Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

cebalrai · 2013-01-22 13:29:06

My config was working fine with the 3.6 kernel series. But after updating to the current kernel, my arch system doesn't boot anymore.

I'm using rEFInd as a boot manager but even using an UEFI shell, I can't get the kernel too boot. My best guess so far is that my initrd isn't being loaded correctly.
My initrds/kernel are on the UEFI System partition ( EFI\arch\ ) and I'm trying to load the initrd using "initrd=\EFI\arch\initramfs-arch.img"
I have rebuilt the initrds and copied them to the ESP partition, but that didn't change anything either.
The system just sits there after the efi executable is started, no feedback, no disk activity.
Any ideas how I can get this to work again?

EDIT:
I downgraded to 3.6.11 and the system boots. So something in 3.7 must have changed.

Last edited by cebalrai (2013-01-22 15:34:51)

Dieter · 2013-01-22 18:06:55

I also just downgraded the kernel as the new 3.7 kernel refuses to load my EFI partition with type "vfat" in /etc/fstab. Due to the mounting problem, I was thrown to the rescue shell.

Then I commented the EFI partition in /etc/fstab and I was able to go a bit further - to do the kernel downgrade.

Is support for vfat file system - which should be used for EFI partition - is dropped in kernel 3.7 or must be explicitly activated / loaded?

WonderWoofy · 2013-01-22 23:12:08

Mine seems to be working just fine with the efistub and gummiboot. I have been using this combo for quite some time without issue. Also, my vfat ESP is mounted to /boot as always, and all seems well.

I had to test this specifically because I typically use graysky's repo-ck (which works amazingly BTW and it now @ 3.7.4)

PaulSamways · 2013-01-23 07:54:56

Exact same problem here, system just hangs while try to load the kernel, no messages, nothing.

Downgrading to 3.6 works.

cebalrai · 2013-01-23 07:57:06

Since it does work for some people and doesn't work for others, lets see if this is hardware related:

I'm on a Thinkpad T530, latest BIOS/UEFI installed.

sys_argv · 2013-01-23 08:46:42

I had the same problem when upgrading to 3.7.3. Had to downgrade to 3.6 but am not sure what happens now. Should I only attempt to upgrade when the next kernel update comes along or is there some sort of standard way of dealing with this?

catharsis · 2013-01-23 09:14:16

I'm having the same problem. Using rEFInd and EFISTUB on a Thinkpad T430s. As for others, downgrading to 3.6 works.

Ardanas · 2013-01-23 09:34:20

Same (annoying) problem on a Thinkpad x230t together with refind and efistub. Didn't try downgrading yet.

Last edited by Ardanas (2013-01-23 09:34:33)

Ardanas · 2013-01-23 11:26:09

This helped: There is a kernel update to 3.7.4-1 and an refind upgrade to 0.6.5-1.
Trying this I booted via usb stick, chrooted and performed a system upgrade which, finally, did it.

eumel · 2013-01-23 12:11:26

Same problem here on a ThinkPad X131e with gummiboot. Upgrading to 3.7.4-1 doesn't help. Downgrading to 3.6.11 does the trick.

swordfish · 2013-01-23 12:21:42

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but after pacman installed the new 3.7* kernel, did you guys update your efistub kernel as well?

I mean, did you do something like this?

$ sudo cp /boot/vmlinuz-linux /boot/efi/EFI/arch/vmlinuz-arch.efi
$ sudo cp /boot/initramfs-linux.img /boot/efi/EFI/arch/initramfs-arch.img
$ sudo cp /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img /boot/efi/EFI/arch/initramfs-arch-fallback.img

If you don't do this after a kernel update, your system will definitely hang on boot.

Ardanas · 2013-01-23 12:47:50

swordfish wrote:

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but after pacman installed the new 3.7* kernel, did you guys update your efistub kernel as well?
I mean, did you do something like this?
$ sudo cp /boot/vmlinuz-linux /boot/efi/EFI/arch/vmlinuz-arch.efi
$ sudo cp /boot/initramfs-linux.img /boot/efi/EFI/arch/initramfs-arch.img
$ sudo cp /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img /boot/efi/EFI/arch/initramfs-arch-fallback.img
If you don't do this after a kernel update, your system will definitely hang on boot.

Yup, I did it, as far as I know. At least when I did the latest upgrade.

cebalrai · 2013-01-23 13:40:09

Ardanas wrote:

This helped: There is a kernel update to 3.7.4-1 and an refind upgrade to 0.6.5-1.
Trying this I booted via usb stick, chrooted and performed a system upgrade which, finally, did it.

The new versions also did the trick for me. Now booting just fine.

Ardanas · 2013-01-23 15:49:14

Ardanas wrote:

swordfish wrote:
I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but after pacman installed the new 3.7* kernel, did you guys update your efistub kernel as well?
I mean, did you do something like this?
$ sudo cp /boot/vmlinuz-linux /boot/efi/EFI/arch/vmlinuz-arch.efi
$ sudo cp /boot/initramfs-linux.img /boot/efi/EFI/arch/initramfs-arch.img
$ sudo cp /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img /boot/efi/EFI/arch/initramfs-arch-fallback.img
If you don't do this after a kernel update, your system will definitely hang on boot.
Yup, I did it, as far as I know. At least when I did the latest upgrade.

