get error running update-grub

[John Hupp]

On 7/8/2014 11:59 PM, Bob wrote:
> ** Reply to message from John Hupp <ubuntu at prpcompany.com> on Tue, 08 Jul 2014
> 18:37:50 -0400
>
>> On 7/8/2014 4:43 PM, Bob wrote:
>>> I updated /etc/defaults/grub to add "GRUB_RECORDFAIL_TIMEOUT=10" so that a
>>> beboot after a failure will not stop waiting for someone to press a key.  I
>>> want all boots to complete without intervention even after a power failure.
>>>
>>> Running "update-grub" I get the following error:
>>>
>>> bob1 at Jupiter:~$ sudo update-grub
>>> Generating grub configuration file ...
>>> Warning: Setting GRUB_TIMEOUT to a non-zero value when GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT is
>>> set is no longer supported.
>>> Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-30-generic
>>> Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-30-generic
>>> Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-29-generic
>>> Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-29-generic
>>> Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-27-generic
>>> Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-27-generic
>>> Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-24-generic
>>> Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-24-generic
>>> Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.11.0-20-generic
>>> Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.11.0-20-generic
>>> Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.8.0-32-generic
>>> Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.8.0-32-generic
>>> Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-27-generic
>>> Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.5.0-27-generic
>>> Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.elf
>>> Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
>>> done
>>> bob1 at Jupiter:~$
>>>
>>>
>>> My question is what should the values be for /etc/default/grub since the real
>>> defaults are not completely correct?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> /etc/default/grub
>>>
>>> # If you change this file, run 'update-grub' afterwards to update
>>> # /boot/grub/grub.cfg.
>>> # For full documentation of the options in this file, see:
>>> #   info -f grub -n 'Simple configuration'
>>>
>>> GRUB_DEFAULT=0
>>> GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
>>> GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
>>> GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
>>> GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
>>> GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
>>> GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
>>> GRUB_RECORDFAIL_TIMEOUT=10
>>>
>>> # Uncomment to enable BadRAM filtering, modify to suit your needs
>>> # This works with Linux (no patch required) and with any kernel that obtains
>>> # the memory map information from GRUB (GNU Mach, kernel of FreeBSD ...)
>>> #GRUB_BADRAM="0x01234567,0xfefefefe,0x89abcdef,0xefefefef"
>>>
>>> # Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only)
>>> #GRUB_TERMINAL=console
>>>
>>> # The resolution used on graphical terminal
>>> # note that you can use only modes which your graphic card supports via VBE
>>> # you can see them in real GRUB with the command `vbeinfo'
>>> #GRUB_GFXMODE=640x480
>>>
>>> # Uncomment if you don't want GRUB to pass "root=UUID=xxx" parameter to Linux
>>> #GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_UUID=true
>>>
>>> # Uncomment to disable generation of recovery mode menu entries
>>> #GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY="true"
>>>
>>> # Uncomment to get a beep at grub start
>>> #GRUB_INIT_TUNE="480 440 1"
>>>
>> If GRUB_RECORDFAIL_TIMEOUT=10 gives you the behavior you want and you
>> are only concerned about the error, then I would say don't be. The error
>> is expected and is not a problem.
> GRUB_RECORDFAIL_TIMEOUT=10 works so far with limited testing.
>
>
>> For a default installation of Ubuntu, in /etc/default/grub we have enabled
>>       GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
>>
>> With the above setting from a default Ubuntu install, sudo update-grub
>> output includes:
>>       Warning: Setting GRUB_TIMEOUT to a non-zero value when
>> GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT is set is no longer supported.
>> It objects even when G_H_T is set to a zero value!  It will cease
>> objecting only if it is disabled.
>>
>> But, setting #GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0 has the effect of showing the
>> default menu for the timeout period.  In a default single-OS Ubuntu
>> installation, no menu displays, but it is the violation of the above
>> warning that causes no menu to display!!
> I don't like error messages but will live with this one as I will probably not
> use update-grub again now that I have made my change.  Now the next time Ubuntu
> does an update that requires an update-grub will the update fail with the error
> message?
>
> Thanks for the information.
>

 From my testing I would expect the warning to appear anytime 
update-grub is run (when GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0), but it does not cause 
the update to fail.

The version of Grub bundled with this release of Ubuntu is actually a 
beta version.  It could be that bumpy behavior like this will eventually 
be smoothed out in a final non-beta version.  (On the other hand, I'm 
not aware of there being a bug report on file somewhere to call 
attention to this.)