====== Problems with grml? ======
===== Problems related to UnionFS/aufs =====
==== 'apt-get install foo' seems to freeze after a while ====
It seems you are running out of RAM - see 'free' while running 'apt-get...'. UnionFS and the debian packetmanagement require some more RAM for the ramdisk. Some tests showed that at least 164 MB RAM should be present for live-installation, otherwise you might run into a freeze.
==== Start/Stop of daemons ====
* Initscript/maintainer-scripts using start-stop-daemon with the ‘--exec’ option might fail running because /proc/$PID/exe points to /GRML/$DAEMON instead of $DAEMON due to the unionfs overlay layout. Just run the start-stop-daemon command without the --exec option. If you want to stop a daemon manually use 'kill $PID'.
===== Problems related to booting =====
==== I'm dropped to the busybox shell during booting ===
* If you are being dropped into the busybox shell when booting grml and never get through the whole booting sequence you might want to try bootoptions "debug", and "rootdelay=9" and "break=live-bottom" for further investigations. (break={top,modules,premount,mount,bottom,init} might be interesting as well, especially for grml developers). [mika]
==== isolinux fails with 'Could not find kernel image: grml' ====
* Another warning you might get is 'Unknown keyword in config file'. Your BIOS seems to be broken. The problem has been [[http://syslinux.zytor.com/archives/2006-April/006784.html|reported to isolinux/syslinux upstream]]. Try to boot with 'linux26'. If this still does not work try to boot via [[http://btmgr.sourceforge.net/download.html|btmgr]]. [mika]
==== Booting fails with 'mount: Mounting /cdrom/GRML/GRML on /GRML failed: Invalid argument' ====
* Make sure that the downloaded ISO is ok: compare md5sum of ISO with the one provided [[http://grml.org/download/|online]]
* Make sure the CD-R/CD-RW is ok: sometimes there are problems with CD-RWs (this does not have to do with grml but hardware), check it via booting with 'grml testcd' and/or burn the ISO to a CD-R.
* It still fails? Is it a SCSI-system? Then the appropriate driver could not be loaded. Take a look at [[cheatcodes|the scsi-cheatcodes]]. Try 'grml scsi=probe' or 'grml scsi=ask' or 'grml scsi=modulename'.
==== Booting fails at all ====
* Try the bootparam "failsafe". Try to figure out which bootoption is relevant for you. Take a look at the [[cheatcodes|available cheatcodes]].
==== Booting from USB or Firewire fails ====
See [[usb|Boot grml/grml-small from usb-stick/firewire-device]].
==== Booting fails with squashfs errors ====
You get the following output on the console:
SQUASHFS error: zlib_fs returned unexpected result 0x........
SQUASHFS error: Unable to read cache block [.....]
SQUASHFS error: Unable to read inode [.....]
Make sure the medium (ISO and CD-ROM) is ok. Verify it via booting with "grml testcd". Check your CD low-level via running:
# readcd -c2scan dev=/dev/cdrom
If the medium is definitely ok and it still fails try to boot with deactivated DMA via using "grml nodma ide=nodma" at the bootprompt.
==== Booting hangs at 'Looking for CD-ROM in: /dev/hdc' ====
Make sure the medium (ISO and CD-ROM) is ok. Verify it via booting with "grml testcd". Check your CD low-level via running:
# readcd -c2scan dev=/dev/cdrom
If the medium is definitely ok and it still fails try to boot with deactivated DMA via using "grml nodma ide=nodma" at the bootprompt.
==== Monitor is black when booting ====
Make sure your laptop uses the right output channel. Try pressing the VGA-key on your laptop.
===== Problems related to installing grml (grml2hd) =====
==== grml2hd hangs ====
grml2hd seems to hang? Switch to tty12 and take a look at the syslog. If you see something like:
SQUASHFS error: zlib_fs returned unexpected result 0x........
SQUASHFS error: Unable to read cache block [.....]
