Bug#984760: grub-efi-amd64: upgrade works, boot fails (error: symbol `grub_is_lockdown` not found)

[Steve McIntyre]

Hi Ryan,

On Sat, Jul 17, 2021 at 09:19:22AM -0500, Ryan Thoryk wrote:
>On 7/17/21 8:18 AM, Steve McIntyre wrote:
>> On Sat, Jul 17, 2021 at 07:57:48AM -0500, Ryan Thoryk wrote:
>> EFI/debian is *NOT* wrong, it's the correct location for a system that
>> has working firmware which supports setting UEFI boot variables. If
>> you *also* need to write a copy of grub (etc.) to the removable media
>> location (EFI/boot) then that's supported as well by the Debian
>> packaging - run "dpkg-reconfigure grub-efi-arm64" and say yes when the
>> system asks about that.
>
>Thanks for that suggestion, that explains the correct procedure in resolving
>the issue.  What I'm trying to point out though (I tried this), is that if
>you spin up a new Debian ARM VM on AWS, and run "grub-install" *without*
>doing a dpkg-reconfigure, it results in an unbootable system.  To recover the
>system, you have to attach the disk on a different VM and replace the old
>boot loader image with the new one, then it boots again.  After running the
>dpkg-reconfigure command though like you suggested, it copied over the EFI
>boot image to the "BOOT" folder, and also set the nvram variables to
>apparently boot from the "debian" folder, so that solved the problem for me.
>After doing that, the system comes up after a reboot with the newer grub
>modules.
>
>With others on here, the issue might have to do with the system executing an
>older EFI boot image resulting in a module mismatch, like what happened to
>me.  Your dpkg-reconfigure suggestion might fix their issues too.

So when you say "spin up a new Debian ARM VM on AWS", what exact image
are you using here? It sounds like the build process for that image
needs to be fixed to DTRT for the platform. Then you and other users
won't be bitten by this problem...

-- 
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK.                                steve at einval.com
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that
 English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on
 occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them
 unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."  -- James D. Nicoll