[Bug 872244] Re: grub2 recordfail logic prevents headless system from rebooting after power outage

[Gaute Lund]

Agree: A more stripped-down grub2-package is appropriate for servers.

Also, for either servers or desktops: There should be a setting in
/etc/default/grub, called GRUB_RECORDFAIL_TIMEOUT or
GRUB_TIMEOUT_AFTER_BOOTFAIL or something. This is today effectively hard
coded to -1 (forever). And it is this hardcoding many users fiddle with.
Conclusion: go from hardcoded setting to configurable option.

I propose that the bootfail-timeout is set to 30 sec by default for
servers, perhaps also for clients.

This is not unlike how it is on a different OS we all know: after a
failed boot, you're halted for 30sec at the boot menu, but then the
default entry boots.

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to grub2 in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/872244

Title:
  grub2 recordfail logic prevents headless system from rebooting after
  power outage

Status in “grub2” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  With the move to grub2 I recently discovered that my headless Natty
  server running as a NAS device will not reboot following a power
  failure.  I was able to track this down to the behavior of the
  'recordfail' logic in grub2.  This logic prevents grub from booting
  following an event such as a power failure.  The system boots to the
  grub2 menu and waits with no timeout (-1).

  While this feature may be completely appropriate for an attended
  desktop system, there should be an optional override for this behavior
  in the '/etc/default/grub' defaults file so that systems (such as
  headless ones) that need to boot following such a failure can boot
  without intervention.  I was able to work around the problem by
  commenting the following lines in /etc/grub.d/00_header

  #if [ ${recordfail} = 1 ]; then
   # set timeout=-1
  #else
    set timeout=10
  #fi

  An optional grub2 default parameter that emulates this logic in the
  defaults would be a nice addition so people who want the "always boot"
  behavior don't have to hack the grub scripts by hand.

  Additional info:
  jheck at twilightzone:/etc/grub.d$ lsb_release -rd
  Description:    Ubuntu 11.04
  Release:        11.04

  jheck at twilightzone:/etc/grub.d$ apt-cache policy grub2
  grub2:
    Installed: (none)
    Candidate: 1.99~rc1-13ubuntu3
    Version table:
       1.99~rc1-13ubuntu3 0
          500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/universe amd64 Packages

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/+bug/872244/+subscriptions