[partially solved] update problems with /lib/udev/vol_id and vga boot settings

[doctordruidphd]

Today is the third time I have upgraded a jaunty system to karmic, and I have had the same problems all three times, so now it's time to ask.

1. When trying to generate an initrd.img for the new kernel, the process crashes with a message that it cannot find /lib/udev/vol_id. What I did was to copy one from another installation, and away it went, with no obvious problems. Is this the file created by "sudo blkid"? Or is there some other way to get it to build itself properly during the upgrade process?

2. When I boot using grub, I normally specify the vga=791 parameter in the kernel line. If I do this in karmic, I can't get any console display outside of X -- CTRL-ALT-F2, or selecting "console login" from the login menu, produces a black screen, and apparent system hang. The only way to get a display is to specify no option at all, and I have tried several. The Usplash screen seems to work right, just no text console. Now I am booting from a partition that has jaunty on it, and it is the version of grub current in jaunty that the system is booting from. Has the grub version changed in karmic, or could there be some other conflict between jaunty's version of grub, and the karmic kernel?


Edit:
I was informed from the Ubuntu forum that the vga options are no longer supported in the .31 kernels.
vol_id is a program, which for some reason is not getting installed or reinstalled when I do the upgrade. Not sure why, nor have I been able to find out what package it is part of.

[paulsen]

Re: [partially solved] update problems with /lib/udev/vol_id and vga boot settings

I was informed from the Ubuntu forum that the vga options are no longer supported in the .31 kernels.

Is there an equivalent capability? I much prefer the "vga=791" tty screen. I tried messing with "dpkg-reconfigure console-setup" but could not find any satisfactory font -- all simply changed the font height (so still only 80 columns),

[doctordruidphd]

Re: [partially solved] update problems with /lib/udev/vol_id and vga boot settings

Some people have gotten the gfxpayload option to work using grub2.

Basically, you need to add a line for gfxpayload to the /etc/default/grub file, like this:

# The resolution used on graphical terminal
# note that you can use only modes which your graphic card supports via VBE
# you can see them in real GRUB with the command `vbeinfo'
#GRUB_GFXMODE=640x480
GRUB_GFXMODE=1024x768x16
[color=red]GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD=1024x768x16[/color]

Then in /etc/grub.d/00_header, you need to find this stanza, and add the gfxpayload line:

if loadfont `make_system_path_relative_to_its_root ${GRUB_FONT_PATH}` ; then
 set gfxmode=${GRUB_GFXMODE}                        
 [color=red]set gfxpayload=${GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD}[/color]                    
 insmod gfxterm                              
 insmod ${GRUB_VIDEO_BACKEND}                       
 if terminal_output gfxterm ; then true ; else               
  # For backward compatibility with versions of terminal.mod that don't  
  # understand terminal_output
  terminal gfxterm
 fi

run sudo update-grub, and it should take effect at the nest boot. Note that on MY system it didn't work, but others report that it does.

Edit: well, for some reason the color option didn't work. You get the idea, though.

[paulsen]

Re: [partially solved] update problems with /lib/udev/vol_id and vga boot settings

doctordruidphd: Thanks for the info. It didn't work for me but somehow I feel I am getting closer to a solution!

On unexpected side effect was that gpm started to work! Maybe it was just the reboot, but I in any case am now past that little problem.