help needed to enable boot.log in Hardy Heron

[Vitorio Okio]

On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:49:26 -0600, Karl Larsen wrote:

> Vitorio Okio wrote:
>> I badly need to log all the messages I see on my screen upon the boot
>> process.
>>
>> Please, do not advise me of any system logs. I'm aware of their
>> existence :-> and they are missing the specific messages I do see (but
>> too fast) upon the boot.
>>
>> The number of scripts are installed by default in Hardy that are
>> supposed to do the job.
>>
>> >From what I found I'm supposed to edit /etc/default/bootlogd file and
>> >to
>> change the following line:
>>
>> BOOTLOGD_ENABLE=No
>> to
>> BOOTLOGD_ENABLE=Yes.
>>
>> This did not work and as I found rightfully, since this file is read by
>> / etc/init.d/bootlogd script and the script in its turn is supposed to
>> run the actual bootlogd program.
>>
>> Unfortunately bootlogd is not installed in Hardy (Why the hell they did
>> then installed scripts for it by default is out of my comprehension.
>> Probably they just wanted to add some confusion. :->).
>>
>> To install the program I am advised to install sysvinit from the
>> repository.  But when I marked it for install in Synaptic it gave the
>> following long list of things to be removed:
>>
>> friendly-recovery, startup-tasks, system-services, ubuntu-minimal,
>> upstart, upstart-compat-sysv, and upstart-logd.
>>
>> The list suggests that by doing so I will rather screw down my system.
>>
>> Any suggestions folks?  The file /var/log/boot exists but empty. Help
>> me to fill it in, please.  I googled it half a day without any result.
>>
>>
>>
>     I gather you did file a bug? I checked my /var/log/boot and it is
> empty like yours.

Well, I found that the bug has a long (too long I would say) story 
starting from Edgy, then through Feisty and "happily" arrived to Hardy.

https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/2933
https://bugs.launchpad.net/upstart/+bug/98955

The last link seems to provide a workaround.  But I've not tried it 
myself yet.

The most amusing thing is that the bug is still marked as MEDIUM:

https://launchpad.net/upstart/+bugs

One of the folks from the first link used his video camera (?!!!) to get 
the damn messages to debug his boot process.

Well, I am still new to Ubuntu.  I started from Feisty, then moved to 
Gutsy and now I am with Hardy.  But the Ubuntu team itching to become 
"the most popular distro" at any cost starts being annoying. The 
possibility to debug the boot process is vital to any serious system.

I am staying with Hardy for now (since it mostly nice :->) but probably 
will start learning Debian.