upstart

Bug #522197
Comment #45

Comment 45 for bug 522197

Revision history for this message

michael brenden (mike-brenden) wrote on 2010-10-01:

#45

Removal of the "quiet splash" kernel options prevent Upstart from showing its graphical page...and prevent Upstart from showing the "press C to continue" (instead of fscking disks), 'press S to skip missing drive, M to drop to manual' and other key options. Upstart should show these options on the text screen, too, not just its goofy graphic screen. Most servers (and servers admins I know) always disable all graphics and go for rawest, simplest and most detailed possible text-only booting. The problem is, with Upstart, any problems anywhere in the boot process are not obviously visible (because no Upstart graphics screen to display the errors on), and we're left, usually, with something about ureadahead exiting with status 4, or something similar, that we then immediately google (with quotes), leading us to this page, where the authors and maintainers insist (correctly) that it is not their bug. This of course is infuriating, as infuriating as encountering totally non-helpful, mechanistic "customer service" reps, such as at a post office.

My solutions have been to (1) boot into grub, edit the kernel line, and re-add the "quiet splash" options, then rebooting. This turns on Upstart's graphics page, which can then show error messages and keyboard options for getting thru or around them, and getting to boot. I HATE that I can't easily and promptly get to a single user shell without Upstart graphic screen.

Solution (2) has been to install CDROM and boot into the live/recovery CD, and work on the system that way. Nothing has been uglier since old Fedora installs (and the primary reason I came to Ubuntu!) That I'm thinking of CentOS and RHEL and even Fedora again, because of this Upstart inanity, should throw up huge warning flags to key people at Ubuntu Inc. Clearly dozens have come here and even voiced complaints. Think of the tens of thousands of people who are likely having these problems but who say nothing, if they even get here. Think of the cost to humanity. And to the entire Ubuntu project. Upstart is much much bigger and far more important than butterfly wings proverbially whipping up a distant tsunami.

Solution (3) has been a re-install, and I've had to do this on two different servers. I'm curious to know how other people, particularly those experiencing graphic card problems, X problems, and other insidious problems, are able to cope with the blockade obstacle put in the way by Upstart.

It is absolutely inexcusable to be locked out from single user shell by Upstart or anything else. Does anyone disagree?

PLEASE -FIX- THIS BY SHOWING (AND ALLOWING) EVERYTHING IN TEXT WHEN UPSTART GRAPHICS ARE DISABLED.

Removal of the "quiet splash" kernel options prevent Upstart from showing its graphical page...and prevent Upstart from showing the "press C to continue" (instead of fscking disks), 'press S to skip missing drive, M to drop to manual' and other key options.  Upstart should show these options on the text screen, too, not just its goofy graphic screen.  Most servers (and servers admins I know) always disable all graphics and go for rawest, simplest and most detailed possible text-only booting.  The problem is, with Upstart, any problems anywhere in the boot process are not obviously visible (because no Upstart graphics screen to display the errors on), and we're left, usually, with something about ureadahead exiting with status 4, or something similar, that we then immediately google (with quotes), leading us to this page, where the authors and maintainers insist (correctly) that it is not their bug.  This of course is infuriating, as infuriating as encountering totally non-helpful, mechanistic "customer service" reps, such as at a post office.

My solutions have been to (1) boot into grub, edit the kernel line, and re-add the "quiet splash" options, then rebooting.  This turns on Upstart's graphics page, which can then show error messages and keyboard options for getting thru or around them, and getting to boot.  I HATE that I can't easily and promptly get to a single user shell without Upstart graphic screen.

Solution (2) has been to install CDROM and boot into the live/recovery CD, and work on the system that way.  Nothing has been uglier since old Fedora installs (and the primary reason I came to Ubuntu!)  That I'm thinking of CentOS and RHEL and even Fedora again, because of this Upstart inanity, should throw up huge warning flags to key people at Ubuntu Inc.  Clearly dozens have come here and even voiced complaints.  Think of the tens of thousands of people who are likely having these problems but who say nothing, if they even get here.  Think of the cost to humanity.  And to the entire Ubuntu project.  Upstart is much much bigger and far more important than butterfly wings proverbially whipping up a distant tsunami.

Solution (3) has been a re-install, and I've had to do this on two different servers.  I'm curious to know how other people, particularly those experiencing graphic card problems, X problems, and other insidious problems, are able to cope with the blockade obstacle put in the way by Upstart.

It is absolutely inexcusable to be locked out from single user shell by Upstart or anything else.  Does anyone disagree?

PLEASE -FIX- THIS BY SHOWING (AND ALLOWING) EVERYTHING IN TEXT WHEN UPSTART GRAPHICS ARE DISABLED.