[SOLVED] Fujitsu Lifebook U728 + Devuan 4

nahkhiirmees · 2024-03-24 01:33:01

Internet connection works. Lvm works. Sudo works. And "su -" works too.
Soon it is time to install xorg and vbox and fix audio.

nahkhiirmees · 2024-03-24 02:00:29

... on the other hand, to be able to mount /home from encrypted lvm partition(that is not /) during boot means that initrd has to be modified ...

... but there is no need to modify initrd if there is only 1 big / -partition . No separate /home or swap or anything.

But right now i'm not going to start all over from scratch.

nahkhiirmees · 2024-03-24 04:31:53

https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/tr … ign.1.html "Sign an EFI boot image for use with secure boot."

So initrd:s aren't usually signed? Or usually shim doesn't care about those?

nahkhiirmees · 2024-03-25 03:00:15

Next step will be installing virtualbox.

nahkhiirmees · 2024-03-25 23:38:07

Fujitsu is now mostly working as supposed to. I have lightdm as display manager and xfce4 as desktop software. With those there's a small problem.
If i exit from xfce with "log out" , the display goes dark gray and nothing happens until i push power button.
On the other hand if i say "sudo /sbin/reboot" as normal user, the display also goes dark gray but the machine still reboots after some waiting.
What's going on?

I think i have read a post about that "hangs while rebooting/logging out"-problem but it takes some effort to find it...

Last edited by nahkhiirmees (2024-03-27 02:31:50)

GlennW · 2024-03-26 02:25:36

Hi, I saw this web artical on initrd and initramfs that may be informative in your case...

https://www.baeldung.com/linux/initrd-vs-initramfs

you might also check what services are running as something is probably waiting for a signal before the shutdown/reboot sequence can be finished.

btw, I usually use the login manager sddm for rebooting (I don't use sudo) or logging out and shutting down, but

when I'm stuck (with a frozen mouse), I ctrl-alt-F1-to-12 tty, depending on what is accessible and issue a ctrl-alt-del to reboot or

"shutdown -r now" if the console is already logged in. -r to reboot, or -h to halt.

imo, initramfs speeds up loading of kernel modules by not having to scan the devices before-hand, saving a few seconds.

The other thing I have come across is that after researching and configuring BT modules (and firmware) I could do

update-initramfs -u -k all

You should check this command so you know what it's doing...

and that saved a few more seconds and had the BT modules up and ready when the desktop started.

It also loaded all the module commands listed in /etc/module(s) files and directories (.d).

I gets like a custom kernel loading speed, but systems are so fast now-a-days you may not notice. Used to be I could make a cup of tea while waiting for a reboot... ymmv.

I hope this gives you something to look in to.

nahkhiirmees · 2024-03-26 18:27:17

From ~/.xession-errors if found rows with: "failed to execute child process /usr/bin/pm-is-supported" . So maybe there are package or 2 missing. Have to find which.

Edit. I have already tried ctr+alt+del, ctrl+alt+backspace. Didn't seem to do anything. Maybe i'll try again but somewhat i doubt that they help.

Last edited by nahkhiirmees (2024-03-26 18:29:59)

nahkhiirmees · 2024-03-26 18:34:35

I have used update-iniramfs and mkinitramfs before. Not sure that init{ramfs,rd} have something to do with that freezing problem.
But i'll return to that signing/verifying-subject soon.

It will be highly practical if it is only vmlinuz that needs to be signed (or verified during boot process).
On the other hand maybe initrd should be signed also.

Edit. question: can i brick my machine by experimenting with mokutil?
I think that PK and KEK should be left alone even if they can be changed.

Last edited by nahkhiirmees (2024-03-30 18:58:30)

nahkhiirmees · 2024-03-30 18:55:52

I'm worried that i have to re-install windows to Fujitsu so that i can get a proper EFI-partition back. Yuck.

Using w10 or ubuntu install disk is not necessary. Running grub-install with right parameters is enough as it should be.
Could also bypass reading /boot/efi/something/grub.cfg before going to /boot.

Last edited by nahkhiirmees (2024-03-30 19:06:13)

nahkhiirmees · 2024-06-22 13:44:53

Set a main passwd for the firmware.
Set passwd for ssd, disabled asking it later.
Enabled tpm, disabled secureboot.
Enabled booting for removable drives.
Enabled boot menu also.
Enabled that boot menu for all users, not just for admin.

And noticed that cannot boot from usb-dvd-drive if that ssd is disconnected.
It may have been a mistake to set that disk passwd. I suspect it to be the cause that firmware needs ssd before booting from optical.

In boot order optical is before ssd, but not the absolutely first, i think. Have to confirm if i get a chance.

E. Firmware version is 1.28 . The date of it is from december of 2022, i think. Suspect that date is when the firmware was updated, not the date when fujitsu published it.

Last edited by nahkhiirmees (2024-06-22 13:46:51)

zapper · 2024-06-24 21:56:06

UEFI is a glorified backdoor as it is now.

EFI might have been too, but UEFI is way more vulnerable.

Sad to say, but corporations be dumbasses.

nahkhiirmees · 2024-06-28 11:24:03

Now i think i have done 2 mistakes, if i want to boot from optical while no ssd connected.
FIrst was setting the ssd passwd. (Sometimes i wonder is that passwd about authentication, like in /etc/shadow, or about encryption like in cryptsetup ? )
Second was not removing those remains of previous installs from boot menu.

