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Date:      Fri, 31 May 2019 08:13:05 +0000
From:      bugzilla-noreply@freebsd.org
To:        bugs@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   [Bug 238257] zfsloader:  11.2-STABLE r345498 to r347183 update leaves unbootable system
Message-ID:  <bug-238257-227@https.bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/>

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https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=3D238257

            Bug ID: 238257
           Summary: zfsloader:  11.2-STABLE r345498 to r347183 update
                    leaves unbootable system
           Product: Base System
           Version: 11.2-STABLE
          Hardware: amd64
                OS: Any
            Status: New
          Severity: Affects Only Me
          Priority: ---
         Component: kern
          Assignee: bugs@FreeBSD.org
          Reporter: bennett@sdf.org
                CC: bennett@sdf.org

After installing the new r347183 kernel and rebooting, the new kernel appea=
red
to be working, so I proceeded to do the mergemaster -p -F, make installworl=
d,
mergemaster -F, reboot sequence.  After entering the GELI passphrase for the
boot pool primary device, I got a message beginning with "BTX" followed by
several lines of hexadecimal with spaces interspersed.  I got help from ano=
ther
subscriber to the freebsd-stable list, a suggestion to wait one second after
entering the GELI passphrase, then hit space.  This action resulted in a pr=
ompt
showing the path to the broken zfsloader and allowing entry of a different
path.  I entered the same with ".old" appended, and that got me a boot menu=
.=20
Once the system was running, I renamed the broken zfsloader to
zfsloader.bad.r347183 and renamed zfsloader.old to zfsloader and added a ha=
rd
link to it called zfsloader.good.r345498.  I then reactivated the r345498 b=
oot
environment and eventually, after further exploration, rebooted, so I am
currently back to running r345498.

Since reverting, I have continued to update my source tree, but have not
bothered to run a "make buildworld" because I have seen no further updates =
to
either loader or zfsloader from r347183 through r348441.  IOW, I cannot upd=
ate
my FreeBSD system any further until this bug is fixed unless I want to
implement a local addition to the updating procedure to add steps to reinst=
all
a working-but-outdated copy of zfsloader after the "make installworld" step=
 and
remember to do that without fail for every update.

For the unsuspecting, but affected, FreeBSD user, who may not know how to g=
et
the second-stage boot code to ask for a new path to a working boot loader (=
as I
did not), it would be unconscionable to release 11.3 before zfsloader is fi=
xed.
 I do not know whether loader is similarly broken.

I consider such a bug to be of a severity just less than critical because t=
here
is a way to get the system booted *provided* one knows the trick.  I have n=
ot
seen this trick documented anywhere, and I remain grateful to crahman Ta gm=
ail
for responding to my plea for help on the -stable list with the instructions
for that trick.  IMO, the trick should be included and *highlighted* in the
Handbook's instructions for updating from source.

--=20
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