GRUB doesn't show boot options (fresh install)

[shovel]

I am currently trying to install gentoo on an old laptop. I already went through the handbook but after I reboot GRUB shows only UEFI firmware settings.

Laptop specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5-8300H
GPU: GTX 1050 mobile
RAM: 12GB

I have three partitions:

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/dev/sda1 /efi
/dev/sda2 swap
/dev/sda3 /

This is how some directories look like:

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$ ls efi/EFI/gentoo
grubx64.efi

$ ls /boot
amd-uc.img grub

$ls /boot/grub
fonts grub.cfg grubenv locale themes x86_64-efi

installkernel had grub and dracut marked
I used gentoo-kernel package
I use OpenRC

I think that the problem is that there is no kernel in /boot but I have no idea how to fix that.

[pietinger]

shovel,

Welcome to Gentoo Forums!

[...] I think that the problem is that there is no kernel in /boot [...]

Yes, you miss the kernel in /boot. Have you emerged the gentoo-kernel or the gentoo-kernel-bin?

[...] but I have no idea how to fix that.

No problem ... it is easy:

1. Boot with our GentooLiveCD or Admin-/minimalCD and then
2. Change (chroot) into your installation (these are the steps: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/User:Pieti ... stallation)
3. Now you have the same situation as you had with your initial installation. Re-emerge the gentoo-kernel (or -bin) (and check again if it is in /boot)
(see also: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/User:Pieti ... tem#Kernel )
4. ... and make sure this kernel is configured in the /boot/grub/grub.cfg (*)

*) Usually the installkernel does a grub-mkconfig when the Use-flag "grub" is enabled ... but ... you can safely do it manually again:

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# grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

[shovel]

I've tried reinstalling it but I get this messsage when installing gentoo-kernel-bin:

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Chroot detected

WARNING: Dracut will be run from inside a chroot but no
cmdline for dracut was configured. Dracut would fallback
to using /proc/cmdline, which is generally not what you
want. Exiting...

Please specify a command line to use in /etc/cmdline or
/etc/cmdline.d/. Or set the kernel_cmdline in a dracut
configuration file.

Override this check with:
    touch /etc/kernel/preinst.d/05-check-chroot.install

ERROR: Installing 6.18.18-gentoo-dist failed
 * 
 * The kernel was not deployed successfully. Inspect the failure
 * in the logs above and once you resolve the problems please
 * run the equivalent of the following command to try again:
 * 
 *     emerge --config '=sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18:6.18.18'
 * ERROR: sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18::gentoo failed (postinst phase):
 *   Kernel install failed, please fix the problems and run emerge --config
 * 
 * Call stack:
 *     ebuild.sh, line  143:  Called pkg_postinst
 *   environment, line 1322:  Called kernel-install_pkg_postinst
 *   environment, line 1001:  Called kernel-install_install_all '6.18.18-gentoo-dist'
 *   environment, line  987:  Called dist-kernel_install_kernel '6.18.18-gentoo-dist' '/usr/src/linux-6.18.18-gentoo-dist/arch/x86/boot/bzImage' '/usr/src/linux-6.18.18-gentoo-dist/System.map'
 *   environment, line  666:  Called die
 * The specific snippet of code:
 *           die "Kernel install failed, please fix the problems and run emerge --config";
 * 
 * If you need support, post the output of `emerge --info '=sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18::gentoo'`,
 * the complete build log and the output of `emerge -pqv '=sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18::gentoo'`.
 * The complete build log is located at '/var/tmp/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18/temp/build.log'.
 * The ebuild environment file is located at '/var/tmp/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18/temp/environment'.
 * Working directory: '/var/tmp/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18/empty'
 * S: '/var/tmp/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18/work'
 * FAILED postinst: 1

>>> Completed (1 of 2) sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18::gentoo

>>> Failed to install sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18, Log file:

>>>  '/var/tmp/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18/temp/build.log'

 * Messages for package sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18:

 * FAILED postinst: 1
 * The kernel was not deployed successfully. Inspect the failure
 * in the logs above and once you resolve the problems please
 * run the equivalent of the following command to try again:
 *     emerge --config '=sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18:6.18.18'
 * ERROR: sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18::gentoo failed (postinst phase):
 *   Kernel install failed, please fix the problems and run emerge --config
 * Call stack:
 *     ebuild.sh, line  143:  Called pkg_postinst
 *   environment, line 1322:  Called kernel-install_pkg_postinst
 *   environment, line 1001:  Called kernel-install_install_all '6.18.18-gentoo-dist'
 *   environment, line  987:  Called dist-kernel_install_kernel '6.18.18-gentoo-dist' '/usr/src/linux-6.18.18-gentoo-dist/arch/x86/boot/bzImage' '/usr/src/linux-6.18.18-gentoo-dist/System.map'
 *   environment, line  666:  Called die
 * The specific snippet of code:
 *           die "Kernel install failed, please fix the problems and run emerge --config";
 * If you need support, post the output of `emerge --info '=sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18::gentoo'`,
 * the complete build log and the output of `emerge -pqv '=sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18::gentoo'`.
 * The complete build log is located at '/var/tmp/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18/temp/build.log'.
 * The ebuild environment file is located at '/var/tmp/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18/temp/environment'.
 * Working directory: '/var/tmp/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18/empty'
 * S: '/var/tmp/portage/sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin-6.18.18/work'

 * GNU info directory index is up-to-date.

 * IMPORTANT: 2 config files in '/etc' need updating.
 * See the CONFIGURATION FILES and CONFIGURATION FILES UPDATE TOOLS
 * sections of the emerge man page to learn how to update config files.

 * IMPORTANT: 6 news items need reading for repository 'gentoo'.
 * Use eselect news read to view new items.

I started by reemerging installkernel with grub and dracut flags.

[zen_desu]

I've tried reinstalling it but I get this messsage when installing gentoo-kernel-bin:

I started by reemerging installkernel with grub and dracut flags.

You can avoid that issue using ugrd

that is to warn you that dracut will read the cmdline from the livecd and will have issues unless you give it some config

[shovel]

so I should just add ugrd flag in installkernel or something else? Thanks

[zen_desu]

so I should just add ugrd flag in installkernel or something else? Thanks

yeah it's just an installkernel flag, it's an alternative to dracut (made for gentoo and quite a bit simpler)

[shovel]

Thank you for your help

[sam_]

I've tried reinstalling it but I get this messsage when installing gentoo-kernel-bin:

I started by reemerging installkernel with grub and dracut flags.

You can avoid that issue using ugrd

that is to warn you that dracut will read the cmdline from the livecd and will have issues unless you give it some config

I think it would be helpful not just for this user but other users to explain what actually happens here.

dracut probes /proc/cmdline when creating an initramfs and uses those arguments because they may be needed to boot the system. People often want that when running a real system with their own kernel, but inside of a live environment, it's undesirable.

We install a hook that makes installkernel error out rather than assume. ugrd will have its own logic for figuring out when to use the running machine's cmdline which may well not be flawless either.

The real issue here is just that the handbook should make clearer what is happening, why, and how to handle it.

EDIT: There's [bug=971572]bug 971572[/bug] about this now too.