[Bug 788298] Re: grub-reboot changes boot default permanently on Lucid LTS

[dann frazier]

** Description changed:

- Binary package hint: grub-pc
+ [Impact]
+ The grub-reboot manpage says it will "Set the default boot menu entry for GRUB, for the next boot only." But, that's a promise it cannot keep when GRUB cannot write to the environment block, such as when it is stored on Linux software RAID (md) or LVM devices. An administrator of such a system may expect grub-reboot to work as documented, only to find that their change is now permanent, requiring manual recovery. Users without console access may rely on grub-reboot to provide a mechanism for testing a possible-broken boot entry. If that entry causes the system to fail to boot, they may find their system unrecoverable.
  
- This is related to the following bug:
- https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/karmic/+source/grub2/+bug/497326
+ [Test Case]
+ Run grub-reboot on an impacted system and check for a warning and instructions on manually restoring the default. Also, check for a warning in the grub-reboot manpage.
  
- Opening a new bug since the aforementioned bug is related to Karmic.
- Although it was marked as "fixed" over 16 months ago, this feature still
- appears to be broken in Lucid LTS.
- 
- Ubuntu Release:  Ubuntu 10.04.2 LTS
- Architecture:  x86_64
- Package Version:  1.98-1ubuntu10
- 
- Steps taken:
- - Edited /etc/boot/default and changed "GRUB_DEFAULT=0" to "GRUB_DEFAULT=saved"
- - Used grub-reboot so that grub would reboot into Windows on the next boot only
- - Rebooted from Ubuntu
- - Windows booted as expected
- - Rebooted from Windows
- 
- Expected Results:
- - After rebooting from Windows, my grub default selection should be back to Ubuntu (or whatever it was before issuing grub-reboot) since grub-reboot is supposed to "set the default boot entry for GRUB, for the next boot only" as per the man page.
- 
- Actual Results:
- - Windows remains selected by default at the bootloader screen and boots.  Note that this prevents users from being able to reboot into Windows and back when they are accessing their machines remotely.
- 
- Additional Information:
- - The system I am experiencing this on is set up as follows:
- -   Ubuntu is installed on a Linux mdadm raid 1 mirror (/dev/sda1 and /dev/sdb1)
- -   Windows is installed on an Intel Raid 1 mirror (what would have been /dev/sdc and /dev/sdd are now /dev/mapper/isw_febcbhicb_Windows)
- 
- ProblemType: Bug
- DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
- Package: grub-pc 1.98-1ubuntu10
- ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-31.61-generic 2.6.32.32+drm33.14
- Uname: Linux 2.6.32-31-generic x86_64
- NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
- Architecture: amd64
- CheckboxSubmission: 60d09ed5715e10eba06ad43865289d68
- CheckboxSystem: f134069bba098730d27f59b402920826
- Date: Wed May 25 15:08:12 2011
- InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100427.1)
- ProcEnviron:
-  PATH=(custom, user)
-  LANG=en_CA.UTF-8
-  SHELL=/bin/bash
- SourcePackage: grub2
+ [Regression Risk]
+ This is a documentation change only. The documentation is emitted by (trivial) code, so a bug in that code could lead to unintentional functional changes.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/788298

Title:
  grub-reboot changes boot default permanently on Lucid LTS

Status in grub2 package in Ubuntu:
  In Progress
Status in grub2 source package in Bionic:
  In Progress

Bug description:
  [Impact]
  The grub-reboot manpage says it will "Set the default boot menu entry for GRUB, for the next boot only." But, that's a promise it cannot keep when GRUB cannot write to the environment block, such as when it is stored on Linux software RAID (md) or LVM devices. An administrator of such a system may expect grub-reboot to work as documented, only to find that their change is now permanent, requiring manual recovery. Users without console access may rely on grub-reboot to provide a mechanism for testing a possible-broken boot entry. If that entry causes the system to fail to boot, they may find their system unrecoverable.

  [Test Case]
  Run grub-reboot on an impacted system and check for a warning and instructions on manually restoring the default. Also, check for a warning in the grub-reboot manpage.

  [Regression Risk]
  This is a documentation change only. The documentation is emitted by (trivial) code, so a bug in that code could lead to unintentional functional changes.

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