Kernel update -> no longer bootable

[sadsadsad]

apt upgrade updated the kernel of Banana pro, according to symlinks in /boot from Updated 4.9.0-7 to 4.9.0-8. Now I only get "Starting Linux", which means that output is send to serial console not tty from what I read.

 

I read that I'd have edit uEnv.txt in order to solve the console issue and continue debugging the issue, but I cannot find this file anywhere on the partition.

 

I tried to revert boot.scr but this did not change anything. I probably could revert to the old kernel by changing the symlinks as well, but I would rather like to use the new kernel....

Edited February 22, 2019 by sadsadsad

[Tido]

Which Kernel did you use before ?

Debian or Ubuntu ?

[guidol]

uEnv.txt isnt available on a armbian-system (I think), because as I know armbian does use the 2 files

- /boot/boot.scr

and

- /boot/armbianEnv.txt

 

( did you read about teh uEnv.txt at http://linux-sunxi.org/UEnv.txt ?)

 

/boot/boot.scr isnt directly a editable file, because it seems to have a small binary header and then says also:
#
# Please edit /boot/armbianEnv.txt to set supported parameters
#
 

If you are using a armbian-system and do update via "apt update" then apt would do everything for you to set the new kernel active.

If you upgrade your armbian you should be able to get kernel 4.19.y.

See the images at:
https://www.armbian.com/banana-pi-pro/

[maiestro]

you may facing following kernel bug:

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=922478

 

as guidol already told, you should try upgrade to Kernel 4.19.y

 

 

[sadsadsad]

@tido I dont know, how to figure that out?

edit: Now I got it armbian bionic is bionic beaver Ubuntu and armbian Streatch is Debian Stretch. So I'm pretty sure that I have a debian kernel.

 

@guidol I did use apt upgrade and 4.9.0-8 was installed, but not fully configured as it seems. I don't think it is a problem to upgrade kernel to 4.19, but I'd really like to avoid creating the system from scratch.

 

I patched the .scr to use tty0 and now I see that it loops because the bootfile environment variable is not set. as it is not set within boot.scr, where is it set? I think there is no /boot/armbianEnv.txt but I cannot check right now.

 

@maiestro: oh dear. makes me afraid of more issues after solving the bootfile stuff...

 

 

[Igor]

18 hours ago, sadsadsad said:

So I'm pretty sure that I have a debian kernel.

Installing Debian kernel on Armbian (or pure Debian) is a very bad idea. This is (kernel wise) going back to 2017 or worse and proposed ideas won't help you.

Start from a clean Armbian (Debian or Ubuntu) build.

[sadsadsad]

I don't understand you, @Igor . I did not change a kernel myself, all I did was apt update. I was asked whether it is debian-based armbian or ubutun-based armbian, right? so I answered I'm pretty sure its debian. Starting with a clean Image again would mean a lot of work.

(Find out how to change serial console to screen output, figure out the correct keyboard layout, learn how to configure wifi again, install software again (not all of it was via apt) ). And all this because I did an apt update?!

[martinayotte]

23 minutes ago, sadsadsad said:

I don't understand you

According to all description provided earlier, most of us are confident than you didn't have an Armbian image earlier, such the presence of uEnv.txt, which doesn't exist in Armbian.

Even if it is tedious, it is always better to start with a clean image instead of doing upgrade (upgrade != update), keeping your old one intact on different SDCard, so you can revert easily in case of troubles...

 

[sadsadsad]

Reading more about it I think I had "debian armhf stretch" not "armbian stretch". I used armbian in the past, but like a year ago I switched to debian armhf for some reason I'm not sure I remember - maybe because armbian for Banana Pro was (and is) labled Support ended (EOS)

 

So I am sorry that I probably asked at the wrong place. I'm not sure now whether I should prefer an EOS armbian or a debian armhf?!

 

I really should improve my documentation regarding the Banana.

 

 

[Igor]

11 minutes ago, sadsadsad said:

armbian for Banana Pro was (and is) labled Support ended (EOS)

 

EOS support can't get you lower than Debian support.