SQUASHFS error: Unable to read inode [.....]
your ISO/CD-ROM very probably is not ok. Verify it via booting with "grml testcd". Check your CD low-level via running:
# readcd -c2scan dev=/dev/cdrom
If the medium really is ok and it still fails try to boot with deactivated DMA via using "grml nodma ide=nodma" at the bootprompt.
===== Miscellaneous Problems =====
==== Set TimeZone ====
Try querying a timeserver directly
ntpdate uk.pool.ntp.org
You can add relevant time-servers to '/etc/ntp.conf'
server 0.uk.pool.ntp.org iburst
server 1.uk.pool.ntp.org iburst
server 2.uk.pool.ntp.org iburst
server 3.uk.pool.ntp.org iburst
Set the correct timezone using:
dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
On my system the time as 1 hour off;
This was because the timezone wasn't set right,
so the DS setting was wrong.
==== Auto- fstab ====
You can turn off auto-fstab in /etc/grml/autoconfig
As well as other options.
==== NFS Client ====
I get the message "//NFS common utilities: statd failed!//" on startup
restarting 'nfs-common' alone has the same result.
restarting 'nfs-kernel-server' and 'portsmap'/'rpcbind' first makes it work
/etc/init.d/nfs-kernel-server restart
/etc/init.d/portmap restart
/etc/init.d/nfs-common restart
now I can mount NFS partitions.
[[http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=629780|link]]
Update (2009-11-27): If "nfs-kernel-server restart" fails and/or is timed out, then try to restart it at last (restart "portmap" and "nfs-common" at first).
Update (2011-07-06): Replace "portmap" service with rpcbind. portmap has been removed in grml 2011.5
==== Keymapping in X11 ====
the keymap when I boot into GRML are fine in the terminal (I chose UK setting on install);
but when I start up X, it switches to a US layout which affects all applications including xterm.
A temporary fix is
sudo setxkbmap gb
[[http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=538674|link]]
But more permanently, make sure the following is in your /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbRules" "xfree86"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "gb"
# Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:swapcaps,grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp_led:scroll,compose:menu"
EndSection
==== etckeeper ====
Here's a good '/etc/etckeeper/etckeeper.conf'
# The VCS to use.
# VCS="hg"
VCS="git"
# VCS="bzr"
# Options passed to git commit when run by etckeeper.
#GIT_COMMIT_OPTIONS=""
# Options passed to hg commit when run by etckeeper.
#HG_COMMIT_OPTIONS=""
# Options passed to bzr commit when run by etckeeper.
#BZR_COMMIT_OPTIONS=""
# The high-level package manager that's being used.
HIGHLEVEL_PACKAGE_MANAGER=apt
# The low-level package manager that's being used.
LOWLEVEL_PACKAGE_MANAGER=dpkg
After configuring etckeeper, initialise git (or whatever VCS you configured for)
cd /etc
etckeeper init
==== RAID ====
According to [[http://grml.supersized.org]]
//" using grub on SW-RAID devices is not yet supported "//
[[http://grml.supersized.org/archives/233-grml2hd-supports-grub-and-rootUUID.html|link]]
Also, this snippet of code allow for grml2hd use with RAID (for target RAID device 'md0'):
SWRAID='mbr-only' grml2hd /dev/md0 -mbr /dev/md0
[[http://grml.supersized.org/archives/132-grml2hd-and-software-raid-level-1.html|link]]
Note: mkinitrd-tools package is available via stable ftp.de.debian.org repository
==== Unwanted hibernation ====
My system kept hibernating when left alone for too long, which on a desktop was annoying.
The solution was to edit the settings in '/etc/default/acpi-support'.
==== /etc/resolv.conf not always updated with nameserver ====
When I start the image with "/usr/bin/qemu -cdrom /mnt/E/download/grml_2011.05.iso -boot d -net nic -net tap,ifname=tap0,script=no,downscript=no -k de -m 512" and configure the network to use 19.2.168.0.10 as a static ip and 192.168.0.254 as a nameserver, than the later entry is sometimes not written into the file.