Fog freezes on boot at kernel_thread_helper

[thebrennan47]

Server

• FOG Version: 0.32
• OS: Ubuntu 12.04

Client

• Service Version:
• OS: Windows 7 and 10

Description

My hosts are currently freezing during the fog boot menu. I am trying to get the initial image uploaded but cannot got past the issue in the logs below. (I have added pics)

It freeze with the following log entries:

acpi_walk_namespace failed
Could not find Carillo Ranch MCM device
uvesafb: failed to execute /sbin/v86d
uvesafb: make sure that the v86d helper is installed and executed

The last line that it hangs afterwards is:
kernel_thread_helper+0x6/0x10

I am using Dell Optiplex 7040 as the host machine. Is this not compatible?

[george1421]

@thebrennan47 You my friend are running a very old version of FOG (6 years old) on a pretty new version of hardware (< 1 year).

Barring that, if the 7040 has an nvme disk you are out of luck trying to image with 0.30. Both FOG and the FOS kernel are too old. You may be able to use a more current FOS kernel, but then you will run into the issue that FOG 0.32 doesn’t understand the NVMe partition format. That understanding was added to FOG starting at version 1.3.0.

Recommendation, create a new FOG server using Ubuntu LTS 14.04, 16.04, or Centos 7 and then install FOG 1.4.1. Be prepared for a little learning curve getting 1.4.1 into your production environment, but the effort will be well worth it.

NVMe drive, GPT disk format, native Win10 support, current hardware support, faster image deploys, multicasting, and so on…

[thebrennan47]

This post is deleted!

[thebrennan47]

@george1421

We are not using NVMe or any SSD’s for that matter — so considering that would it be possible for us to stick with our current version of fog?

We want to avoid upsetting our production environment if at all possible

[Tom Elliott]

@thebrennan47 Then use a different kernel, but you are still on a very old version of FOG. I might suggest standing up a “test” server that you can run a test environment with 1.4.2 to get all the new goodies and features, as well as the bug fixes from 0.32.

You can try our latest kernel, though I’m not certain it will work or not.

mkdir /tftpboot/kernel/backup
mv /tftpboot/kernel/bzImage /tftpboot/kernel/backup/
wget https://fogproject.org/kernels/bzImage32 -O /tftpboot/kernel/bzImage

If that doesn’t work you may need a 4.4.0 kernel.

wget https://fogproject.org/kernels/Kernel.TomElliott.4.4.0.32 /tftpboot/kernel/bzImage

[george1421]

@thebrennan47 said in Fog freezes on boot at kernel_thread_helper:

We want to avoid upsetting our production environment if at all possible

I can understand your concern about not wanting to destabilize your environment.

But realize that the Windows 10 train is heading towards your environment very soon, so you WILL have to upgrade sooner or later. Also the 7040 is the last of the sky lake models the next generation are on kaby lake. Microsoft has intentionally crippled windows 7 to not run on kaby lake hardware (even though it ran fine earlier this year). So moving forward you will have to install win10 if you purchase new hardware. That day is coming. I’m only telling you what is coming down the road so you can plan for it.

As for ubuntu 12.04 that reached end of support in April of this year. So you will not receive any security updates for it if any are detected. That is also a pressure for you to upgrade.

The kernels that Tom posted about may work on the newer hardware, surely FOG 1.4.2’s kernels will run on that hardware. It might not integrate with FOG 0.3x very well, but it should run on the 7040 ok (I’m doing that today).