Systemd-boot is installed and works but "bootctl status" reports n/a

vesse · 2022-12-03 00:44:41

I have configured the boot using bootctl install. And everything works, but checking with bootctl status shows n/a. What has gone wrong? Previously I used rEFInd which also worked fine.

# bootctl status
  System:
        Firmware: n/a (n/a)
   Firmware Arch: x64
     Secure Boot: disabled (disabled)
    TPM2 Support: yes
    Boot into FW: supported

  Current Boot Loader:
        Product: n/a
       Features: ✗ Boot counting
                 ✗ Menu timeout control
                 ✗ One-shot menu timeout control
                 ✗ Default entry control
                 ✗ One-shot entry control
                 ✗ Support for XBOOTLDR partition
                 ✗ Support for passing random seed to OS
                 ✗ Load drop-in drivers
                 ✗ Support Type #1 sort-key field
                 ✗ Support @saved pseudo-entry
                 ✗ Support Type #1 devicetree field
                 ✗ Boot loader sets ESP information
            ESP: n/a
           File: └─n/a

  Random Seed:
   Passed to OS: no
   System Token: set
         Exists: yes

  Available Boot Loaders on ESP:
            ESP: /boot (/dev/disk/by-partuuid/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx)
           File: ├─/EFI/systemd/systemd-bootx64.efi (systemd-boot 252.1-1-arch)
                 └─/EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi (systemd-boot 252.1-1-arch)

  Boot Loaders Listed in EFI Variables:
          Title: Linux Boot Manager
             ID: 0x000C
         Status: active, boot-order
      Partition: /dev/disk/by-partuuid/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
           File: └─/EFI/systemd/systemd-bootx64.efi

  Boot Loader Entries:
          $BOOT: /boot (/dev/disk/by-partuuid/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx)

  Default Boot Loader Entry:
           type: Boot Loader Specification Type #1 (.conf)
          title: Arch Linux
             id: arch.conf
         source: /boot/loader/entries/arch.conf
          linux: /vmlinuz-linux
         initrd: /intel-ucode.img
                 /initramfs-linux.img
        options: root=UUID=xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx rw add_efi_memmap

cfr · 2022-12-03 03:31:42

vesse wrote:

I have configured the boot using bootctl install. And everything works, but checking with bootctl status shows n/a. What has gone wrong?

Your only mistake is checking with bootctl.

bootctl returns incomplete, misleading and frequently inconsistent information, while providing no caveats, warnings or context to enable the user to understand its (lack of) significance. It does this most egregiously if you do not use systemd-boot, but it still does it (as you can see) if you use systemd-boot itself. As with much of systemd, I cannot fathom why it was designed this way, but it is, at least, harmless.

On my system, it lists a single boot entry, one available boot loader on the ESP and one boot loader mentioned in EFI variables. Nonetheless, it concludes there are zero entries.

0 entries, no entry could be determined as default.

Forget bootctl, if you want to check your boot configuration try

efibootmgr

and/or look in /boot/ and/or your EFI partition.

vesse · 2022-12-03 18:09:52

efibootmgr shows strage things too. Indicates that Toshiba NVME (device 000B) is missing. At the same time, /boot, / and /home are all located on this device and are currently running.

All this sits in the HP Elitebook 820 laptop. I only recently adopted this. The problem can also be in the firmware of the laptop.

Before hibernation

$ efibootmgr
BootCurrent: 000B
Timeout: 0 seconds
BootOrder: 000E,000C,000B,000A,0000,0001,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,0008,0009,000F
Boot0000  Startup Menu
Boot0001  System Information
Boot0002  Bios Setup
Boot0003  3rd Party Option ROM Management
Boot0004  System Diagnostics
Boot0005  System Diagnostics
Boot0006  System Diagnostics
Boot0007  System Diagnostics
Boot0008  Boot Menu
Boot0009  HP Recovery
Boot000A* KINGSTON SV300S37A120G
Boot000B* KXG50ZNV256G TOSHIBA
Boot000C* Linux Boot Manager    HD(1,GPT,xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx,0x800,0x200000)/File(\EFI\systemd\systemd-bootx64.efi)
Boot000D* IPV6 Network - Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (4) I219-V
Boot000E  USB: 
Boot000F  Network Boot

After hibernation/resume

$ efibootmgr
BootCurrent: 000C
Timeout: 0 seconds
BootOrder: 000E,000C,000A,0000,0001,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,0008,0009,000F
Boot0000  Startup Menu
Boot0001  System Information
Boot0002  Bios Setup
Boot0003  3rd Party Option ROM Management
Boot0004  System Diagnostics
Boot0005  System Diagnostics
Boot0006  System Diagnostics
Boot0007  System Diagnostics
Boot0008  Boot Menu
Boot0009  HP Recovery
Boot000A* KINGSTON SV300S37A120G
Boot000B  Could not parse device path: No such file or directory
Boot000C* Linux Boot Manager    HD(1,GPT,xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx,0x800,0x200000)/File(\EFI\systemd\systemd-bootx64.efi)1400000049535048
Boot000D* IPV6 Network - Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (4) I219-V
Boot000E  USB:      
Boot000F  Network Boot

Arch Linux

#1 2022-12-03 00:44:41

Systemd-boot is installed and works but "bootctl status" reports n/a

#2 2022-12-03 03:31:42

Re: Systemd-boot is installed and works but "bootctl status" reports n/a

#3 2022-12-03 18:09:52

Re: Systemd-boot is installed and works but "bootctl status" reports n/a

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