[Solved] curiosity post - kernel-debug entries

[lightman47]

My fully updated RHEL 8 machine (just one of them) has a boot menu with the normal (3) kernels, but interspersed between those entries are duplicates - that contain "+debug". This happened once before during an update, but the 'duplicates' disappeared on a subsequent update. Not true this time - these entries have survived through several updates!

I'm not worried and the laptop functions correctly, but I am left wondering why the debug entries haven't 'gone away'. I don't need to get rid of them but as the subject says, I am curious why this is.

Thank you.

[TrevorH]

What's the content of /etc/default/grub

[lightman47]

Code: Select all

GRUB_TIMEOUT=5
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR="$(sed 's, release .*$,,g' /etc/system-release)"
GRUB_DEFAULT=saved
GRUB_DISABLE_SUBMENU=true
GRUB_TERMINAL_OUTPUT="console"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="crashkernel=auto resume=/dev/mapper/rhel-swap rd.lvm.lv=rhel/root rd.lvm.lv=rhel/swap rd.driver.blacklist=nouveau modprobe.blacklist=nouveau nvidia-drm.modeset=1"
GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY="true"
GRUB_ENABLE_BLSCFG=true

I might add that this is the only machine (of 5) in which this has happened.

[TrevorH]

I do remember tracking this down at some point in the past. Just got no idea what it was!

[jlehtone]

The content of /etc/default/grub tell grub2-mkconfig (and possibly some other programs) how to create grub.cfg (and those menu entries).

The GRUB_ENABLE_BLSCFG=true says that the menu entries are not inserted into the grub.cfg,
but added as separate files into /boot/loader/entries/

What I don't know is why (as in due to what setting) the additional debug entry gets added when kernel is installed.
When I look at 'dnf info kernel-debug-core', I get a feeling that the kernel-debug* packages might be involved.

[lightman47]

I know this is subject essentially 'dead' - but every time I start-up and see those debug entries, my brain just wants to solve this. Lately, I seem to remember choosing 'with debug info' somewhere - although I don't remember exactly WHERE. It may even have been during the initial installation.

It's my Dell G3 laptop and the only machine that's displaying the 'debug' choices. I 'rebuilt' it around that time due to a Windows SSD upgrade, and a RHEL HDD to SSD changeover.

The more I think about it, I'll bet it was a choice I made at install ...



"Oh, whatta dope I am"

[TrevorH]

https://www.vttoth.com/CMS/technical-no ... -grub2-cfg

[lightman47]

Apologies for not getting back here after immediately checking that out. No-go.

However, an hour ago I discovered: /etc/dnf/plugins/debuginfo-install.conf. I commented out the default and entered enabled=0. We'll see what happens at the next kernel release!

Code: Select all

[main]
#enabled=1
enabled=0
autoupdate=0

[TrevorH]

Did you check /etc/sysconfig/kernel like my previous post said?

[lightman47]

That's exactly what I did. There was no such entry, so I added "MAKEDEBUG=no" - hoping that might work ...