Bug#611537: grub-pc: Bad news: not solved even with 1.98+20100804-14+squeeze1

[Niccolo Rigacci]

Package: grub-pc
Version: 1.98+20100804-14+squeeze1
Severity: normal

Unfortunately the bug is still here.

I did a fresh default install from a Debian netinst 6.0.3, then I tried
to boot from /dev/sdb (removing /dev/sda). The result is an infinite
loop rebooting just after "GRUB loading."

I tried also to connect /dev/sdb to the first sata port: it does not work.

After several tries with grub-install and grub-setup I find a blog post
suggesting to activate "GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="nomodeset" and "GRUB_TERMINAL=console",
now the system can boot from sdb.

I will try to reproduce the bug on a test system and check what is
the minimal change which solves the problem. I will also check if the
recipe fixes the problem permanently, so I can remove the "console" mode.

-- Package-specific info:

*********************** BEGIN /proc/mounts
/dev/disk/by-uuid/6805e46d-1c92-4869-bc89-36b6b87bbb03 / ext3 rw,relatime,errors=remount-ro,data=ordered 0 0
*********************** END /proc/mounts

*********************** BEGIN /boot/grub/device.map
(hd0)	/dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST2000DL003-9VT166_5YD6A7LD
(hd1)	/dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST2000DL003-9VT166_5YD6AANG
(hd2)	/dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST2000DL003-9VT166_5YD68P9T
(hd3)	/dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST2000DL003-9VT166_5YD5V5ZQ
*********************** END /boot/grub/device.map

*********************** BEGIN /boot/grub/grub.cfg
#
# 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 ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
  load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ "${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 {
  insmod vbe
  insmod vga
  insmod video_bochs
  insmod video_cirrus
}

terminal_input console
terminal_output console
set timeout=5
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=cyan/blue
set menu_color_highlight=white/blue
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux, with Linux 2.6.32-5-xen-amd64' --class debian --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
	insmod raid
	insmod mdraid
	insmod part_gpt
	insmod part_gpt
	insmod ext2
	set root='(md/0)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 6805e46d-1c92-4869-bc89-36b6b87bbb03
	echo	'Loading Linux 2.6.32-5-xen-amd64 ...'
	linux	/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64 root=UUID=6805e46d-1c92-4869-bc89-36b6b87bbb03 ro nomodeset quiet
	echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
	initrd	/boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64
}
menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux, with Linux 2.6.32-5-xen-amd64 (recovery mode)' --class debian --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
	insmod raid
	insmod mdraid
	insmod part_gpt
	insmod part_gpt
	insmod ext2
	set root='(md/0)'
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 6805e46d-1c92-4869-bc89-36b6b87bbb03
	echo	'Loading Linux 2.6.32-5-xen-amd64 ...'
	linux	/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64 root=UUID=6805e46d-1c92-4869-bc89-36b6b87bbb03 ro single nomodeset
	echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
	initrd	/boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###

### 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 ###
*********************** END /boot/grub/grub.cfg

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 6.0.3
  APT prefers stable-updates
  APT policy: (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.32-5-xen-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=it_IT.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=it_IT.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages grub-pc depends on:
ii  debconf [debco 1.5.36.1                  Debian configuration management sy
ii  grub-common    1.98+20100804-14+squeeze1 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 
ii  libc6          2.11.2-10                 Embedded GNU C Library: Shared lib
ii  libdevmapper1. 2:1.02.48-5               The Linux Kernel Device Mapper use
ii  ucf            3.0025+nmu1               Update Configuration File: preserv

grub-pc recommends no packages.

Versions of packages grub-pc suggests:
pn  desktop-base                  <none>     (no description available)

-- debconf information:
  grub-pc/kopt_extracted: false
  grub2/kfreebsd_cmdline:
  grub2/device_map_regenerated:
* grub-pc/install_devices: /dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST2000DL003-9VT166_5YD6A7LD
  grub-pc/postrm_purge_boot_grub: false
  grub-pc/install_devices_failed_upgrade: true
  grub-pc/disk_description:
* grub2/linux_cmdline:
  grub-pc/install_devices_empty: false
  grub2/kfreebsd_cmdline_default: quiet
  grub-pc/partition_description:
  grub-pc/install_devices_failed: false
  grub-pc/install_devices_disks_changed:
* grub2/linux_cmdline_default: quiet
  grub-pc/chainload_from_menu.lst: true
  grub-pc/mixed_legacy_and_grub2: true