GRUB 1.91 on PowerPC ( FC4 ) does not find its conf file

GRUB 1.91 on PowerPC ( FC4 ) does not find its conf file

[Dennis Clarke]

GRUB 1.91 built from latest CVS snapshot with a fresh bootstrap of GCC
3.4.4 and binutils 2.16.91.0.3 thus :

[dclarke@ppc ~]$ gcc -v
Reading specs from
/home/dclarke/local/lib/gcc/powerpc-unknown-linux-gnu/3.4.4/specs
Configured with: ../gcc-3.4.4/configure --prefix=/home/dclarke/local
--with-local-prefix=/home/dclarke/local
--with-as=/home/dclarke/local/bin/as
--with-ld=/home/dclarke/local/bin/ld --enable-threads=posix
--enable-altivec --enable-__cxa_atexit --enable-languages=c,c++
--disable-nls --enable-shared --libexecdir=/home/dclarke/local/lib
Thread model: posix
gcc version 3.4.4
[dclarke@ppc ~]$ as --version
GNU assembler 2.16.91.0.3 20050821
Copyright 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This program is free software; you may redistribute it under the terms of
the GNU General Public License.  This program has absolutely no warranty.
This assembler was configured for a target of `powerpc-unknown-linux-gnu'.
[dclarke@ppc ~]$

This is on a Genesi ODW running Fedora Core 4

The required files were then placed into the boot partition thus :

[dclarke@ppc ~]$ ls -lap /boot/grub
total 584
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root   1024 Oct 27 10:08 ./
drwxr-xr-x  6 root root   1024 Oct 27 11:21 ../
-rw-r--r--  1 root root    129 Oct 27 09:49 grub.cfg
-rwxr-xr-x  1 root root  60118 Oct 27 10:08 grubof
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 216532 Oct 27 09:31 grubof.modules
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 309405 May 23 19:22 splash.xpm

The contents of  grub.cfg are :

[dclarke@ppc ~]$ cat /boot/grub/grub.cfg
timeout 10

title Linux
    linux (hd,1)/vmlinuz-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4 root=/dev/hda1
    initrd (hd,1)/initrd-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4.img


The firmware in the unit is this :

Welcome to SmartFirmware(tm) for bplan Pegasos2 version 1.2 (20040810112413)

ok devalias
Alias                Device Path
-----------------------------------------------------------
eth                  /pci@80000000/ethernet@D
geth                 /ethernet/port1
ide                  /pci@80000000/ide@C,1/disk@0,0
hd                   /pci@80000000/ide@C,1/disk@0,0
ide0                 /pci@80000000/ide@C,1/cdrom@1,0
cd                   /pci@80000000/ide@C,1/cdrom@1,0
screen               /bootconsole
keyboard             /pci@80000000/isa@C/keyboard@i60
ok


ok printenv boot-device
boot-device           hd:0               (eth)

I then boot GRUB like so :

boot hd:1 /grub/grubof.modules

This then results in the GNU GRUB  version 1.91  screen

grub> set
prefix=(hd)
root=hd
grub> configfile (hd,1)/grub/grub.cfg

This results in the standard GNU GRUB menu in what looks to be an
ASCII character based box.  However all the characters are wrong for
the box ( ASCII line drawing does not work ) and the title "Linux" is
highlighted.

I can press "e" to edit the entries which appear to be correct based
on the grub.cfg file above.

Perhaps a menu.lst file is required ? The grub.cfg file is not found by default.

Dennis

ps: I should note the simply hitting enter results in Linux starting
to boot but then a kernel panic occurs.

Re: GRUB 1.91 on PowerPC ( FC4 ) does not find its conf file

[Hollis Blanchard]

On Oct 27, 2005, at 1:45 PM, Dennis Clarke wrote:
>
> ok printenv boot-device
> boot-device           hd:0               (eth)
>
> I then boot GRUB like so :
>
> boot hd:1 /grub/grubof.modules

This may be the problem. Is that how you normally boot? What about 
"boot hd:1,/grub/grubof.modules" -- does that work?

> This then results in the GNU GRUB  version 1.91  screen
>
> grub> set
> prefix=(hd)
> root=hd

 From here, please run the following:
grub> suspend
ok dev /chosen
ok .properties

I seem to recall that the Pegasos firmware has a bug that prevents 
"suspend" from working; if that is still the case don't worry about it.

