[SOLVED] Help - Proxmox VE server fails boot after power outage

[cmonty14]

Hi,
after power outage I face this issue:
Proxmox VE server fails to boot.

I started Live-CD, mounted LVM-root and boot partition and chroot in the system.

However there are many commands not available, e.g.
ls
mount
pvs
...

I can install packages like coreutils, lvm2, ... but this does not solve the issue, means the commands still fail.

Then I tried to reinstall Grub2, but I cannot execute grub-install or grub-setup; again the commands are not available.

In my opinion there are 2 options:

• repair system
• install Proxmox VE on another disk and migrate all VMs and LXCs from old disk

Question:
Which steps can I perform to start repair the system?
Which steps must be performed to migrate all VMs and LXCs to new installation?

Please provide your recommendation.
Currently I would prefer system repair.

THX

 

[cmonty14]

Booting Debian 9 Live CD works with chroot.
Repairing grub fixed the boot issue.

 

[Faris Raouf]

For those of us with no experience of this....could you post further details please?

 

[cmonty14]

For those of us with no experience of this....could you post further details please?

What exactly do you mean?
More details about chroot into an existing OS?
Then you can read this.
Or do you need details for fixing Grub?
Then you can read this.

I strongly encourage you to search the internet for common scenarios in linux.

 

[Faris Raouf]

Thank you for the links. They are appreciated and useful.

But please can I ask that you look at my question from a different perspective?

Keeping in mind that communications through textual means strips emotional intent and can cause misunderstanding, especially if there are language, cultural and experience-level differences......

In your original post, you said
-----------------------------
I started Live-CD, mounted LVM-root and boot partition and chroot in the system.
However there are many commands not available, e.g.
ls
mount
pvs
...
I can install packages like coreutils, lvm2, ... but this does not solve the issue, means the commands still fail.
Then I tried to reinstall Grub2, but I cannot execute grub-install or grub-setup; again the commands are not available
-----------------------------

This is exactly the type of thing you are supposed to do to try to repair a problem like this, isn't it? Yet it did not work for you.

What I am trying to understand is why.

I know in a later post you then explained that you booted from a live CD and all was well. But you booted from a live CD initially. That's what is confusing me. What was different in your first attempt, which failed, compared to the second attempt?

Was the first LiveCD not Debian 9? Was it purely this difference that caused the problem?

 

[cmonty14]

Thank you for the links. They are appreciated and useful.

But please can I ask that you look at my question from a different perspective?

Keeping in mind that communications through textual means strips emotional intent and can cause misunderstanding, especially if there are language, cultural and experience-level differences......

In your original post, you said
-----------------------------
I started Live-CD, mounted LVM-root and boot partition and chroot in the system.
However there are many commands not available, e.g.
ls
mount
pvs
...
I can install packages like coreutils, lvm2, ... but this does not solve the issue, means the commands still fail.
Then I tried to reinstall Grub2, but I cannot execute grub-install or grub-setup; again the commands are not available
-----------------------------

This is exactly the type of thing you are supposed to do to try to repair a problem like this, isn't it? Yet it did not work for you.

What I am trying to understand is why.

I know in a later post you then explained that you booted from a live CD and all was well. But you booted from a live CD initially. That's what is confusing me. What was different in your first attempt, which failed, compared to the second attempt?

Was the first LiveCD not Debian 9? Was it purely this difference that caused the problem?

Initially I booted Arch Linux.
I used Arch Linux (in live mode) in the past successfully to repair systems that failed with a boot issue.
However, this obviously failed with Debian 9.
As a matter of fact, it will also fail if you boot Debian 10 Live CD.

This means there was a change / modification with the release change from Debian 9 to 10, and there is no general issue with using Arch Linux in live mode.

The lesson learned is this: use Debian 9 Live CD when trying to repair a Debian 9 and older system.

 

[gallophile21]

What exactly do you mean?
More details about chroot into an existing OS?
Then you can read this.
Or do you need details for fixing Grub?
Then you can read this.

I strongly encourage you to search the internet for common scenarios in linux.

Clearly this is not a common scenario if it is something that was so difficult for you that you had to make a post about it