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sublogic
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 2:20 am    Post subject: [Solved] My layout confuses grub Reply with quote

Summary:
My new-to-me laptop arrived this week. Install time. I followed the amd64 handbook, deviating only to set up encrypted partitons for data protection at rest (best done at install time). Kernel is gentoo-kernel-bin, ugrd for the initramfs, grub for bootloader. The storage is gpt-partitioned like so:
Code:

NAME           MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE  MOUNTPOINTS
nvme0n1        259:0    0 238.5G  0 disk 
├─nvme0n1p1    259:1    0     1G  0 part  /efi
└─nvme0n1p2    259:2    0 237.5G  0 part 
  └─cleartxt   253:0    0 237.5G  0 crypt
    ├─vg0-swap 253:1    0    32G  0 lvm   [SWAP]
    ├─vg0-root 253:2    0    40G  0 lvm   /
    └─vg0-home 253:3    0    40G  0 lvm   /home

There isn't a separate boot partition, all the booting bits must go under /efi. Apparently when I emerged gentoo-kernel-bin,
  • emerge ran installkernel,
  • installkernel copied the files to the right place, and
  • installkernel ran ugrd, which generated a good initramfs, and
  • installkernel ran grub-mkconfig, which found the kernel and initramfs, but
  • grub-mkconfig created a bad grub.cfg .
Why ? Isn't this a supported layout ? What did I miss ?

============================================================================
Details:
Upon rebooting I got this:
Code:
  Booting `Gentoo GNU/Linux'

error: no such device: 70611462-a82b-4c7d-abe6-1b5a29b0a24f
Loading Linux 6.6.58-gentoo-dist ...
error: no server is specified
Loading initial ramdisk ...
error: you need to load the kernel first.

Press any key to continue...

  Failed to boot both default and fallback entries.

Press any key to continue...
(Typed from a screenshot.)

Duckduckgo to the rescue: press "any key" as told, look around in the grub shell using "ls" and "set root".
Code:
grub> ls
(hd0) (hd0,gpt2) (hd0,gpt1)
grub> set root=(hd0,gpt1)
grub> ls /
efi/
grub> ls /efi
gentoo/
grub> ls /efi/gentoo
amd-uc.img vmlinuz-6.6.58-gentoo-dist.efi initramfs-6.6.58-gentoo-dist.img System.map-6.6.58-gentoo-dist

HAH ! It's obvious now. The /efi/EFI/gentoo/grub/grub.cfg is garbage.
Boot rescue media and replace it by this:
Code:
set root=(hd0,gpt1)

menuentry 'Gentoo Linux 6.6.58' {
        echo 'loading kernel...'
        linux /efi/gentoo/vmlinuz-6.6.58-gentoo-dist.efi
        echo 'loading initramfs...'
        initrd /efi/gentoo/initramfs-6.6.58-gentoo-dist.img
}

menuentry 'UEFI firmware settings' {
        fwsetup
}
And that worked. I'm typing this from the laptop in question. But it's a band-aid. I would like future kernel upgrades to automatially generate a proper grub.cfg like they should.

Here's the bad grub.cfg (wgetpaste) . And emerge --info (wgetpaste)

Deviations and choices from the handbook:
  • At Partitioning the disk with GPT for UEFI the storage was set up as above.
  • At sys-kernel/installkernel and initramfs:
    Code:
    ==> /etc/portage/package.use/installkernel <==
    sys-kernel/installkernel grub ugrd
    sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel -initramfs
    sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin -initramfs

    ==> /etc/kernel/install.conf <==
    # This file is managed by sys-kernel/installkernel
    layout=efistub
    initrd_generator=ugrd
    uki_generator=none

  • Files after "emerge sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin":
    Code:
    ls -F /efi/EFI/gentoo
    amd-uc.img*                 initramfs-6.6.58-gentoo-dist.img*
    config-6.6.58-gentoo-dist*  System.map-6.6.58-gentoo-dist*
    grub/                       vmlinuz-6.6.58-gentoo-dist.efi*

    ls -F /efi/EFI/gentoo/grub
    fonts/  grub.cfg*  grubenv*  locale/  themes/  x86_64-efi/

  • At Bootloader default: grub:
    Code:
    # grub-install --efi-directory=/efi --boot-directory=/efi/EFI/gentoo
That must have worked, because there was a grubx64.efi* in /efi/EFI/gentoo and the UEFI firmware went straight to grub. The only thing messed up was the grub.cfg .

So, what step did I skip that confused grub-mkconfig ?
Or is my setup not directly supported by grub-mkconfig ?


Last edited by sublogic on Mon Nov 25, 2024 7:37 pm; edited 1 time in total
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jburns
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 4:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did you mount the /efi partition?
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sMueggli
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 9:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The first decision you have to make: Do you want an encrypted /boot or not? It looks like you do not want an encrypted /boot because you are copying everything to the unencrypted /efi mountpoint.

