[bug #54439] grub may ignore configuration files

[Thomas Schweikle]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?54439>

                 Summary: grub may ignore configuration files
                 Project: GNU GRUB
            Submitted by: tps800
            Submitted on: Fri 03 Aug 2018 02:19:47 PM UTC
                Category: Booting
                Severity: Major
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: Software Error
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: Thomas Schweikle
        Originator Email: address@hidden
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                 Release: 
                 Release: 2.02
         Reproducibility: Intermittent
         Planned Release: None

    _______________________________________________________

Details:

if grub fetches configuration files from network some configuration files may
be ignored without error.

Within an install area grub is used to select what to install on systems. For
testing and repair there are additional images available.

This worked as it was intended for some time. But now -- grub starts to ignore
some of the configuration files, without any reported errors. Giving "c" for a
command line, then reading these ignored configuration files using "configfile
(pxe)/<path on server>/grub.cfg" loads them without error and I can start
whatever they load. Reloading the entire configuration (in my case "configfile
/grub/grub.cfg" just ignores these config files again.

I could verify this for at least two grub-versions:
- 2.02 (fedora 28)
- 2.02beta2 (ubuntu 16.04)

Attached Files:
- grub config files with tftp-root based at /data/tftp
- grub right after booting. Missing are "SystemRescueCD" and "HelenOS".
- grub after reloading configurations once. Missing is "SystemRescueCD".
- grub after reloading configuration twice. Missing is "SystemRescueCD" and
"HelenOS".

Going to grub commandline and then:
- "configfile (pxe)/sysrcd/grub.cfg" brings up the missing
"SystemRescueCD"-Menu without any error reported.
- "configfile (pxe)/helenos/grub.cfg" brings up missing "HelenOS"-Menu without
any error reported.

All menus may disappear or reappear sporadic if they are loaded using tftp
from network. In no case I was prompted with any error message. In no case I
could find any error messages on my tftp-server -- it just delivered the files
requested.

It looks like these files where never, for what reason ever, read, but
transfered to grub. Even if these ignored files hold only garbage, grub will
not exhaust an error message if the corresponding menu-entry is not shown.

Grub seems read these files reliably if they are local -- regardless grub
started from network or not.



    _______________________________________________________

File Attachments:


-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri 03 Aug 2018 02:19:47 PM UTC  Name: grub.cfg.tgz  Size: 6KiB   By:
tps800

<http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/download.php?file_id=44694>
-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri 03 Aug 2018 02:19:47 PM UTC  Name: sysrcd-2018-08-03-15-51-59.png 
Size: 7KiB   By: tps800

<http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/download.php?file_id=44695>
-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri 03 Aug 2018 02:19:47 PM UTC  Name: sysrcd-2018-08-03-15-51-15.png 
Size: 7KiB   By: tps800

<http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/download.php?file_id=44696>
-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri 03 Aug 2018 02:19:47 PM UTC  Name: sysrcd-2018-08-03-15-52-45.png 
Size: 7KiB   By: tps800

<http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/download.php?file_id=44697>

    _______________________________________________________

Reply to this item at:

  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?54439>

_______________________________________________
  Message sent via Savannah
  https://savannah.gnu.org/