** Description changed: Binary package hint: grub2 The following line in /etc/grub.d/10_linux is present in Natty but not Maverick: GRUB_CMDLINE_EXTRA="$GRUB_CMDLINE_EXTRA vt.handoff=7" That creates seamless transition to the graphical login screen. Specifically, it makes the 7th virtual terminal come up automatically, so you don't see the console login prompt before X11 loads. This is a good thing. The problem is that this occurs even when X11 is not installed! The result is that a command-line system will appear to have failed to boot, showing a blank, purple-tinted screen (on tty7) instead of the console login prompt on tty1. In order to log in and use the system, the user must manually switch to one the usable virtual terminals (tty1 through tty6). When X11 is not installed, grub2 should not be configured with vt.handoff=7. A weak fix for this problem would be for Ubuntu installations not providing X11 not to include that line in /etc/grub.d/10_linux (or, better, to include it, commented out, with a comment explaining what it does). A strong fix for this problem would, - in addition, cause that line to be added when X11 is installed, and - removed when X11 is uninstalled. + in addition, cause that line to be added when X11 is installed (or when + it's reconfigured to provide a graphical login screen), and removed when + X11 is uninstalled (or when it's reconfigured not to provide a graphical + login screen). These were the steps I took, which produced the bug: (1) Install a command-line system from the Natty Alpha 1 i386 Alternate Install CD. (At the boot menu, after selecting the language, press F4, and a command-line system is one of the options.) (2) When the system boots, observe the blank purple screen. Switch to usable virtual terminals with Alt+F1 through Alt+F6. (Switching back to tty7 shows the same blank screen, but it is no longer tinted purple.) (3) Log in, update the package cache, and install all available updates (I used apt-get for this), allowing new versions of any systemwide configuration files to replace the current versions. Reboot. (4) Repeat step 2, confirming that this bug has not been fixed by the updates. And then these were the steps I took, to confirm my analysis of the bug: (1) Edit /etc/grub.d/10_linux (e.g. "sudo nano -w /etc/grub.d/10_linux") and comment out the line containing "vt.handoff", or change the number from 7 to some lower number. (I tried it both ways; they both worked.) (2) Run "sudo update-grub" to apply the new configuration. (3) Reboot. A usable virtual terminal with a login prompt comes up automatically. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04 Package: grub-common 1.99~20101221-1ubuntu2 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.37-11.25-generic 2.6.37-rc7 Uname: Linux 2.6.37-11-generic i686 Architecture: i386 Date: Thu Dec 30 05:45:46 2010 InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Alpha i386 (20101202) ProcEnviron: - LANG=en_US.UTF-8 - LC_MESSAGES=en_US.utf8 - SHELL=/bin/bash + LANG=en_US.UTF-8 + LC_MESSAGES=en_US.utf8 + SHELL=/bin/bash SourcePackage: grub2
** Description changed: Binary package hint: grub2 The following line in /etc/grub.d/10_linux is present in Natty but not Maverick: GRUB_CMDLINE_EXTRA="$GRUB_CMDLINE_EXTRA vt.handoff=7" That creates seamless transition to the graphical login screen. Specifically, it makes the 7th virtual terminal come up automatically, so you don't see the console login prompt before X11 loads. This is a good thing. The problem is that this occurs even when X11 is not installed! The result is that a command-line system will appear to have failed to boot, showing a blank, purple-tinted screen (on tty7) instead of the console login prompt on tty1. In order to log in and use the system, the user must manually switch to one the usable virtual terminals (tty1 through tty6). When X11 is not installed, grub2 should not be configured with vt.handoff=7. A weak fix for this problem would be for Ubuntu installations not providing X11 not to include that line in /etc/grub.d/10_linux (or, better, to include it, commented out, with a comment explaining what it does). A strong fix for this problem would, - in addition, cause that line to be added when X11 is installed (or when - it's reconfigured to provide a graphical login screen), and removed when - X11 is uninstalled (or when it's reconfigured not to provide a graphical - login screen). + in addition, cause that line to be added (or uncommented) when X11 is + installed (or when it's reconfigured to provide a graphical login + screen), and removed (or commented out) when X11 is uninstalled (or when + it's reconfigured not to provide a graphical login screen). These were the steps I took, which produced the bug: (1) Install a command-line system from the Natty Alpha 1 i386 Alternate Install CD. (At the boot menu, after selecting the language, press F4, and a command-line system is one of the options.) (2) When the system boots, observe the blank purple screen. Switch to usable virtual terminals with Alt+F1 through Alt+F6. (Switching back to tty7 shows the same blank screen, but it is no longer tinted purple.) (3) Log in, update the package cache, and install all available updates (I used apt-get for this), allowing new versions of any systemwide configuration files to replace the current versions. Reboot. (4) Repeat step 2, confirming that this bug has not been fixed by the updates. And then these were the steps I took, to confirm my analysis of the bug: (1) Edit /etc/grub.d/10_linux (e.g. "sudo nano -w /etc/grub.d/10_linux") and comment out the line containing "vt.handoff", or change the number from 7 to some lower number. (I tried it both ways; they both worked.) (2) Run "sudo update-grub" to apply the new configuration. (3) Reboot. A usable virtual terminal with a login prompt comes up automatically. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04 Package: grub-common 1.99~20101221-1ubuntu2 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.37-11.25-generic 2.6.37-rc7 Uname: Linux 2.6.37-11-generic i686 Architecture: i386 Date: Thu Dec 30 05:45:46 2010 InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Alpha i386 (20101202) ProcEnviron: LANG=en_US.UTF-8 LC_MESSAGES=en_US.utf8 SHELL=/bin/bash SourcePackage: grub2 -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/695658 Title: grub2 configuration has vt.handoff=7 even when X11 is not installed -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
