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Well, the title says it all. Or maybe not enough so I'll add some details.
I installed Arch on an "old" machine (Athlon 1900+, 1GB RAM, GeForce4...) to do some testing with LVM.
I have 3 hard disks:
- one 80GB SATA
- one 80GB IDE
- one 40GB IDE
There's a VG accross the first two disks with 3 partitions (/, /home and swap) and /boot is on the third HDD, out of the LVM. Everything was working smoothly until I decided (after several months without using it) to upgrade the whole installation. I had something like kernel 3.0.0 from maybe july-august 2011.
I ran pacman -Syu and 1GB of new packages were installed successfully, GRUB was updated and so the kernel. But when I tried the first reboot, I couldn't boot Arch anymore, only got a black screen after "Loading inital ramdisk...". No HDD activity, seemed stuck there.
I tried to rebuild the initrd image through a LiveCD (chroot, etc.) and reinstall GRUB but no luck. I still get the same behavior and can't understand what's happening or what's broken.
Do you have any idea of what could cause this? What can I try to repair my boot?
Thanks in advance
Last edited by nanawel (2012-05-11 17:34:55)
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It means that it loaded "initramfs-linux.img", so it's not a GRUB issue. I hope you're still using the same menu.lst that used to work before, because reinstalling GRUB and starting with a new menu.lst would only complicate things at this point.
It's probably a KMS issue if you're using the Nouveau driver (which you probably are since nvidia-96xx doesn't even support Xorg 1.11, let alone 1.12.1). Try disabling modesetting: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KM … odesetting
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Nothing new here except to suggest the same as DSpider: that it might be a KMS/video-card issue.
"UNIX is simple and coherent" - Dennis Ritchie; "GNU's Not Unix" - Richard Stallman
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It's probably a KMS issue if you're using the Nouveau driver (which you probably are since nvidia-96xx doesn't even support Xorg 1.11, let alone 1.12.1). Try disabling modesetting: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KM … odesetting
Yes that sounds logical but I still get the same disappointing black screen after adding "nomodeset" to the kernel line in GRUB.
BTW I suppose it doesn't make a big difference but I'd like to correct what I said in the first post: my /boot was originally on a separate partition but I moved it to the LVM when I upgraded to GRUB2. Anyway, it doesn't seem to be a problem since GRUB loads correctly and (apparently) find all needed files.
Anything else I should try?
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For the record, is this GRUB Legacy (the one that came with the install media) or GRUB 2?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/LVM
Because grub legacy (grub with version less than 1.0) cannot boot from LVM logical volumes you cannot have /boot in LVM, so you need to create a boot partition. 100MB should be enough. The other solution would be to use lilo or grub with version 1.95 or newer.
Warning: /boot cannot reside in an LVM partition because grub (version<1.95) does not support LVM.
It's GRUB 2, isn't it? Yes... Or else the menu wouldn't have shown up. Post the output of "fdisk -l" from a "live" Linux distribution and the contents of your /etc/rc.conf, /etc/default/grub, and any other files you may have in /etc/grub.d/.
Last edited by DSpider (2012-05-08 09:05:18)
I have made a personal commitment not to reply in topics that start with a lowercase letter. Proper grammar and punctuation is a sign of respect, and if you do not show any, you will NOT receive any help (at least not from me).
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It's GRUB 2, isn't it? Yes... Or else the menu wouldn't have shown up.
Yes it's GRUB2, I also lost myself a bit when I discovered that I also had an old GRUB1 installed on the third HDD. But it's not used anymore, and as you deduced it, if the menu shows up it means it's LVM-compatible and can only be GRUB2.
Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders, total 156301488 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xf678f678
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 63 156296384 78148161 8e Linux LVM
Disk /dev/sdb: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders, total 78165360 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x01570157
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb3 3909632 78163967 37127168 83 Linux
Disk /dev/sdc: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders, total 156301488 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x980d980d
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 63 156296384 78148161 8e Linux LVM
Disk /dev/sdd: 1992 MB, 1992294400 bytes
6 heads, 5 sectors/track, 129706 cylinders, total 3891200 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdd1 * 64 3891199 1945568 6 FAT16
Disk /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolsys: 21.5 GB, 21474836480 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2610 cylinders, total 41943040 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000
Disk /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolsys doesn't contain a valid partition table
Disk /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolswap: 1073 MB, 1073741824 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 130 cylinders, total 2097152 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000
Disk /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolswap doesn't contain a valid partition table
Disk /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolhome: 32.2 GB, 32212254720 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3916 cylinders, total 62914560 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000
Disk /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolhome doesn't contain a valid partition table
Disk /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolslack: 42.9 GB, 42949672960 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 5221 cylinders, total 83886080 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000
Disk /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolslack doesn't contain a valid partition table
#
# /etc/rc.conf - Main Configuration for Arch Linux
#
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# LOCALIZATION
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# LOCALE: available languages can be listed with the 'locale -a' command
# HARDWARECLOCK: set to "UTC" or "localtime"
# USEDIRECTISA: use direct I/O requests instead of /dev/rtc for hwclock
# TIMEZONE: timezones are found in /usr/share/zoneinfo
# KEYMAP: keymaps are found in /usr/share/kbd/keymaps
# CONSOLEFONT: found in /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts (only needed for non-US)
# CONSOLEMAP: found in /usr/share/kbd/consoletrans
# USECOLOR: use ANSI color sequences in startup messages
#
LOCALE="fr_FR.utf8"
HARDWARECLOCK=""
USEDIRECTISA="no"
TIMEZONE=""
KEYMAP="fr"
CONSOLEFONT=
CONSOLEMAP=
USECOLOR="yes"
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# HARDWARE
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# MOD_AUTOLOAD: Allow autoloading of modules at boot and when needed
# MOD_BLACKLIST: Prevent udev from loading these modules
# MODULES: Modules to load at boot-up. Prefix with a ! to blacklist.
#
# NOTE: Use of 'MOD_BLACKLIST' is deprecated. Please use ! in the MODULES array.
#
MOD_AUTOLOAD="yes"
#MOD_BLACKLIST=() #deprecated
MODULES=(dm-mod)
# Scan for LVM volume groups at startup, required if you use LVM
USELVM="yes"
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# NETWORKING
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# HOSTNAME: Hostname of machine. Should also be put in /etc/hosts
#
HOSTNAME="warrick"
# Use 'ifconfig -a' or 'ls /sys/class/net/' to see all available interfaces.
#
# Interfaces to start at boot-up (in this order)
# Declare each interface then list in INTERFACES
# - prefix an entry in INTERFACES with a ! to disable it
# - no hyphens in your interface names - Bash doesn't like it
#
# DHCP: Set your interface to "dhcp" (eth0="dhcp")
# Wireless: See network profiles below
#
#Static IP example
#eth0="eth0 192.168.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.0.255"
#eth0="dhcp"
#INTERFACES=(eth0)
interface=eth0
# Routes to start at boot-up (in this order)
# Declare each route then list in ROUTES
# - prefix an entry in ROUTES with a ! to disable it
#
gateway="default gw 192.168.0.1"
ROUTES=(!gateway)
# Enable these network profiles at boot-up. These are only useful
# if you happen to need multiple network configurations (ie, laptop users)
# - set to 'menu' to present a menu during boot-up (dialog package required)
# - prefix an entry with a ! to disable it
#
# Network profiles are found in /etc/network.d
#
# This now requires the netcfg package
#
#NETWORKS=(main)
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# DAEMONS
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# Daemons to start at boot-up (in this order)
# - prefix a daemon with a ! to disable it
# - prefix a daemon with a @ to start it up in the background
#
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng network netfs crond dbus sshd)
# /etc/default/grub
GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_TIMEOUT=5
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR="Arch Linux"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet add_efi_memmap nomodeset"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
# Preload both GPT and MBR modules so that they are not missed
GRUB_PRELOAD_MODULES="part_gpt part_msdos"
