How-to fix an Alma9 appliance that boots to a GRUB console post 10.9.1 update

If your system falls into the GRUB console after an update and reboot, follow these steps to resolve the issue.

Step 1: Identify and set the boot partition as root

1. At the grub prompt, set the GRUB root: 

   search --label boot --set root

Step 2: Boot the System Manually

For UBs:

1. Enter the following commands, adjusting the boot device path as needed:

   linux /vmlinuz-5.14.0-503.14.1.el9_5.x86_64 root=/dev/sda2
   initrd /initramfs-5.14.0-503.14.1.el9_5.x86_64.img
   boot

For Gen10 Physical Systems:

1. Identify the appropriate root partition based on your appliance model:
   • 10002: /dev/nvme1n1p6
   • 10004-10012: /dev/md6
   • 10016-10024: /dev/sda7
   • 10032-100120: /dev/nvme0n1p3
2. Run the following commands, ensuring to populate <partition> with the above:

   linuxefi /vmlinuz-5.14.0-503.14.1.el9_5.x86_64 root=<partition>
   initrdefi /initramfs-5.14.0-503.14.1.el9_5.x86_64.img
   boot
   

Step 3: Use shell to rebuild initramfs and grub.cfg

Now that the system is booted into a proper shell, we can proceed with fixing the kernel using the following steps.

1. Assemble the RAID array:

   mdadm --assemble --scan
   

2. Mount the root partition:

   mount $(blkid -L root) /sysroot

3. Mount additional partitions:

   mount -t proc /proc /sysroot/proc
   mount --rbind /sys /sysroot/sys
   mount --rbind /dev /sysroot/dev
   mount --rbind /run /sysroot/run
   

4. Chroot into the system:

   chroot /sysroot
   

5. Mount all unmounted volumes

   mount -a

6. Rebuild initramfs and grub.cfg:

   dracut -f
   grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
   

7. Exit chroot and reboot:

   exit
   reboot

Step 4: Verify Fix

• If the system boots successfully, reboot multiple times to confirm the fix is persistent.
• If the system does NOT boot or the fix is not persistent, please engage with a senior Unitrends support resource.