Debian Bug report logs - #567582
boot failure: "the symbol 'grub_env_find' not found"

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Harald Dunkel <harald.dunkel@t-online.de>

To: Debian Bug Tracking System <submit@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: boot failure: "the symbol 'grub_env_find' not found"

Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:12:19 +0100

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Package: grub-pc
Version: 1.98~20100128-1
Severity: grave

After the upgrade I get the message

	GRUB loading.
	Welcome to GRUB!

	error: the symbol 'grub_env_find' not found.
	Entering rescue mode...

on the next reboot. The boot menu is not shown.

Moving back to version 20100126 makes the problem go away.


Regards

Harri

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Message #10 received at 567582@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Felix Zielcke <fzielcke@z-51.de>

To: Harald Dunkel <harald.dunkel@t-online.de>, 567582@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#567582: boot failure: "the symbol 'grub_env_find' not found"

Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:01:52 +0100

forcemerge 567582 554790
thanks

Am Freitag, den 29.01.2010, 20:12 +0100 schrieb Harald Dunkel:
> Package: grub-pc
> Version: 1.98~20100128-1
> Severity: grave
> 
> After the upgrade I get the message
> 
> 	GRUB loading.
> 	Welcome to GRUB!
> 
> 	error: the symbol 'grub_env_find' not found.
> 	Entering rescue mode...
> 
> on the next reboot. The boot menu is not shown.
> 
> Moving back to version 20100126 makes the problem go away.
> 

Please check with `echo GET grub-pc/install_devices |
debconf-communicate' what device is stored in there.
Probable it's not the one where your BIOS boots from. Or the kernel/udev
decided to name it different when grub-pc got upgraded.

Run `sudo dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc' to get prompted for the device
stored in there.
You can also decide to not choose anyone so grub-install doestn't get
run at all during package upgrades, but then it can still happen that
update-grub generates a config with which you can't boot.
And at least you have to think about running grub-install before
reporting bugs. Because then grub2 won't get upgraded at all.

-- 
Felix Zielcke
Proud Debian Maintainer and GNU GRUB developer

Message #17 received at 567582@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Harald Dunkel <harald.dunkel@t-online.de>

To: Felix Zielcke <fzielcke@z-51.de>

Cc: 567582@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#567582: boot failure: "the symbol 'grub_env_find' not found"

Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:22:22 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hi Felix,

On 01/30/10 11:01, Felix Zielcke wrote:
> 
> Please check with `echo GET grub-pc/install_devices |
> debconf-communicate' what device is stored in there.

Stored in _where_?

> Probable it's not the one where your BIOS boots from. Or the kernel/udev
> decided to name it different when grub-pc got upgraded.
> 

# echo GET grub-pc/install_devices | debconf-communicate
0 /dev/sda, /dev/sdb
# cat /proc/partitions
major minor  #blocks  name

   8        0  976762584 sda
   8        1   33559753 sda1
   8        2  943200247 sda2
   8       16  976762584 sdb
   8       17   33559753 sdb1
   8       18  943200247 sdb2
   8       32 1465138584 sdc
   8       33 1465138550 sdc1
   8       48  976762584 sdd
   8       49  976762550 sdd1
   9        0 1886400256 md0
 259        0   33554434 md0p1
 259        1   16777220 md0p2
 259        2   33554436 md0p3
 259        3 1802514164 md0p4

/dev/sda2 and /dev/sdb2 provide a software RAID0 (/dev/md0).
The PC is supposed to boot from /dev/md0p3. /dev/sda1 and
/dev/sdb1 were the /boot partitions I had used for the old
grub. /dev/sdc and /dev/sdd do not provide a boot filesystem.

On the next reboot the list of partitions might look completely
different, while the "GET" command shown above still says
"0 /dev/sda, /dev/sdb". Is this correct?

Would you suggest to move to GPT? AFAIK is supports UUIDs on
partition level, but I do not know if grub2 makes use of it.


Looking closely I found a problem with grub-probe at install
time of 20100128:

# dpkg -i grub-common_1.98~20100128-1_amd64.deb grub-pc_1.98~20100128-1_amd64.deb
(Reading database ... 156414 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace grub-common 1.98~20100115-1 (using grub-common_1.98~20100128-1_amd64.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement grub-common ...
Preparing to replace grub-pc 1.98~20100115-1 (using grub-pc_1.98~20100128-1_amd64.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement grub-pc ...
Setting up grub-common (1.98~20100128-1) ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/grub.d/10_linux ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/grub.d/00_header ...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Processing triggers for install-info ...
Setting up grub-pc (1.98~20100128-1) ...
/usr/sbin/grub-probe: error: no such partition.
Auto-detection of a filesystem module failed.
Please specify the module with the option `--modules' explicitly.
/usr/sbin/grub-probe: error: no such partition.
Auto-detection of a filesystem module failed.
Please specify the module with the option `--modules' explicitly.
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32.7
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32.7
/usr/sbin/grub-probe: error: no such partition.
/usr/sbin/grub-probe: error: no such partition.
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32.6
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32.6
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-trunk-amd64
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-trunk-amd64
Found memtest86 image: /boot/memtest86.bin
Found Debian GNU/Linux (squeeze/sid) on /dev/md0p1
/usr/sbin/grub-probe: error: no such partition.
/usr/sbin/grub-probe: error: no such partition.
done



