Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 197032
kernel 2.6.17-1.2139_FC5smp /dev/nvram device reads only first 8192 bytes on IBM 7025-F50 machine
Last modified: 2009-06-10 02:26:06 EDT
Description of problem: When trying to use 'nvram' command or 'bootlist' command with various arguments (from ppc64-utils-0.9-12.2.1 package), following error is reported: [quote bootlist -r -m normal] /usr/sbin/nvram: WARNING: expected 28672 bytes, but only read 8192! [unquote] When kernel is booting, nvram size reported is not the same as actual size of /dev/nvram: [quote dmesg] CHRP nvram contains 28672 bytes [unquote] [quote wc -c /dev/nvram] 8192 /dev/nvram [unquote] Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): kernel-2.6.17-1.2139_FC5smp How reproducible: always Steps to Reproduce: 1. nvram --print-vpd 2. bootlist -r -m normal 3. Actual results: WARNING: expected 28672 bytes, but only read 8192! Expected results: 1. output VPD information 2. output current machine boot list Additional info: 1) 'nvsetenv' command from same package works fine (possibly environment is contained in first 8192 bytes of NVRAM) 2) Fedora Core 5 with all latest updates installed on IBM RS6000 7025-F50, 3GB RAM, 4xPowerPC604 332MHz CPUs. 'Stock' FC5 kernel has same problem, so do other distributions I have tried (SuSE, Debian), so looks like typical kernel issue.
A new kernel update has been released (Version: 2.6.18-1.2200.fc5) based upon a new upstream kernel release. Please retest against this new kernel, as a large number of patches go into each upstream release, possibly including changes that may address this problem. This bug has been placed in NEEDINFO state. Due to the large volume of inactive bugs in bugzilla, if this bug is still in this state in two weeks time, it will be closed. Should this bug still be relevant after this period, the reporter can reopen the bug at any time. Any other users on the Cc: list of this bug can request that the bug be reopened by adding a comment to the bug. In the last few updates, some users upgrading from FC4->FC5 have reported that installing a kernel update has left their systems unbootable. If you have been affected by this problem please check you only have one version of device-mapper & lvm2 installed. See bug 207474 for further details. If this bug is a problem preventing you from installing the release this version is filed against, please see bug 169613. If this bug has been fixed, but you are now experiencing a different problem, please file a separate bug for the new problem. Thank you.
New kernel version does not fix the issue with /dev/nvram: [quote] [root@f50 ~]# nvram --nvram-size=8192 -v --print-config=boot-device nvram: WARNING: expected 28672 bytes, but only read 8192! Segmentation fault [root@f50 ~]# uname -a Linux f50.mydomain.com 2.6.18-1.2200.fc5smp #1 SMP Sat Oct 14 17:52:41 EDT 2006 ppc ppc ppc GNU/Linux [unquote] Now I am suspecting that package ppc64-utils, containing 'nvram', 'bootlist', 'nvsetenv' and some other commands for NVRAM manipulation work only on 64-bit PowerPC platform machines with different NVRAM size, and not on PowerPC 604e found on IBM 7025-F50, B50 and similar machines. Alexey bozy@pisem.net
it's strange that it's expecting 28672 bytes when you're explicitly telling it that it's only 8k. Maybe this is a ppc64-utils bug. Leaving it sat as a kernel bug doesn't seem to be getting it any attention regardless, so reassigning & hoping for the best ;)
Can you test with ppc64-utils-0.11-1.fc7 from tomorrows rawhide which contains powerpc-utils (and -papr) 1.0.3.
Done that, installed rawhide ppc64-utils. Looks like same result: [root@f50 ~]# rpm -q ppc64-utils ppc64-utils-0.11-1.fc7 [root@f50 ~]# nvram --print-vpd nvram: WARNING: expected 28672 bytes, but only read 8192! Segmentation fault [root@f50 ~]# nvram --nvram-size=8192 --print-vpd nvram: WARNING: expected 28672 bytes, but only read 8192! Segmentation fault [root@f50 ~]# nvram --nvram-size=8192 --dump nvram: option `--dump' requires an argument [root@f50 ~]# nvram --nvram-size=8192 --dump 1 nvram: WARNING: expected 28672 bytes, but only read 8192! Segmentation fault [root@f50 ~]# bootlist -r -m normal /usr/sbin/nvram: WARNING: expected 28672 bytes, but only read 8192! [root@f50 ~]# hexdump -C /dev/nvram | head -10l 00000000 02 a2 00 80 69 62 6d 2c 65 72 72 2d 6c 6f 67 00 |....ibm,err-log.| 00000010 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................| .....skipped.... Contents of /dev/nvram did not change in newest kernel, so it should be utilities rather than kernel issue, you are right. Alex
User pnasrat@redhat.com's account has been closed
Fedora apologizes that these issues have not been resolved yet. We're sorry it's taken so long for your bug to be properly triaged and acted on. We appreciate the time you took to report this issue and want to make sure no important bugs slip through the cracks. If you're currently running a version of Fedora Core between 1 and 6, please note that Fedora no longer maintains these releases. We strongly encourage you to upgrade to a current Fedora release. In order to refocus our efforts as a project we are flagging all of the open bugs for releases which are no longer maintained and closing them. http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/LifeCycle/EOL If this bug is still open against Fedora Core 1 through 6, thirty days from now, it will be closed 'WONTFIX'. If you can reporduce this bug in the latest Fedora version, please change to the respective version. If you are unable to do this, please add a comment to this bug requesting the change. Thanks for your help, and we apologize again that we haven't handled these issues to this point. The process we are following is outlined here: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/BugZappers/F9CleanUp We will be following the process here: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/BugZappers/HouseKeeping to ensure this doesn't happen again. And if you'd like to join the bug triage team to help make things better, check out http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/BugZappers
I have checked this matter on Fedora 7 with latest kernel/ppc utilities updated as of 02/03/2008 and the matter is still the same - can read only 8192 bytes. FC8 and Rawhide kernels do not boot properly on 7025-F50 (due to, possibly, problem with LSI Logic SCSI driver - cannot recognize all SCSI devices on boot, rootfs not found) , therefore I cannot test them.
Changing version to '9' as part of upcoming Fedora 9 GA. More information and reason for this action is here: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/BugZappers/HouseKeeping
This message is a reminder that Fedora 9 is nearing its end of life. Approximately 30 (thirty) days from now Fedora will stop maintaining and issuing updates for Fedora 9. It is Fedora's policy to close all bug reports from releases that are no longer maintained. At that time this bug will be closed as WONTFIX if it remains open with a Fedora 'version' of '9'. Package Maintainer: If you wish for this bug to remain open because you plan to fix it in a currently maintained version, simply change the 'version' to a later Fedora version prior to Fedora 9's end of life. Bug Reporter: Thank you for reporting this issue and we are sorry that we may not be able to fix it before Fedora 9 is end of life. If you would still like to see this bug fixed and are able to reproduce it against a later version of Fedora please change the 'version' of this bug to the applicable version. If you are unable to change the version, please add a comment here and someone will do it for you. Although we aim to fix as many bugs as possible during every release's lifetime, sometimes those efforts are overtaken by events. Often a more recent Fedora release includes newer upstream software that fixes bugs or makes them obsolete. The process we are following is described here: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/BugZappers/HouseKeeping
I presume this cannot be fixed, as NVRAM size/layout on 32-bit machines like 7025-F50 is different from 64-bit machines. The part of package providing default boot list at installation time works fine.