> Perhaps a menu.lst file is required ? The grub.cfg file is not found 
> by default.

No. menu.lst is not a grub2 config file.

> ps: I should note the simply hitting enter results in Linux starting
> to boot but then a kernel panic occurs.

Are you saying this is also a GRUB problem? If so we will need some 
details.

-Hollis

Re: GRUB 1.91 on PowerPC ( FC4 ) does not find its conf file

[Dennis Clarke]

On 10/27/05, Hollis Blanchard <hollis@penguinppc.org> wrote:
> On Oct 27, 2005, at 1:45 PM, Dennis Clarke wrote:

/**********************************************************************
 *
 * There are pictures related to this discussion located here :
 * http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_01/
 *
 *    and
 *
 * http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/
 *
 **********************************************************************/

Firstly I just want to say thank you and to let you know that the new
GRUB revision is of great value to me and a lot of other people.  I
want to work with this GRUB project in whatever capacity that I can to
help.  I am not a super technical programmer but I am quite good at
doing the things that I do.  If my tone is somewhat crisp then please
accept my apologies in advance, I am killing a lot of coffee beans in
this process and even having some fun at it!

Dennis

> >
> > ok printenv boot-device
> > boot-device           hd:0               (eth)
> >
> > I then boot GRUB like so :
> >
> > boot hd:1 /grub/grubof.modules
>
> This may be the problem. Is that how you normally boot? What about
> "boot hd:1,/grub/grubof.modules" -- does that work?

Let me try that for you right now.

ok boot hd:1,/grub/grubof.modules
error: error while trying to load or boot
ok

http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/img_1284.jpg

> > This then results in the GNU GRUB  version 1.91  screen
> >
> > grub> set
> > prefix=(hd)
> > root=hd
>
>  From here, please run the following:
> grub> suspend
> ok dev /chosen
> ok .properties

okay .. I will use what works to get grub going ...

ok boot hd:1 /grub/grubof.modules

That works and gets me to GRUB

then I type your commands above ...

grub> suspend
Run 'go' to resume GRUB.
ok dev /chosen
ok .properties
name          "chosen"
stdin         0xFDA01A0 (265945504)
stdout        0xFD9FEF8 (265944824)
bootpath      "/pci@80000000/ide@C,1/disk@0,0"
bootargs      ""
memory        0xFC54D40 (264588608)
mmu           0xFC55D48 (264592712)
ok

http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/img_1285.jpg

I then type "go" ( without the quotes ) and the screen goes black with
the exception of this single line at the top :

Failed to claim heap at 0x4000, len 0x1fb000

http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/img_1286.jpg

At this point I have a dead machine again.  I have to hit the reset button.

> I seem to recall that the Pegasos firmware has a bug that prevents
> "suspend" from working; if that is still the case don't worry about it.
>
> > Perhaps a menu.lst file is required ? The grub.cfg file is not found
> > by default.
>
> No. menu.lst is not a grub2 config file.
> > ps: I should note the simply hitting enter results in Linux starting
> > to boot but then a kernel panic occurs.
>
> Are you saying this is also a GRUB problem? If so we will need some
> details.

I don't know if it is or it isn't.  I know that when I boot with
yaboot everything works fine and I am using the same kernel on the
same machine.

Here is what my yaboot.conf file looks like :

[root@ppc grub]# cat ../yaboot/yaboot.conf
# yaboot.conf generated by anaconda

boot=/dev/hda
init-message=Welcome to Fedora Core!\nHit <TAB> for boot options

partition=1
timeout=80
install=/usr/lib/yaboot/yaboot
delay=5
enablecdboot
enableofboot
enablenetboot
nonvram
mntpoint=/boot/yaboot
usemount

image=/vmlinuz-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4
        label=linux
        read-only
        initrd=/initrd-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4.img
        root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
        append="rhgb quiet"



And here is my grub.cfg :

[root@ppc grub]# cat grub.cfg
timeout 10

title Linux
    linux (hd,1)/vmlinuz-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4 root=/dev/hda1
    initrd (hd,1)/initrd-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4.img