And then there were the 3rd mistake. Not quite sure if i can get to configuration_menu or boot_menu after that.
It would be easy if i could just make that machine somehow forget that it is supposed to access ssd before booting from optical.
But the first attempts at that have not been successful.

zapper · 2024-06-29 07:13:55

@nahkhiirmees did you do an advanced install or a regular one?

I never do advanced installs and I never have your problem. Although, its possible I am missing something.

delgado · 2024-06-29 09:28:53

nahkhiirmees wrote:

It would be easy if i could just make that machine somehow forget that it is supposed to access ssd before booting from optical.
But the first attempts at that have not been successful.

Did you try to reset the BIOS/(U)EFI settings to system default?
There should be a menu somewhere saying something like "load save defaults".

nahkhiirmees · 2024-07-21 14:33:30

I have tried many times, to get into the Fujitsu's UEFI configuration menu, to no avail. So i cannot reset to factory defaults.
It was a Big Mistake to disable the primary ssd. And also forgetting to do domething about those remains of previous install in that boot menu, that was a BIg Mistake too.

Found out the Hard Way that is not a proper way to enforce booting from optical disk.
It doesn't matter if that ssd is connected or not.

Now Lord Anubis is in need for a new host.

Last edited by nahkhiirmees (2024-07-21 14:34:45)

ralph.ronnquist · 2024-07-21 20:33:58

Possibly i you get the initial grub splash screen, you might try using E, C or ESC to enter grub command line and ther type "exit" and ENTER.

stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn · 2024-07-22 08:02:36

it appears you are not alone regarding Fujitsu difficulties. this is an old thread/post and doesn't seem to offer anything concrete but it might provide some additional insight(s) for troubleshooting:

https://forum.ts.fujitsu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=153314

if all else fails, you may want to see if you can get an original set of recovery media and attempt to do whatever methods and/or procedures are required for when recovering from a _factory-stock-original_ machine has a complete hard-drive failure.

please keep us posted on your efforts and hopefully success!

also wanted to update this post to advise that these Fujitsu webpages work for me as of the time of this post:

https://www.fujitsu.com/us/support/products/computing/server-storage/
https://support.ts.fujitsu.com/index.asp?ld=us

edited to ease readability.

Last edited by stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn (2024-07-26 07:23:03)

nahkhiirmees · 2024-07-27 16:48:54

That forum link seemed intresting.
The shop i bought Fujitsu from, told me to first try "push power button for x second"-trick which i already know from BIOS-machines.
The hopes were, that the settings which told to read from ssd before doing anything else, would go away. And maybe also those settings that say that the primary ssd is disabled.
That trick haven't worked. yet

Right after pushing powerbutton, F2 results in a beep and the screen goes from black ro dark gray. So the machine has noticed that i have pushed a key bot nothing else happens after that.
And F12 right after powerbutton results to a beep and dark gray screen also.

The next step would be to send that machine back to that shop. And it would take yet-to.-be-determined amount of money and time.
I'm between sixes and sevens, should i sent that machine back or not.

On the other hand, that old laptop will cease to work some day.

stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn · 2024-07-28 09:31:46

it is possible that your backlight either has failed or isn't turning on.
have experienced that with several laptops over the years.
your description of "screen goes from black to dark gray" supports this hypothesis.
it might be possible to shine a light source at the screen to read and navigate the menus/selections/etc.
we used flashlights but other concentrated/directed illumination might work also.

if it is a backlight failure then using an external monitor might be an answer depending on your particular usage.

keep us posted on your progress!

nahkhiirmees · 2024-07-28 19:09:21

Looks like i don't have a right kind of cable. So cannot test if Fujitsu's display is faulty or not.
On the other hand, the display was fine right before i mis-configured that firmware.

Edit. As you may already know, F2 after powerbutton should result a box where you could enter the firmware's admin passwd. After entering the right passwd there should be that configuration menu.
And F12 after powerbutton should give the boot menu, after entering the right hdd passwd.
But there's only a dark gray screen, barely noticeble difference from from completely black screen.

Don't have a support contract with Fujitsu so i should go through that shop. But they couldn't say how much time and money it would take to fix that machine.
(Or if it is possible to fix or not.)

Last edited by nahkhiirmees (2024-07-28 19:21:58)

nahkhiirmees · 2024-08-23 18:46:43

Found a cheap desktop and bought it. So , propably nothing is going to happen in this topic after this message.

E.

How should i configure the UEFI/BIOS before installation for example?

I think i have figured those out by now.
And also, no special options to boot prompt are necessary except maybe keyboard settings when using desktop live image.
But maybe that one is not meant for installing.

It is also a good idea to throw those memory cards and sticks into garbage bin and use optical discs and drives instead.

E2. that shop offered to diagnose that Fujitsu for a reasonable amount of money. But it is unclear how much resources it would take to actually fix it. Or is it possible to fix. So the path of least action seemed to be to buy a another machine.

Last edited by nahkhiirmees (2024-08-24 18:57:49)

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#51 2024-03-24 01:33:01

Re: [SOLVED] Fujitsu Lifebook U728 + Devuan 4

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Re: [SOLVED] Fujitsu Lifebook U728 + Devuan 4

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