FS#49250 - [syslinux] boot prompt boots the default entry regardless of input

Attached to Project: Arch Linux
Opened by Neven Sajko (Neven) - Saturday, 07 May 2016, 13:17 GMT
Last edited by Anatol Pomozov (anatolik) - Sunday, 01 May 2022, 20:29 GMT
Task Type Bug Report
Category Packages: Core
Status Closed
Assigned To Tobias Powalowski (tpowa)
Anatol Pomozov (anatolik)
Architecture x86_64
Severity Low
Priority Normal
Reported Version
Due in Version Undecided
Due Date Undecided
Percent Complete 100%
Votes 1
Private No

Details

Description:
I use extlinux 6.03 on a 100G ext4 partition with both / and
/boot.

In the boot prompt when I enter any label the default label
(lts in my syslinux.cfg) is booted instead.

But when I installed (-U) the bootloader with extlinux from the
release tarball from kernel.org, the boot prompt worked
properly.

And then syslinux-install_update -u reverts it back to the buggy
state.

The same thing has been reported by another guy on the syslinux
mailing list.


Steps to reproduce:
Reboot,
get boot prompt with caps lock,
enter some non-default label.
This task depends upon

Closed by  Anatol Pomozov (anatolik)
Sunday, 01 May 2022, 20:29 GMT
Reason for closing:  Fixed
Comment by Neven Sajko (Neven) - Saturday, 07 May 2016, 13:19 GMT
https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/6.xx/syslinux-6.03.tar.xz

this is the stock release (with binaries) which works properly.
Comment by Anatol Pomozov (anatolik) - Monday, 09 May 2016, 14:53 GMT
Could you please add a link to the upstream discussions you mentioned?
Comment by Neven Sajko (Neven) - Monday, 09 May 2016, 17:34 GMT
It's the last thread in the mailing list:
http://www.syslinux.org/archives/2016-May/025157.html

Not very informative, but it seems like that guy also uses
Archlinux (he wrote the syslinux version with the Archlinux
release part).
Comment by Anatol Pomozov (anatolik) - Monday, 09 May 2016, 18:46 GMT
Here is a good reply in that thread http://www.syslinux.org/archives/2016-May/025171.html It says that also Fedora and Debian binaries affected by the problem.

Arch build instructions are very simple and I do not see what can cause the problem. Most likely the problem is in the build environment between what upstream uses and what Arch/Fedora/Debian uses. The issue might come either from linker or compiler (gcc 5) behavior.

I suggest keep discussing this issue with upstream.
Comment by Jordan Beaver (gehidore) - Friday, 08 July 2016, 21:25 GMT Comment by Anatol Pomozov (anatolik) - Friday, 08 July 2016, 21:28 GMT
The message says that upstream commit http://repo.or.cz/syslinux.git/commit/8dc6d758b564a1ccc44c3ae11f265d43628219ce might fix the problem.

Please patch it in and check if it really fixes the issue. Please also share your experience.
Comment by Jordan Beaver (gehidore) - Thursday, 14 July 2016, 06:27 GMT
No patch:
https://pb.gehidore.net/-Z5B

ABS + Patch:
https://pb.gehidore.net/pf2W

Looks to work.

Used the config above less the non-stock appends/rootflags and setting the appropriate root.
Comment by Jordan Beaver (gehidore) - Friday, 15 July 2016, 16:42 GMT
I did notice the default menu configuration that installs with `syslinux-install_update -i -a -m` works as expected.

https://pb.gehidore.net/S1xl
Comment by Olivier (olive) - Saturday, 30 December 2017, 20:42 GMT
I discover that I am also affected by this bug (on a BIOS installation). The patch mentioned in the comment of Anatol Pomozov (anatolik) above fix the problem for me. Other problems I have found in package: most provided patches do not pass the integrity check (probably they from git and have been slightly changed). At build there is a loadlinux command that seems to hang; I have disabled the make check. (I do not know if this actually hangs or take too much time).
Comment by Anatol Pomozov (anatolik) - Saturday, 20 January 2018, 22:19 GMT
Fix for this issue should be available in syslinux-6.03-8, could you please test it?
Comment by Neven Sajko (Neven) - Sunday, 01 May 2022, 11:18 GMT
I boot from refind these days, and there's no activity here in the comments, so I guess this can be closed?
Comment by Anatol Pomozov (anatolik) - Sunday, 01 May 2022, 20:28 GMT
The version with the patch applied has been released to Arch repo several years ago. Closing this ticked as fixed.

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