If I move back to the testing version, then I get

# dpkg -i grub-common_1.98~20100115-1_amd64.deb grub-pc_1.98~20100115-1_amd64.deb
(Reading database ... 156414 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace grub-common 1.98~20100115-1 (using grub-common_1.98~20100115-1_amd64.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement grub-common ...
Preparing to replace grub-pc 1.98~20100115-1 (using grub-pc_1.98~20100115-1_amd64.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement grub-pc ...
Setting up grub-common (1.98~20100115-1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Processing triggers for install-info ...
Setting up grub-pc (1.98~20100115-1) ...
Installation finished. No error reported.
Installation finished. No error reported.
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32.7
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32.7
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32.6
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32.6
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-trunk-amd64
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-trunk-amd64
Found memtest86 image: /boot/memtest86.bin
Found Debian GNU/Linux (squeeze/sid) on /dev/md0p1
done


This is _without_ reboot, i.e. the partition list is the same
as shown above.  /boot/grub/device.map says after installing
20100115:

(hd0)   /dev/sda
(hd1)   /dev/sdb
(hd2)   /dev/sdc
(hd3)   /dev/sdd


Hope this helps. Regards

Harri

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Message #24 received at 567582@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Andrey Nikitin <andrey.d.nikitin@gmail.com>

To: 567582@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: boot failure: "the symbol 'grub_env_find' not found"

Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:38:15 +0300

Hi, I confirm this problem.

I have received precisely same error after upgrade to version 1.98-1 (I
do not remember from what version).

At grub-pc configure there were errors (grub-probe).
Then I (by grup-pc recommendation) have executed update-grub and
rebooted the system.

I have restored system booting only by downgrade to version
1.98~20100115-1

/boot mount
md0 : active raid1 sdb1[1] sda1[0]
      96256 blocks [2/2] [UU]

Message #29 received at 567582@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Harald Dunkel <harri@darkharri.de>

To: 567582@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: boot failure: "the symbol 'grub_env_find' not found"

Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:44:49 +0100

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Using 1.98-1 I haven't got this problem anymore.

Is it possible that this message come up when MBR and the grub
version do not match? My PC changes the disk sequence on almost
every reboot. What happens if there is an old grub boot sector
on hd0, and a new (different) grub version on the boot disk, e.g.
a software RAID?

Is there some tool to obtain information from the grub MBR for
verification?


Regards

Harri
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Message #34 received at 567582@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: A Mennucc <debdev@mennucci.sns.it>

To: 567582@bugs.debian.org

Subject: me too

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:52:13 +0100

hi,

I was biten by this bug

here are some info, hoping they help

I have two hard disks /dev/sda /dev/sdb,
each 500GB , each with 4  primary partitions 
(I created an identical layout in them two),
the first partition /dev/sda1 is a standard ext3 containing /boot ;
the last one is a RAID1 partition, so that 
 /dev/sda4 /dev/sdb4 -> /dev/md0
and inside /dev/md0 I have LVM2, and
inside LVM2 I have all other partitions,
including /

After I update
 grub-pc 1.98~20100115-1 -> 1.98-1
the bug appeared

debconf info
# debconf-show grub-pc
  grub2/kfreebsd_cmdline:
  grub-pc/linux_cmdline: fillme
* grub2/linux_cmdline:
* grub-pc/chainload_from_menu.lst: false
  grub-pc/kopt_extracted: true
* grub-pc/install_devices: /dev/sda
  grub-pc/postrm_purge_boot_grub: false
  grub2/kfreebsd_cmdline_default: quiet
* grub2/linux_cmdline_default: quiet


----------------------------

Let me also report how I solved the problem, so as to help
people who may be Googling around 

I booted with an Ubuntu-live CD 9.10, I
opened a terminal, I became root using
$ sudo bash -l
then 
$ apt-get install mdadm
then
$ mdadm --assemble --scan
at this point Ubuntu finds out about the new device and automatically scans it using LVM
(all new devices LVM magically appear in the "My Computer" window)

then I mounted my root and boot in right order under /mnt 
$ mount /dev/myraidlvm/root /mnt/
$ mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/
 then
$ grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda
then shutdown,

and now it is booting again.

a.

-- 
Andrea Mennucc
 "E' un mondo difficile. Che vita intensa!" (Tonino Carotone)

Message #39 received at 567582@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Andreas Westvik <andreas@usikret.net>

To: 567582@bugs.debian.org

Subject: RE: boot failure: "the symbol 'grub_env_find' not found"

Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:57:27 +0100

I just updated my Debian squeeze i386 on Thursday 25 of March and got this error as well. 
So now Im stuck in grub rescue. This is the third time in 2010 grub2 rage havoc on my setup.

Message #44 received at 567582@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Bruce LaZerte <bdl@fwr.on.ca>

To: 567582@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Same problem

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:44:45 -0400

Same problem.

To fix:
Boot with Ubuntu-live 9.10
Become root, mount partition somewhere
"chroot mount/point grub-install /dev/sda"
(assuming /dev/sda/ is the drive as seen by Ubuntu)
reboot

It's an old Compaq portable, debian kernels still use hda, Ubuntu uses 
sda, and I've got grub2 to use the UUID for drive id.

Message #49 received at 567582@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Robert McAuley <rmcauley@rainwave.cc>

To: 567582@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Add me to the "affected" list...

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:46:10 -0400

Running on a HP DL360 G6, using a HP SmartArray i450 on hardware RAID
mode, got the grub_env_find failure after a grub2 update recently.
(grub install device is /dev/cciss/c0d0) Was highly unexpected and
glad the server was in staging, so as to not affect downtime.  I'm
likely going to fall back to grub 1 once I can get my machine booted
again.  Booting works after using the Debian Squeeze Live Rescue CD
and using grub-install from there.

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