Bug#604080: Xen domU fails to boot after install
Package: installation-reports
I have an amd64 dom0 with lenny
I successfully run the Debian Installer in a fresh domU
xm create -c xm-squeeze1.cfg install=true
install-mirror=http://mirror.positive-internet.com/debian
install-installer=http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/testing/main/installer-amd64/current/images/
I then tried to do the first boot:
xm create -c xm-squeeze1.cfg
I get this error:
Error: Boot loader didn't return any data!
Root causes:
- Squeeze installs grub 2, which doesn't have any /boot/grub/menu.lst
- pygrub can't seem to identify the boot partition in the MBR created by
the installer
- pygrub on lenny is looking for /boot/grub/menu.lst (actually,
/grub/menu.lst on the bootable partition)
Workaround 1:
- mount the filesystem, possibly using kpartx, manually create
/boot/grub/menu.lst
- tweak the cfg file to tell pygrub to look in the /boot partition
(because it doesn't recognise the grub2 MBR)
bootargs = '/dev/mapper/vg00-squeeze1_disk0p1'
Workaround 2:
- mount the filesystem, possibly using kpartx
- copy the kernel and initrd to the dom0
- modify the cfg file, tell it to use the kernel and initrd from the
dom0 and not use pygrub as bootloader
Suggestions:
- the MBR should be recognisable by the lenny version of pygrub
- better error needed from pygrub when it doesn't find menu.lst
- maybe grub2 should create menu.lst for backwards compatibility? or
maybe some optional tool in the domU can create it?
- maybe a support package is needed for lenny dom0 users? and a helpful
message to let them know it exists?
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