36 lines
1.5 KiB
Markdown
36 lines
1.5 KiB
Markdown
Debugging Initial Setup can be tricky if what you need to work on relies on the
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system booting for the very first time, and can't be reproduced easily (or at
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all) from a regular session once the “real” initial setup has happened and the
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first user has been created.
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Examples of things you might want to do that can be especially tricky if you
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need to do them before creating the very first user:
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- Changing the default configuration of the system
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- Installing/updating packages to try something out
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- Getting logs from the journal
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- Getting a backtrace to debug a crash happening
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Here are some strategies that may be useful.
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## Force GDM to launch Initial Setup
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GDM is responsible for launching Initial Setup in a cut-down desktop session
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when no users exist on the system. Since GDM 3.26.1, you can force it to launch
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it even if users already exist by adding ` gnome.initial-setup=1` to the kernel
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command line. The exact method depends on your distribution, but in general terms:
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- Restart the computer
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- Force GRUB to display a boot menu (distro-dependent; try hitting `Escape` or
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holding `Shift` during boot)
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- Hit `e` to edit the default menu entry
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- Use the arrow keys to select the line beginning with `linux` or `linuxefi`
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- Hit `End`
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- Type ` gnome.initial-setup=1`
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- Hit `F10` to boot
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## Get a root shell before Initial Setup is complete
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Follow the steps above, but add ` systemd.debug_shell` to the end of the kernel
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command line. Hit `Ctrl + Alt + F9` to switch to VT9, where you should find a
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root shell awaiting you.
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