# Uncomment to enable Hidden Menu, and optionally hide the timeout count
#GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=5
#GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
# Uncomment to use basic console
GRUB_TERMINAL_INPUT=console
# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal
#GRUB_TERMINAL_OUTPUT=console
# The resolution used on graphical terminal
# note that you can use only modes which your graphic card supports via VBE
# you can see them in real GRUB with the command `vbeinfo'
GRUB_GFXMODE=auto
# Uncomment to allow the kernel use the same resolution used by grub
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep
# Uncomment if you want GRUB to pass to the Linux kernel the old parameter
# format "root=/dev/xxx" instead of "root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/xxx"
#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_UUID=true
# Uncomment to disable generation of recovery mode menu entries
GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY=true
# Uncomment and set to the desired menu colors. Used by normal and wallpaper
# modes only. Entries specified as foreground/background.
#GRUB_COLOR_NORMAL="light-blue/black"
#GRUB_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT="light-cyan/blue"
# Uncomment one of them for the gfx desired, a image background or a gfxtheme
#GRUB_BACKGROUND="/path/to/wallpaper"
#GRUB_THEME="/path/to/gfxtheme"
# Uncomment to get a beep at GRUB start
#GRUB_INIT_TUNE="480 440 1"
Since it is a single boot with default kernel I'm using, files in /etc/grub.d are the ones by default. I didn't add or modify anything in this folder.
root@PartedMagic:/mnt/arch# ls -l etc/grub.d/
total 60
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 7704 Apr 22 14:32 00_header*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 10447 Apr 22 14:32 10_linux*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 9503 Apr 22 14:32 20_linux_xen*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 899 Apr 22 14:33 20_memtest86+*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 9343 Apr 22 14:32 30_os-prober*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 214 Jun 13 2011 40_custom*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 95 Apr 22 14:32 41_custom*
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 483 Apr 22 14:32 README
I also add the content of /boot/grub/grub.cfg in case you would learn something from it:
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
insmod part_gpt
insmod part_msdos
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ x"${feature_menuentry_id}" = xy ]; then
menuentry_id_option="--id"
else
menuentry_id_option=""
fi
export menuentry_id_option
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi
function savedefault {
if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
saved_entry="${chosen}"
save_env saved_entry
fi
}
function load_video {
if [ x$feature_all_video_module = xy ]; then
insmod all_video
else
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod ieee1275_fb
insmod vbe
insmod vga
insmod video_bochs
insmod video_cirrus
fi
}
if [ x$feature_default_font_path = xy ] ; then
font=unicode
else
insmod part_msdos
insmod lvm
insmod ext2
set root='lvm/VolGroup00-lvolsys'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint='lvm/VolGroup00-lvolsys' cb058ce1-ca8c-476a-84bd-c9e3f2d41b27
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root cb058ce1-ca8c-476a-84bd-c9e3f2d41b27
fi
font="/usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2"
fi
if loadfont $font ; then
set gfxmode=auto
load_video
insmod gfxterm
set locale_dir=$prefix/locale
set lang=en_US
insmod gettext
fi
terminal_input console
terminal_output gfxterm
set timeout=5
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Arch Linux GNU/Linux, with Linux core repo kernel' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-true-cb058ce1-ca8c-476a-84bd-c9e3f2d41b27' {
load_video
set gfxpayload=keep
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod lvm
insmod ext2
set root='lvm/VolGroup00-lvolsys'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint='lvm/VolGroup00-lvolsys' cb058ce1-ca8c-476a-84bd-c9e3f2d41b27
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root cb058ce1-ca8c-476a-84bd-c9e3f2d41b27
fi
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolsys ro quiet add_efi_memmap nomodeset
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img
}
menuentry 'Arch Linux GNU/Linux, with Linux core repo kernel (Fallback initramfs)' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-fallback-cb058ce1-ca8c-476a-84bd-c9e3f2d41b27' {
load_video
set gfxpayload=keep
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod lvm
insmod ext2
set root='lvm/VolGroup00-lvolsys'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint='lvm/VolGroup00-lvolsys' cb058ce1-ca8c-476a-84bd-c9e3f2d41b27
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root cb058ce1-ca8c-476a-84bd-c9e3f2d41b27
fi
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-lvolsys ro quiet add_efi_memmap nomodeset
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
Thanks for your time!
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It seems I have the same problem today. I don't remember when I last updated, but it wasn't long ago, and this morning I couldn't wake up my laptop. Everything on my SSD seems to be in tact, including all of its lvm partitions. My boot partition is in a completely separate primary partition on my HD, so the issue cited above isn't the problem. I'm hoping OP's scenario is the same.
