Disable splash screen in server ( or all ) cloud images

[Sean Feole]

While trying to debug problems with ARM64 cloud images not completely booting, it's rather difficult when the console output looks like this:

Using Zesty as an example:

<snip>

[-1;-1f[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . . .[-1;-1fUbuntu 17.04[-1;-1f. . .

</snip>

I had to modify the cloud image so that upon startup I see what I really need.

<snip>

[ 5.248458] systemd[1]: Set hostname to <ubuntu>.
[ 5.253764] systemd[1]: Initializing machine ID from KVM UUID.
[ 5.256402] systemd[1]: Installed transient /etc/machine-id file.
[ 5.784649] systemd[1]: Set up automount Arbitrary Executable File Formats File System Automount Point.
[ OK ] Set up automount Arbitrary Executab…rmats File System Automount Point.
[ 5.792279] systemd[1]: Reached target User and Group Name Lookups.
[ OK ] Reached target User and Group Name Lookups.
[ 5.797403] systemd[1]: Listening on Journal Socket (/dev/log).
[ OK ] Listening on Journal Socket (/dev/log).
[ 5.802294] systemd[1]: Listening on udev Control Socket.
[ OK ] Listening on udev Control Socket.
[ OK ] Listening on udev Kernel Socket.
[ OK ] Listening on /dev/initctl Compatibility Named Pipe.
[ OK ] Created slice System Slice.
[ OK ] Created slice system-serial\x2dgetty.slice.
[ OK ] Listening on LVM2 metadata daemon socket.

</snip>

Is it a necessity to leave the splash screen enabled in the cloud images? Does it make more sense to simply turn it off, sure the process to modify the image and turn off splash on my own is rather trivial, but it's just easier and makes more sense to leave it off.

[Dan Watkins (oddbloke)]

I'm somewhat surprised that it is on, which suggests this is behaviours is probably only present on non-Intel images.

What do you do to disable it?

[Sean Feole (sfeole)]

/etc/default/grub

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

change that to look like this

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=""

followed by update-grub, however I think if your building the images, you just need to change that flag above?

:)

btw, thanks dan

[dann frazier (dannf)]

Note that this does not appear to impact the trusty/arm64/efi images.

[dann frazier (dannf)]

Is there any additional information we could help provide for this?