't find this info.

Another option is probably to remove consolefont from the hooks in /etc/mkinitcpio.conf. But I'm not sure if that's a good idea. And I bet I'll need to "resolve conflicts" every time that file changes.

Any suggestions are welcome.

seth · 2023-01-25 08:42:17

https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/ … issues/139

And I bet I'll need to "resolve conflicts" every time that file changes.

You'll probably occasionally get pacnew files and then merge them (or not), but a custom mkinitcpio.conf is pretty much "normal"

x-yuri · 2023-01-25 09:31:40

I understand that changing configs is normal, but over time I came to avoid changing files owned by packages where possible (e.g. using *.d directories). I even wrote a script to help me with upgrades, but still...

And the issue with determining the default font is that it's chosen dynamically? And that the kernel doesn't say which font it chose (journalctl -b)? And that there's no getfont?

Last edited by x-yuri (2023-01-25 09:40:27)

seth · 2023-01-25 10:07:57

The issue is that the consolefont hook was enabled by default and makes no sense when there's no console font defined and instead of silently ignoring this informs you about that.
Arguebly the hooks behavior is fine (assuming it was added to do something and the user made an error in not also setting a font) but in any event the message is just noise, you can ignore it.

The technically correct solution would be to remove it from mkinitcpio.conf as you neither want nor benefit from it.

x-yuri · 2023-01-27 07:04:26

Oh, initially I thought that the kernel sets a font in any case. But judging from what you're saying it appears that the kernel does so only when the consolefont hook is present and the font is set in /etc/{vconsole,locale}.conf (when a font is added to the image). Otherwise the system font (the one that comes with BIOS/UEFI) is used.

d.ALT · 2023-01-27 07:38:53

x-yuri wrote:

only when the consolefont hook is present

Indeed.
You can choose whether to use it or not.
More infos on the relevant WIKI's page.

seth · 2023-01-27 08:16:20

The kernel does set a font in any case:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Linux_console#Fonts

But the consolefont hook only makes sense if you wish to alter that default behavior.
For non-english speakers this is probably a good idea anyway (since you only have a limited set of charaters and want those to cover the pecularities of your native tongue)

x-yuri · 2023-01-27 10:48:39

By default, the virtual console uses the kernel built-in font with a CP437 character set[1], but this can be easily changed.

Oh, I've seen this line. The thing is... which font is it exactly? `ls /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts/*437*` finds nothing. Or is it part of the kernel and can't be chosen explicitly?

Last edited by x-yuri (2023-01-27 10:49:39)

seth · 2023-01-27 14:21:58

"built-in font"
And then

The wiki wrote:

The kernel offers about 15 built in fonts to choose from, from which the officially supported kernels provide two: VGA 8x16 font (CONFIG_FONT_8x16) and Terminus 16x32 font (CONFIG_FONT_TER16x32). The kernel chooses the one to use based on its evaluation of the screen resolution. Another builtin font can be forced upon by kernel parameters boot parameter setting such as fbcon=font:TER16x32.

I suspect default8x16, but don't see the terminus font as file.

asklow · 2024-01-01 07:46:25

https://forum.manjaro.org/t/is-it-safe- … hook/87086
The hook is completely optional. I'm not sure why arch team embedded it by default.

Last edited by asklow (2024-01-01 07:47:09)

seth · 2024-01-01 08:51:06

https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/ … e12a95470a
https://adeverteuil.github.io/linux-con … reenshots/

Every hook is technically optional.
The most likely reason is that the console does utf-8, but the fonts are still just 8 bit and there're weird people in this world who use a non-latin glyph sets because both, Roman and British empire didn't bother to conquer them

c00ter · 2024-01-01 12:49:38

You're in rare form today, seth, rare form.

seth · 2024-01-01 14:09:57

Looking at my rare form sideways, it appears my brain couldn't decide between "a non-latin glyph set" and (various) "non-latin glyph sets" and my fingers figured we're just gonna have both.
Much like MS came up w/ the CRLF, at least in my head canon

cuvtixo · 2025-05-25 17:32:39

Sorry to necropost, but firstly I'm surprised Seth didn't say something about it being New Year's Day. Maybe with your *nix obsession, you understand better: Epoch 1785823200 and BTW, CRLF is from CP/M written on ancient spellcasting punchcards, it is better not to question it's origins before that! The reason I'm posting however, is, why is WARNING all in capital letters, screaming at us? Whose idea was that? Because it's a harmless, why not give a gentle warning? This kind of thing that messes with newbies' heads even if it doesn't matter otherwise.

seth · 2025-05-25 18:20:43

seth wrote:

head-canon

So the way this went down in MY history is that Gates and Allen could not agree on the newline code.
Allen of course was aware of the LF in UNIX systems and wanted to use that because it's correct.
But Apple had gone with the CR (Woz didn't know better and is innocent - it's not like he could have googled it) and Gates figured it was more important to be compatible with Apple than being "correct".
At this point Ballmer walzed into the room, grunted "GAHHH, WE'RE JUST GONNA USE BOTH!" and hacked the code with completely straight elbows and strictly vertical movement of his shoulders "BAMM BAMM BAMM. BAMM BAMM BAMM BAMM BAMMM!" (because that is how I imagine him doing most things in life)…

Beat that with you CP/M story

I suppose it's a generic warning function - maybe one could check for the terminal and (only) color code it (yellow and red - same as Ballmers head will go when he reads this )

Lone_Wolf · 2025-05-25 20:18:10

Closing this old thread.

Arch Linux

#1 2023-01-25 08:29:24

mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#2 2023-01-25 08:42:17

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#3 2023-01-25 09:31:40

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#4 2023-01-25 10:07:57

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#5 2023-01-27 07:04:26

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#6 2023-01-27 07:38:53

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#7 2023-01-27 08:16:20

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#8 2023-01-27 10:48:39

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#9 2023-01-27 14:21:58

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#10 2024-01-01 07:46:25

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#11 2024-01-01 08:51:06

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#12 2024-01-01 12:49:38

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#13 2024-01-01 14:09:57

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#14 2025-05-25 17:32:39

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#15 2025-05-25 18:20:43

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

#16 2025-05-25 20:18:10

Re: mkinitcpio: WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration

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