[SOLVED] I'm Going Insane Trying to Get UEFI Boot Working

[fandingo]

I'm a long-time Linux user, but new to Gentoo. I've been fighting this issue on and off for a couple of weeks, and I'm at my wits' end. I can't get UEFI booting to work no matter what, and I need a lot of help.

Ultimately, I want to build an Unified Kernel Image, but I'm struggling just to boot via EFI. I'm using systemd-boot, and that seems to work fine. The EFI firmware detects it, systemd-boot shows the boot menu, and I can see my Gentoo entry. However, no matter how I build the system, it's just a blinking cursor. No kernel panic, no output at all. It's so frustrating.


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The complete install scripts are available HERE.

[kimchi_sg]

[fandingo]

Thanks for the reply!

Could I ask you a few questions about your system?


1. Filesystem Structure

[kimchi_sg]

[fandingo]

Thanks for the info. I was it wouldn't look similar to what I've tried, but it seems about the same. I'll have to go through the kconfig in more detail, but it seems like my problem is with dracut.

[sMueggli]

I am absolutely no expert, but looking at https://github.com/fandingo/homelab-questions/blob/main/spaceman/gentoo/kconfig I would say that your kernel is missing the "graphic" support for the virtualised stuff, e.g.

[Viorel]

Do you have CONFIG_FB_EFI?

[De-Javu]

Hi fandingo,

I've seen in your initial post you're looking to use systemd-boot. Let's get your systemd-boot working, and then we can try to get your Unified Kernel Image prepared.

You did use a systemd stage3 when setting up your system, right?

gentoo-kernel and gentoo-kernel-bin are both perfectly prepared to work with systemd-boot, so let's work with an unmodified Gentoo distribution kernel. Either the kind you compile yourself or the -bin version is fine. If you've been modding the kernel, remove any mods so it's the stock Gentoo kernel.

Remove the configuration file for systemd-boot. You shouldn't need any configuration file to successfully boot into Gentoo.

First update your emerge ebuild repository with

[fandingo]

Sorry that I've been slow to respond. Thanks everyone so much for your replies. I haven't had as much time to dedicate over the past week as I'd have liked.

I read all your replies diligently, and I learned a lot. It's amazing to have such a nice community. I appreciate your answers so much.


A couple of replies are in order:


@Viorel @sMueggli,

Again, thanks a ton for the responses. I actually learned a ton reading through those config options.


I wanted to provide some follow-up information:

My use-case is not normal. I created that domain.xml specifically, so that I could use `virsh console gentoo` without using something like `virt-manager`. However, opening the guest in `virt-manager` would be View→Consoles→Serial 1, without a graphical option. Niche case, but we're not always looking at a FB through a GPU on a monitor or a something like a SPICE (ah, however the that works).


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@De-Javu,

Thanks for your reply. Yeah, this is close to the approach that I've been working on today to quite a bit of success.

Slight correction: gentoo-kernel, not gentoo-sources

[fandingo]

I wanted to come back to this thread and actually explain what my problem was in case anyone comes across this later. The problem was actually really embarrassing...

dracut doesn't give good output when producing a UKI. Here are the last few lines of the dracut output:

[fmgjcoppens]

Hi fandingo. I'm dropping in a bit late. I was wondering if you sorted the UKI problem in the end?

I'm in a similar but slightly simpler situation. I have a fresh gentoo/openrc install and I want to generate a UKI, but without using 'systemd-boot'; I load my UKIs directly from the motherboard firmware using efibootmgr.

I seem to need 'sys-apps/systemd-utils' because dracut insists on using the systemd-stub to construct the UKI. This is not mentioned in Gentoo's UKI wiki page and I am also confused on what useflags to set on 'sys-kernel/kernelinstall' (I suppose this is the Debian one, and not the one from systemd since I am using the openrc version of the stage3 tarball), 'sys-kernel/dracut' and 'sys-apps/systemd-utils'

As far as I know systemd has the only known UKI stub implementation. Have you come across others?

[AndrewAmmerlaan]

[fmgjcoppens]

Thanks AndrewAmmerlaan,

I managed to get booting from a dracut generated UKI working using

sys-kernel/installkernel dracut uki
sys-apps/systemd-utils boot kernel-install (boot implies kernel-install)

Indeed, I use efibootmgr for adding them to the UEFI boot table. I have no use for systemd-boot at the moment, but thanks for the suggestion.

Creating a /etc/kernel/postinst.d/95-efibootmgr.install hook is a good idea, thanks. I do something similar on another distro and it works great.

No other UKI stub loaders? Interesting. Mr. Pottering must have done a good job I wonder if there is any interest in implementing other ones.

[pietinger]

[AndrewAmmerlaan]

With the risk of being pedantic about it, a kernel image with an embedded initramfs that is capable of EFI stub booting is not the same as an Unified Kernel Image. Both achieve a similar goal, namely including the initramfs/cmdline/kernel modules in the secure boot signature, but on a technical level they are different things. An UKI does require systemd-stub to do its magic, not so for a kernel image with an embedded initramfs. there the kernel loads this initramfs itself and no external stub is required.
_________________
OS: Gentoo 6.7.3-gentoo-dist, ~amd64, 17.1/desktop/plasma/systemd/merged-usr
MB: MSI Z370-A PRO
CPU: Intel Core i9-9900KS
GPU: Intel Arc A770 16GB & Intel UHD Graphics 630
SSD: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 32GB DDR4-2400

[pietinger]

[fmgjcoppens]

Yes, I was indeed referring to the UKI specification of the Linux Userspace API Group (here)

But your alternative version of a UKI seems attractive as well and might in the end be more than enough for me. I don't care that much about secure booting, nor most of the other features the UKI spec is providing. My aim is simply to have as few layers as possible between switching on my computer and arriving at the login window. If I can do that with a single UEFI executable, I'm happy.

In any case, many thanks for all the advice!

[pietinger]

[rogge]