So I guess I would need to know more about the spec for the grub.cfg
file to know what it wants.  There is a picture of what happens in
that list of pictures above.

http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_01/img_1282.jpg

With yaboot I get the following :

How to boot yaboot from the Genesi ODW firmware
http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/img_1287.jpg

yaboot 1.3.13 (Red Hat 1.3.13-06) has loaded its config file
http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/img_1288.jpg

yaboot 1.3.13 loading the kernel ( sorry for the blur )
http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/img_1289.jpg

Red Hat nash version 4.2.15
http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/img_1290.jpg

Fedora Core 4 nifty graphical boot progress
http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/img_1291.jpg

Fedora Core 4 login
http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_02/img_1292.jpg


Dennis Clarke
dclarke@blastwave.org

Re: GRUB 1.91 on PowerPC ( FC4 ) does not find its conf file

[Marco Gerards]

Hollis Blanchard <hollis@penguinppc.org> writes:

> On Oct 27, 2005, at 1:45 PM, Dennis Clarke wrote:
>>
>> ok printenv boot-device
>> boot-device           hd:0               (eth)
>>
>> I then boot GRUB like so :
>>
>> boot hd:1 /grub/grubof.modules
>
> This may be the problem. Is that how you normally boot? What about
> "boot hd:1,/grub/grubof.modules" -- does that work?

IIRC this is a bug in the pegasos firmware; it adds boot-device in
front of this argument.

--
Marco

Re: GRUB 1.91 on PowerPC ( FC4 ) does not find its conf file

[Hollis Blanchard]

On Oct 28, 2005, at 5:50 AM, Dennis Clarke wrote:
> [root@ppc grub]# cat ../yaboot/yaboot.conf
> ...
> image=/vmlinuz-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4
>         label=linux
>         read-only
>         initrd=/initrd-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4.img
>         root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
>         append="rhgb quiet"
>
>
>
> And here is my grub.cfg :
>
> [root@ppc grub]# cat grub.cfg
> timeout 10
>
> title Linux
>     linux (hd,1)/vmlinuz-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4 root=/dev/hda1
>     initrd (hd,1)/initrd-2.6.12-1.1456_FC4.img

In yaboot.conf you have specified your root partition as 
/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00. In grub.cfg you have specified it as 
/dev/hda1, and 
http://www.blastwave.org/dclarke/grub/grub_1.91/day_01/img_1282.jpg 
confirms that /dev/hda1 could not be mounted. Try correcting you root 
partition.

-Hollis

Re: GRUB 1.91 on PowerPC ( FC4 ) does not find its conf file

[Hollis Blanchard]

On Oct 28, 2005, at 5:50 AM, Dennis Clarke wrote:
>
> ok boot hd:1 /grub/grubof.modules
>
> That works and gets me to GRUB
>
> then I type your commands above ...
>
> grub> suspend
> Run 'go' to resume GRUB.
> ok dev /chosen
> ok .properties
> name          "chosen"
> stdin         0xFDA01A0 (265945504)
> stdout        0xFD9FEF8 (265944824)
> bootpath      "/pci@80000000/ide@C,1/disk@0,0"
> bootargs      ""
> memory        0xFC54D40 (264588608)
> mmu           0xFC55D48 (264592712)
> ok

Ah, right. Pegasos firmware does not pass the boot arguments, so GRUB 
cannot determine where to load its config file from. In fact, both the 
filesystem path and the partition number are missing, so there's really 
no way to guess the location correctly.

If you are using the latest firmware, you will need to remind the 
Genesi folks about this problem (I have CCed Sven). I have not heard 
when they intend to release fixed firmware, or maybe they have already 
and you just need to install the update.

I can't see any workarounds, since you can't pass any options to grub. 
I suppose you could hardcode "(hd,0)" as the default prefix in GRUB 
source... either that, or be happy you can use the "configfile" command 
(a feature yaboot lacks :).

> I then type "go" ( without the quotes ) and the screen goes black with
> the exception of this single line at the top :
>
> Failed to claim heap at 0x4000, len 0x1fb000

This is another Pegasos firmware bug. suspend works, but resume 
doesn't. Luckily, in this case suspend is all we needed for debug 
information. :)

-Hollis