[openbox] Switching to console does not work.

R. Mattes rm at mh-freiburg.de
Thu Jun 5 09:22:05 EDT 2014


On Thu, 5 Jun 2014 14:15:34 +0200, Mathias Dufresne wrote
> For lazy people (yes I know some are trying to hide themselves at the back
near the window ;)
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/ctrl-alt-f1-%3D-black-blank-screen-385376/#post4593178
>
> If I read carefully enough this should come from grub configuration.
>
> The main issue is Ubuntu is designed to be user friendly and would
> stupidly erase grub configuration at each kernel update. This Linux
> distribution has to be avoid in my own opinion... But, you have it,
> you won't change today : )

You should be carefull with such statements - this is not something
Ubuntu, this is how Debian tries to manage grub2 configuration in a
modular way. This important so that packages that need to manipulate
grub configuration (certain video drivers, file system modules etc.)
do so without having to parse and rewrite the monolithic grub.cfg.
And the autogenerated file has a HUGE warning telling you that you
shouldn't directly modify this file - it even tells you where to put
your changes so that they persist.

More below ....

> So the point will be to change your system configuration to avoid grub setup
to erase your modification.
>
> For me, the simplest way to proceed is to:
> 1) create a working grub.cfg (the one you are using right now)
> 2) change it for it give you access to your console
> 3) change it for it uses a link to your current kernel and initrd rather
than using the kernel / initrd file name.
>
> 4) modify grub2 setup scripts for they are not working any more
> (removing the executable bit one them for they can't be run when apt*
> would upgrade your grub or your kernel
>
> 5) run grub-install or grub2-install specifying your harddrive name:
>
> grub2-install /dev/sda
>
> 1) your system boots -> you have the grub.cfg working
>
> 2) according to the link in the beginning of this mail, change one of
> your grub entries (the one you use each is a good candidate, you could
> copy it, changing its name, to keep your working config and create a
> new one for testing) by modifying the "linux" line, then the initrd
> line:
>
> 3) this needs two actions:
>
> a - cd /boot
>
> ln -s kernel-version-you-want-to-use vmlinuz
>
> ls -l /boot/vmlinuz
>
> /boot/vmlinuz -> kernel-version-you-want-to-use
>
> ln -s initrd.img-X.Y.Z-blablabla initrd.img
>
> On my own system that gives me that:
> ls -l /boot/vmlinuz
> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 44 23 févr. 13:44 /boot/vmlinuz ->
kernel-genkernel-x86_64-3.12.2-gentoo-virtio
>
> b - back into /boot/grub/grub.cfg, still modifying the "linux" line, replace
/boot/kernel-version by /boot/vmlinuz
>
> One some of my Debian there, initially a grub entry is:
> menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux, with Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64' --class debian
--class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
>         load_video
>         insmod gzio
>         insmod part_msdos
>         insmod ext2
>         set root='(hd0,msdos1)'
>         search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root
52a22bfb-be26-48eb-8345-7d813b8424b8
>         echo    'Loading Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64 ...'
>         linux   /vmlinuz-3.2.0-4-amd64 root=/dev/mapper/rootvg-rootlv ro  quiet
>         echo    'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
>         initrd  /initrd.img-3.2.0-4-amd64
> }
>
> Would become:
> menuentry 'Debian GNU/Linux' --class debian --class gnu-linux --class gnu
--class os {
>         load_video
>         insmod gzio
>         insmod part_msdos
>         insmod ext2
>         set root='(hd0,msdos1)'
>         search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root
52a22bfb-be26-48eb-8345-7d813b8424b8
>         echo    'Loading Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64 ...'
>         linux   /vmlinuz root=/dev/mapper/rootvg-rootlv ro  quiet
>         echo    'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
>         initrd  /initrd.img
> }
>
> Notes:
> - /vmlinuz is used rather than /boot/vmlinuz because I use separated /boot
partition.
>
> - I changed the menuentry name to remove kernel version, this entry as no
more reason to be changed again.
>
> 4) removing auto updte of grub.cfg:
>
> When grub-setup is launched it runs scripts in /etc/grub.d to create
> your new grub.cfg. It do that because the scripts inside that
> directory are executable. To avoid grub erasing your config, just do
> that:
>
> chmod -x /etc/grub.d/*
>
> So now you have:
>
> created the two links in /boot
>
> modified your /boot/grub/grub.cfg
>
> removed the executable bit on all files in /etc/grub.d
>
> you can launch "grub-install /dev/sda" if /dev/sda is really your disk : )


All that to change the kernel parameters?
You can easily o that (without breaking your package manager's grub
setup [1]) by editing GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT and GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX in
/etc/default/grub

HTH Ralf Mattes

[1] With your alterations, every time you install a new kernel you'd
have to manualy add it to your grub.cfg. Not fun, esp. if you forget to
do so after a security update ...

> 2014-06-05 13:38 GMT+02:00 Mathias Dufresne <mathias.dufresne at gmail.com>:
>
>
> Hi,
>
> You should look into Xorg's configuration rather than into Openbox's one.
Openbox is, for me, responsible of window management into X but not to switch
outside of X.
>
> As for Ctrl + Alt + Backspace, which is configured into keyboard section of
Xorg files.
>
> Perhaps you should have a look there:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1471825
>
> The title of this thread is: "no ctrl alt f1 ubuntu 10.04" and is tagged as
resolved.
>
> Cheers,
>
> mathias
>
> 2014-06-05 8:12 GMT+02:00 Mindaugas B <minde.b at gmail.com>:
>
>
> It looks at the end that it is related to startx not with openbox related.
>
> video card :
> 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Device 0be2 (rev 0b)
>
> consoles running:
>  805 tty4     Ss+    0:00 /sbin/getty -8 38400 tty4
>   809 tty5     Ss+    0:00 /sbin/getty -8 38400 tty5
>   814 tty2     Ss+    0:00 /sbin/getty -8 38400 tty2
>   816 tty3     Ss+    0:00 /sbin/getty -8 38400 tty3
>   818 tty6     Ss+    0:00 /sbin/getty -8 38400 tty6
>  1019 tty1     Ss+    0:00 /sbin/getty -8 38400 tty1
>  
> no /etc/inittab file
> but i have  default runlevel /etc/init/rc-sysinit.conf:
> ..
> env DEFAULT_RUNLEVEL=2
> ..
>
> also i use config in these files, this launch startx on tty8:
> /etc/init/tty8.conf
>
> contents of file tty8.conf:
> # tty8 - getty
> #
> # This service maintains a getty on tty8 from the point the system is
> # started until it is shut down again.
>
> start on stopped rc RUNLEVEL=[2345]
> stop on runlevel [!2345]
>
> respawn
> exec /bin/openvt -fwc8 -- /usr/bin/sudo -H -u user /usr/bin/startx
>
> in user profile folder there is .Xsession witch launch openbox
> #!/bin/sh
> # OPEN BOX STARTUP
> #
> # start idesk, icons on desktop
> /usr/bin/idesk &
>
> openbox
>
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>
>
>

--
 R. Mattes -
 Hochschule fuer Musik Freiburg
 rm at inm.mh-freiburg.de



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