Even better: There is a systemd script doing exactly this for me. This was the first thing I checked.

What may have been the reason is that I may have forgotten to replace the refind files after some upgrade. Although I am pretty sure I did.

edeloa · 2013-01-23 16:11:33

Upgrading to 3.7.4-1 (from the troubled 3.7.3-1) took care of this issue for me as well. Spent the whole night troubleshooting and going through the dreaded downgrade process several times but glad there's a permanent fix for it.

eumel · 2013-01-23 18:05:49

This still doesn't work for me with 3.7.4. I'm also using the systemd-service for copying. The initram is being created without errors.

After choosing arch in gummiboot's menu, nothing happens. Is there any way to debug this?

Here is my config (which worked until now).

/boot/efi/loader/entries/arch.conf:
title   Arch Linux
linux   \EFI\arch\vmlinuz-linux.efi
initrd  \EFI\arch\initramfs-linux.img
options root=/dev/sda2 rootflags=subvol=__active elevator=noop ro quiet

Last edited by eumel (2013-01-23 18:14:27)

fulmare · 2013-01-23 21:57:51

I'm not using UEFI but I had a similar problem.
Just remove 'quiet' kernel option works, not sure why -.-

eumel · 2013-01-23 22:17:32

fulmare wrote:

I'm not using UEFI but I had a similar problem.
Just remove 'quiet' kernel option works, not sure why -.-

Nope, not in my case. Still no output at all, by the way.

Edit: I tried using refind now. It hangs right after loading the initram (or at least after trying). This also works with 3.6.*

Last edited by eumel (2013-01-24 11:18:11)

paraffin · 2013-01-24 15:58:59

catharsis wrote:

I'm having the same problem. Using rEFInd and EFISTUB on a Thinkpad T430s. As for others, downgrading to 3.6 works.

Same machine, same setup, same problem, same solution. (and copy the images from /boot/ to /boot/EFI/arch, of course)

eumel · 2013-01-24 16:20:52

I think I narrowed it down to the kernel itself. I tried loading it from a bare EFI shell (without giving any initrd). Kernel 3.6.11 paniced as expected, not finding the rootfs (because I did not give an initrd, obviously). Kernel 3.7.4 did nothing, the screen just froze, still showing the shell. Any suggestions on how to proceed?

catharsis · 2013-01-24 21:11:23

cebalrai wrote:

Ardanas wrote:
This helped: There is a kernel update to 3.7.4-1 and an refind upgrade to 0.6.5-1.
Trying this I booted via usb stick, chrooted and performed a system upgrade which, finally, did it.
The new versions also did the trick for me. Now booting just fine.

Just chiming in to say that this worked for me as well.

eumel · 2013-01-25 09:13:03

Okay, so linux-ck 3.7.4 from the repo-ck boots fine. As I seem to be the only one left with this problem, I will just stick with that.

darrenlee · 2013-01-31 15:10:13

eumel wrote:

Okay, so linux-ck 3.7.4 from the repo-ck boots fine. As I seem to be the only one left with this problem, I will just stick with that.

You are not the only one.My newly bought laptop,Thinkpad E530,has the same problem.I had to downgrade from kernel 3.7.5 to 3.6 to boot with UEFI.Unfortunately,this makes it uneasy to install virtualbox pkg in current community repo since it depends on kernel 3.7.

btby · 2013-02-11 06:48:54

Experiencing the same problem with ThinkPad T430, gummiboot and kernel version 3.7.6-1 (black screen after gummiboot menu). I wonder if anyone in this thread has everything working with the new kernel?

Last edited by btby (2013-02-11 06:49:26)

darrenlee · 2013-02-11 10:27:07

My problem has been solved by upgrading refind-efi to the new version 0.6.7-1.Surprisingly,it was not about the kernel.It seems to me that stuff like UEFI on linux really need some time to become mature.

Last edited by darrenlee (2013-02-11 12:47:37)

Arch Linux

#1 2013-01-22 13:29:06

Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#2 2013-01-22 18:06:55

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#3 2013-01-22 23:12:08

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#4 2013-01-23 07:54:56

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#5 2013-01-23 07:57:06

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#6 2013-01-23 08:46:42

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#7 2013-01-23 09:14:16

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#8 2013-01-23 09:34:20

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#9 2013-01-23 11:26:09

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#10 2013-01-23 12:11:26

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#11 2013-01-23 12:21:42

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#12 2013-01-23 12:47:50

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#13 2013-01-23 13:40:09

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#14 2013-01-23 15:49:14

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#15 2013-01-23 16:11:33

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#16 2013-01-23 18:05:49

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#17 2013-01-23 21:57:51

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#18 2013-01-23 22:17:32

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#19 2013-01-24 15:58:59

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#20 2013-01-24 16:20:52

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#21 2013-01-24 21:11:23

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#22 2013-01-25 09:13:03

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#23 2013-01-31 15:10:13

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#24 2013-02-11 06:48:54

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

#25 2013-02-11 10:27:07

Re: Kernel 3.7 doesn't boot using EFI Stub

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