GRUB_GFXMODE not passed to the kernel

[Martin-Éric Racine]

In the process of trying to figure out where to set GFXPAYLOAD when GRUB2 complained that vga=795 no longer is the proper way to pass the framebuffer resolution to the Linux kernel, it appears that I uncovered a bug. According to Steve Langasek, setting GRUB_GFXMODE is all that's necessary for both GRUB2 and Linux to use the same graphics mode. On this particular host, this doesn't work. Even worse, unless I've set vga=795 in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX, the kernel completely fails to load vesafb, with the following error:

FATAL: Error inserting vesafb (/lib/modules/3.0.0-12-generic/kernel/drivers/video/vesafb.ko): No such device

ProblemType: BugDistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: linux-image-3.0.0-12-generic 3.0.0-12.19
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.19-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic i586
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.
AplayDevices:
 **** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Audio [CS5535 Audio], device 0: CS5535 Audio [CS5535 Audio]
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu2
Architecture: i386
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Audio [CS5535 Audio], device 0: CS5535 Audio [CS5535 Audio]
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
AudioDevicesInUse: Error: command ['fuser', '-v', '/dev/snd/by-path', '/dev/snd/controlC0', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D0c', '/dev/snd/pcmC0D0p', '/dev/snd/seq', '/dev/snd/timer'] failed with exit code 1:
CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] Tiedostoa tai hakemistoa ei ole
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Audio'/'CS5535 Audio cs5535audio at 0xfe00, irq 11'
   Mixer name : 'Realtek ALC203 rev 0'
   Components : 'AC97a:414c4770'
   Controls : 33
   Simple ctrls : 21
Date: Sun Oct 2 21:50:26 2011
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=5ffade8f-b837-49eb-bb44-225617349ca3
IwConfig: Error: [Errno 2] Tiedostoa tai hakemistoa ei ole
Lsusb:
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 002 Device 002: ID 046d:c00e Logitech, Inc. M-BJ58/M-BJ69 Optical Wheel Mouse
 Bus 002 Device 003: ID 03f9:0100 KeyTronic Corp. Keyboard
MachineType: First International Computer, Inc. ION603
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=97b2628b-28a5-49f2-85f7-495728b3bef8 ro panic=15 pnpbios=off vga=795 crashkernel=384M-2G:64M,2G-:128M quiet splash vt.handoff=7
PulseSinks: Error: command ['pacmd', 'list-sinks'] failed with exit code 1: No PulseAudio daemon running, or not running as session daemon.
PulseSources: Error: command ['pacmd', 'list-sources'] failed with exit code 1: No PulseAudio daemon running, or not running as session daemon.
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.0.0-12-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.0.0-12-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.60
RfKill: Error: [Errno 2] Tiedostoa tai hakemistoa ei oleSourcePackage: linux
UdevDb: Error: [Errno 2] Tiedostoa tai hakemistoa ei ole
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2009-02-07 (967 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 11/08/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Phoenix Technologies, LTD
dmi.bios.version: 6.00 PG
dmi.board.name: ION603
dmi.board.vendor: First International Computer, Inc.
dmi.board.version: PCB 2.X
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPhoenixTechnologies,LTD:bvr6.00PG:bd11/08/2007:svnFirstInternationalComputer,Inc.:pnION603:pvrVER2.X:rvnFirstInternationalComputer,Inc.:rnION603:rvrPCB2.X:cvn:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: ION603
dmi.product.version: VER 2.X
dmi.sys.vendor: First International Computer, Inc.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

I think you were either misinformed or misunderstood. GRUB_GFXMODE is not sufficient to cause GRUB to pass a video mode to the Linux kernel; you must also set GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep or GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=<some other video mode>. See GRUB's info documentation.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

There doesn't seem to be any GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX defined or commented out in /etc/default/grub. If people are expected to stop putting vga=mode in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX, then the correct upgrade past must be properly documented.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Adding GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep to /etc/default/grub still doesn't offer a proper substitute for putting vga=mode in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX. Again, it's pointless to make GRUB complain that vga=mode is deprecated if the procedure for setting gfxpayload is not gonna be documented.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Adding GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep to /etc/default/grub and running update-grub only seems to make the framebuffer load up much later in the boot cycle, just before GDM appears. By comparison, vga=mode makes the kernel switch mode much earlier during the bootup process. Also, while vga=mode is retained in rescue mode, GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep isn't.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

Getting the Plymouth graphic logo to start showing early as previously with vga=mode required this additional step:

echo FRAMEBUFFER=y | sudo tee /etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d/splash

...followed by update-grub.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

It is properly documented in:

  http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html#Simple-configuration

That's also installed in 'info grub', and if you would care to do some basic searching, it also discusses issues with vga=.

I do not care to continue extending /etc/default/grub with commented-out documentation, since that may present some subset of people with configuration file resolution prompts every time I change some detail.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

Thank you for taking the time to file a bug report on this issue.

However, given the number of bugs that the Kernel Team receives during any development cycle it is impossible for us to review them all. Therefore, we occasionally resort to using automated bots to request further testing. This is such a request.

We have noted that there is a newer version of the development kernel than the one you last tested when this issue was found. Please test again with the newer kernel and indicate in the bug if this issue still exists or not.

If the bug still exists, change the bug status from Incomplete to Confirmed. If the bug no longer exists, change the bug status from Incomplete to Fix Released.

Thank you for your help, we really do appreciate it.

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

@Martin-Eric

Were you able to take a look at the documentation Colin suggested in Comment #7? It doesn't sound like the /etc/default/grub file will be extended with commented-out documentation. Marking as wont-fix.

[Martin-Éric Racine (q-funk)]

This issue was not about putting extra comments into /etc/default/grub as much as about properly documenting the differences between adding vga=xxx in cmdline, versus exporting the GFX_MODE, and that is still not properly documented. For instance, I haven't found any place which states that the mode will not be exported in rescue mode, even though this is the case.

[Christopher (soft-kristal)]

I'm running the 3.5.0-22 kernel and am still getting the error. The system boots, but hangs for several seconds after the error.

I am not getting the error on my 64 bit partition, also running 3.5.0-22.