Question for nanawel: when you boot and hit that black screen, are you able to type? I am, and I can hit ctrl+alt+del which will log "[xxxxxxxxxx] Restarting system" and successfully reboot. So, I'm also inclined to believe there's no GFX card issue.
Anyway, if my problem is the same as OP's, hopefully I can offer another guinea pig machine to figure this out. I'll be attempting to re-install the linux pkg today.
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Question for nanawel: when you boot and hit that black screen, are you able to type? I am, and I can hit ctrl+alt+del which will log "[xxxxxxxxxx] Restarting system" and successfully reboot. So, I'm also inclined to believe there's no GFX card issue.
Unfortunately from the black screen I get no output. Nothing is displayed when I type and I can't even reboot with Ctrl+Alt+Del.
Seems my case's worse
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About your rc.conf... I don't remember where I read this but try to start dbus eariler on, like this:
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network netfs crond sshd)
I have made a personal commitment not to reply in topics that start with a lowercase letter. Proper grammar and punctuation is a sign of respect, and if you do not show any, you will NOT receive any help (at least not from me).
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About your rc.conf... I don't remember where I read this but try to start dbus eariler on, like this:
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network netfs crond sshd)
Nope... still no luck.
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I have the same issue... and i finally just got Arch on my new laptop. It took me several days of learning how to get Arch to dual boot with my existing Win 7 installation setup with a GPT UEFI hard drive and to top it off i started using LVM as well. I finally got everything booting properly, upgraded everything and powered down. Now i get the blank screen after "loading initial ramdisk..." i can reboot with ctrl+alt+del and what i type shows up on the screen, so i would agree with it not being a graphics issue. Any insight would be awesome.
Thanks,
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Could a buggy update from a package be the cause of this problem?
Maybe waiting a few days and upgrading again could fix it? (optimist mode on)
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xenspidey and secretrobotron, do you also use open-source video drives (which come with KMS by default) ? Because lately some people had issues with the default desktop resolutions, where the monitor EDID wasn't being read correctly... Which could make Xorg use some standard values that do not agree with your monitor - hence the back screen.
Try using the generic, VESA driver (xf86-video-vesa).
From a "live" Linux distribution first make sure your Arch install uses a standard /etc/inittab. Here's mine (tty1-4, because I don't like searching for F7 in the dark, and uncommented because I don't consider myself a newbie anymore). Next, chroot to be able to use pacman to install the xf86-video-vesa package, and set your equivalent of this in xorg.conf (or "/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf", if you use one).
If you enabled early start, you should remove "nouveau" from /etc/mkinitcpio.conf and regenerate your initramfs (while chrooted, obviously):
$ sudo mkinitcpio -p linux
Then, instead of removing the xf86-video-nouveau package, you can temporarily stop it from loading by creating a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf file with the following contents:
blacklist nouveau
Reboot and that should do the trick. Now you're using VESA. At least now you can switch tty's and see what you're doing, instead of a black screen.
Last edited by DSpider (2012-05-09 11:19:04)
I have made a personal commitment not to reply in topics that start with a lowercase letter. Proper grammar and punctuation is a sign of respect, and if you do not show any, you will NOT receive any help (at least not from me).
Offline
DSpider Well i got up and running again. All i did was
mkinitcpio -p linux
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
I realize the grub part was probably not necessary but i was getting a quick blip before the grub2 menu previously about failing to read 00x0 something, it was too fast to make out what exactly it said. That is now gone and i'm booted up.
My guess is when i updated my system it updated the kernel and didn't automatically update the images? Does that sound like a possibility?
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Problem solved!
As suspected (when I was very optimistic) I just had to upgrade and everything worked back again! Only a few packages were updated but I noticed that the kernel was part of the group, I guess it may explain why it fixed the problem.
Thanks anyway for your time guys!
Should I mark this bug as SOLVED or xenspidey and secretrobotron would like to continue with their own issue?
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Should I mark this bug as SOLVED or xenspidey and secretrobotron would like to continue with their own issue?
Per my comment above my problem is solved. not sure about secretrobotron
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