In case of an unencrypted /boot you have to ask yourself, whether you want to abuse the ESP as /boot or have separate partitions for /efi and /boot.

After you have a clear idea of how you want to setup the system, you can execute "grub-install" and "grub-mkconfig" and should have a valid grub.cfg.
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Zucca
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sMueggli wrote:
The first decision you have to make: Do you want an encrypted /boot or not? It looks like you do not want an encrypted /boot because you are copying everything to the unencrypted /efi mountpoint.
Yes. I think that's the intention of the OP.
sublogic wrote:
Code:

NAME           MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE  MOUNTPOINTS
nvme0n1        259:0    0 238.5G  0 disk 
├─nvme0n1p1    259:1    0     1G  0 part  /efi
└─nvme0n1p2    259:2    0 237.5G  0 part 
  └─cleartxt   253:0    0 237.5G  0 crypt
    ├─vg0-swap 253:1    0    32G  0 lvm   [SWAP]
    ├─vg0-root 253:2    0    40G  0 lvm   /
    └─vg0-home 253:3    0    40G  0 lvm   /home

There isn't a separate boot partition, all the booting bits must go under /efi.


As for mounting the /efi, I think kernel ebuilds do not mount /efi automatically, so you have to do that manually, or by writing a pre_pkg_preinst() function to /etc/portage/env/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel/my_automount_efi.sh for example. I think there are alternative (better) ways to accomplish the automounting...
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My gentoo installs:
init=/sbin/openrc-init
-systemd -logind -elogind seatd

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Nowa
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Code:
layout=efistub


GRUB (specifically grub-mkconfig) does not support the efistub layout, only the grub layout. If you want your kernels on the ESP and use GRUB at the same time, then the solution is to mount the ESP at /boot.
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sublogic
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2024 2:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

@jburns,zucca: /efi was mounted.

Nowa wrote:
GRUB (specifically grub-mkconfig) does not support the efistub layout, only the grub layout.
I see. Okay, one solution: partition surgery.
  1. Back up /efi;
  2. Split the EFI partition in two. Old partion 1 becomes partitions 1 and 2, old partition 2 becomes partition 3 otherwise untouched.
  3. mkfs.vfat on part.1, mount on /efi, mkfs.ext4 on part.2, mount on /boot.
  4. /etc/kernel/install.conf: layout=grub
  5. emerge --config gentoo-kernel-bin
  6. grub-install --efi-directory=/efi --boot-directory=/boot
It might even be doable live, without rebooting. (Of course I have to reboot to test it.) I'll practice re-partitioning on a loop device first.

Nowa wrote:
If you want your kernels on the ESP and use GRUB at the same time, then the solution is to mount the ESP at /boot.
Hm, will that work ? I guess I can try.

Uh, also I won't do anything until I have borgbackup set up and I have backups of everything. And verified the backups from rescue media. (Sysrescue has borg, yea !)

I'll keep you posted.
EDIT: it's "gentoo-kernel-bin", not "gentoo-kernel-dist".


Last edited by sublogic on Mon Nov 25, 2024 7:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Zucca
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2024 8:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sublogic wrote:
Okay, one solution: partition surgery.
I have only /boot, that's also my EFI partition. But I use refind, not grub.
So you could possibly just chance the mount point from /efi to /boot.
Although your way of having separate /efi and /boot should be more sure shot way, as it's the new recommended way.
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My gentoo installs:
init=/sbin/openrc-init
-systemd -logind -elogind seatd

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sublogic
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2024 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It worked like a charm ! fdisk from the live system. I didn't need my backups. New layout:
Code:
# lsblk
NAME           MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE  MOUNTPOINTS
nvme0n1        259:0    0 238.5G  0 disk 
├─nvme0n1p1    259:1    0   256M  0 part  /efi
├─nvme0n1p2    259:2    0 237.5G  0 part 
│ └─cleartxt   253:0    0 237.5G  0 crypt
│   ├─vg0-swap 253:1    0    32G  0 lvm   [SWAP]
│   ├─vg0-root 253:2    0    40G  0 lvm   /
│   └─vg0-home 253:3    0    40G  0 lvm   /home
└─nvme0n1p3    259:3    0   768M  0 part  /boot

 df -h /boot /efi
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/nvme0n1p3  739M   47M  638M   7% /boot
/dev/nvme0n1p1  253M  142K  252M   1% /efi

Partitions 1 and 3 are contiguous on the disk (as much as that makes sense for an NVME). Partition 2 was never touched.
Code:
Device           Start       End   Sectors   Size Type
/dev/nvme0n1p1    2048    526335    524288   256M EFI System
/dev/nvme0n1p2 2099200 500117503 498018304 237.5G Linux LVM
/dev/nvme0n1p3  526336   2099199   1572864   768M Linux filesystem
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