Re: Boot stops at loader after build/install cycle

On Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 06:52:37PM +0200, Warner Losh wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 27, 2023, 6:49 PM bob prohaska <fbsd@www.zefox.net> wrote:
> 
> > For some time (months, I think) a Pi4 running -current
> > has been stopping at the loader prompt on first reboot
> > following a buildworld/buildkernel/installeverything
> > cycle. The system uses a USB mechanical disk, no microSD
> > and has never had trouble finding the disk.
> >
> > It seems to happen only on the first reboot, though
> > I'm not absolutely certain  since I haven't been
> > keeping notes.
> >
> > Is this intentional behavior?
> 
> No.  Should either always stop or never...

Shot in the dark: Bob, are you perhaps using serial console?

My rpi4b had behavior similar to what you described for a while after I
first got it; it was mostly pilot error: I am using serial console and
had neglected to setup /boot.config with the proper serial parameters
(e.g. "-Dh -S115200").

I think what was happening was a bit of leftover characters from my
serial console server was getting interpretted by loader, so it stopped.
I could always boot successfully from there, and a subsequent reboot
from the serial console consistently "just worked" also, presumably
because any stray characters and keystrokes on the line had cleared.

The clue for me was occasionally seeing a little ascii junk around the
login: prompt on console -- I typically don't see that.

Once I setup /boot.config the loader didn't get interrupted. This is all
with FreeBSD 13.1 from official arm64-aarch64-RPI image, fwiw, upgraded
from src buildworld ever since.

Cheers,
sr.