Today's grub update

[glennzo]

Anyone updated their system today? There was a grub update included in the mix.
[glenn@phenom17 ~>$ grub2-install --version
grub2-install (GRUB) 2.00~beta2

[root@phenom17 glenn>$ yum history info 26 | grep grub
Updated grub2-1:1.99-14.fc17.x86_64 @koji-override-0/$releasever
Updated grubby-8.8-3.fc17.x86_64 @koji-override-0/$releasever
1 warning: /etc/grub.d/10_linux saved as /etc/grub.d/10_linux.rpmsave


I encountered an issue right away. Because I multi-boot and had removed a kernel from another installed system I wanted to update my menu to remove same. When I ran grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg it failed with an error related to /etc/grub.d/10_linux.rpmsave. I paniced for about 5 seconds, pulled myself together, moved that file elsewhere and ran grub2-mkconfig again. This time it was successful. I don't know where the file belongs but it apparently doesn't belong in /etc/grub.d.

One other surprise was new entries in my boot menu. In the past grub just listed the installed OS's that it found. This morning there are new entries. Here's a small sample of my boot menu.

Fedora Linux
Advanced options for Fedora Linux
Windows 7 (loader) (/dev/sda1)
Linux Mint 12 Lisa (12)
Advanced options for Linux Mint 12 Lisa (12)
etc
etc
etc

The menu selections now scroll of the bottom of the menu.

None of this is an issue for me. I'm posting basically just for comparison to what others see.

[tox]

where did the Grub2.00 Beta2 come from? i dont see it in Koji

[glennzo]

where did the Grub2.00 Beta2 come from? i dont see it in Koji
The grub gods :D

Seriously? All I did was check updates and then install updates. What's my code say, koji-override-0 ??

Beats me. I'm not that into it to know the difference.

[tox]

ok this explains it * Wed Mar 14 2012 Peter Jones <pjones AT redhat.com> - 1.99-18 - Rebase from 1.99 to 2.00~beta2

[PabloTwo]

The file 10_linux.rpmsave does belong in /etc/grub.d/.
It was created because you had done a manual edit of the /etc/grub.d/10_linux file, and then had an update of the grub2 package.
The 10_linux.rpmsave file is your "edited" file, and the now new 10_linux file was the "new" file installed by the grub2 update.

Now here is the thing. Both 10_linux and 10_linux.rpmsave are executable, and so both of them will be executed when you do the grub2-mkconfig command string. To prevent both from being executed, you either need to delete one or the other or move one or the other out of that directory, or, easier, unset the execute bits on the one you don't want to be executed.

I go through this bit with 30_os-prober as I have an edit to that one to prevent my ancient W2K install from showing up in the grub2 menu.

[vallimar]

I would make (and keep) a backup of any working grub.cfg file you have before generating
a new one with mkconfig or updating your kernel. It's a good bit different, and the first time
I decided to try swapping in a new kernel, grubby didn't handle it quite so properly.

Also, I tried to enable the default theme they include and regenerate -- not good.
And as usual, the grub2-efi stuff is still rather wonky and needing much massaging.
Whoever is packaging that is clearly not testing the efi bits at all.

[VernDog]

$ grub2-install --version
grub2-install (GRUB) 1.99

That's after today's updates.

[DBelton]

yours didn't get updated, then.

I just updated mine a few minutes ago and here it is:


[root@tower20 ~]# grub2-install --version
grub2-install (GRUB) 2.00~beta2

[AdamW]

it's probably worth reporting the problem with the .rpmsave files. we may be able to suppress generation of them somehow. thanks.

vemdog: the update is in updates-testing at present. you might not get it if you have that repo disabled.

[AdamW]

vallimar: yes, we don't really test the grub2-efi stuff, we just throw it in a package. the developer doesn't have the time at present to look at stablizing grub2-efi and switching to it. f17 will ship with grub-legacy still as the supported bootloader for EFI installs.

[VernDog]

it's probably worth reporting the problem with the .rpmsave files. we may be able to suppress generation of them somehow. thanks.

vemdog: the update is in updates-testing at present. you might not get it if you have that repo disabled.

Thanks. I don't have that enabled.

[Palooka]

it's probably worth reporting the problem with the .rpmsave files. we may be able to suppress generation of them somehow

Perhaps one option is to keep the file but chmod 644 so that it does not get executed (like the README file in the same directory).

Just a thought.

[DBelton]

I agree with Palooka.

If the rpmsave file is created, it is usually due to there being manual changes to the one that exists. (same thing with the rpmnew files, too)

You really don't want to be arbitrarily tossing out modifications made by the system admins.

[Palooka]

One other thing: I noticed that after a grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg, I was seeing three 'File not found' GRUB errors right at the start of the boot (though the selected kernel still booted).

They went away after I did a grub2-install /dev/sda.

Now to find out what those annoying 'Advanced options' entries are, and how to turn them off without editing grub.cfg directly.

---------- Post added at 10:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:36 PM ----------

Now to find out what those annoying 'Advanced options' entries are, and how to turn them off without editing grub.cfg directly.

Ah, I see it now. The 'Advanced options' are needed when, for example, there is more than one kernel installed. I'll leave it as it is, then (after setting the default to rc6 of course).

[vallimar]

vallimar: yes, we don't really test the grub2-efi stuff, we just throw it in a package. the developer doesn't have the time at present to look at stablizing grub2-efi and switching to it. f17 will ship with grub-legacy still as the supported bootloader for EFI installs.
I figured as much. I mentioned it more as a warning for others that might see the new packages that they shouldn't touch them unless they are brave and have a modicum of experience. Once you get things shuffled into place though, I've had no problems.

---------- Post added at 10:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 AM ----------

Ah, I see it now. The 'Advanced options' are needed when, for example, there is more than one kernel installed. I'll leave it as it is, then (after setting the default to rc6 of course).
I still prefer the flat layout myself. Unfortunately, I don't see an option to suppress the 'Advanced' layout. Oh well, I mostly maintain the grub.cfg files by hand outside of grubby kernel updates anyhow.