Timeout for Ubuntu Server ISO bootsplash

[Felipe Reyes]

On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 10:55:38AM +0100, Christian Ehrhardt wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 1:02 AM, Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre
> <mathieu.trudel-lapierre at canonical.com> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm revising some of the bootloader logic for the ISO images. Ubuntu Server
> > currently seems to be one of the things that just wait indefinitely at the
> > bootloader (grub or isolinux, depending on what/where you are booting).
> >
> > Is anyone against putting a 5 second timeout in the bootloader, such that
> > the system carries on to starting the installer automatically?
> 
> Hi Mathieu,
> not against the change, but I want to check on a Detail.
> Is it correct that today it does:
> A1. boot into bootloader
> A2. wait forever on users choice
> 
> And you suggest:
> B1. boot into bootloader
> B2. wait 5 sec for users to choose anything special
> B3. go into the installer (and wait there on the user)
> 
> If a user can influcence/choose anything in A2 that they can not do
> anymore in B3 (e.g. special kernel boot options I'd think).
> Then we should make the timeout on server a bit more than 5 seconds IMHO.
> 
> The reason I point this out is the (unfortunately usual) combination
> of slow remote consoles plus 5-10 minute server initialization times.
> I'm afraid of the admin sitting on a remote server control on a crappy
> connection for 10 minutes and hitting "oh crap B2 just passed faster
> than I could see it".

I agree with this, I have personally been in this situation, transoceanic link +
iLo/iDRAC/etc is hard come up with a keyboard interruption on time

> Not sure what the right value would be, but 30 seconds seem safer to
> me and it would still eventually reach B3.

+1, 30 seconds sounds more reasonable to me.


-- 
Felipe Reyes
Software Sustaining Engineer @ Canonical
# Email: felipe.reyes at canonical.com (GPG:0x9B1FFF39)
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