Failure to boot after first update

Help and Support Vero 2
1

I have an issue with a brand new Vero 2 that has the same symptoms as described by Giubeca in this thread.

I powered it up OK last night, went through the usual configuration steps (WiFi, etc) and updated it via My OSMC. After installation of the update, it failed to boot with:

Waiting for root filesystem device /dev/vero-nand/root

displayed on the attached HDMI television. After some seconds, it also displayed:

FATAL ERROR: Could not find root filesystem /dev/vero-nand/root - if this is a USB install please check the USB drive is connected.
OSMC init ramfs Rescue Console
For help and support see http://osmc.tv/help
/#

I used the OSMC installer to generate a reinstallation SD card using a Kingston 32 GB card, placed the card into the Vero 2 and connected power. The Vero didnā€™t recognise the card and failed with the same messages about being unable to find the root filesystem.

I tried again today using two different Sandisk 8 GB cards with the same result. On checking the cards after each attempt to boot, I found that they still contained the two files filesystem.tar.xz and kernel.img, which I understand means that the Vero didnā€™t recognise the presence of the cards.

So Iā€™ve now tried three SD cards and the Vero ignores them. Iā€™d welcome suggestions on how to proceed. Is there a way of installing from USB or the network?

2

Update: Iā€™ve attached a USB keyboard, looked at dmesg and the kernel is indeed detecting the SD card:

normal card in
sd: new SDHC card at address e624 clock 19921875, 4-bit bus width
mmcblk0: sd:e624 SD08G 7.40 GiB
mmcblk0: p1

I can mount the card manually:

mkdir /mnt
mount -t vfat /dev/mmcblk0p1 /mnt

and look at the contents of the card. But I canā€™t persuade the Vero to do anything with the card on boot.

3

People often seem to have problems with kingston cards.
Try to reimage or a different card.

4

Hi

First and foremost, I recommend grabbing the latest 2016-09.1 image from the OSMC website. I updated it yesterday to ensure the filesystem was up to date.

I have created a new Wiki article as this question comes up from time to time. You should be able to follow these Wiki instructions with some success.

Sam

5

Thank you. Renaming ā€˜kernel.imgā€™ to ā€˜recovery.imgā€™ and using the toothpick trick worked: the Vero has reinstalled successfully.

Iā€™m unconvinced that the SD cards were to blame. Iā€™ve now tried 5 different SD cards from 4 different manufacturers. All work perfectly in a Raspberry Pi, all of them were detected by the Veroā€™s kernel (as shown by dmesg and mount, even the Kingston device!) but none of them enabled the Vero to re-install automatically.

If thereā€™s anything I can do to collect diagnostics on why the automatic boot fails, Iā€™d be happy to help.

6

Hi

I am glad you are now up and running again, do let me know if you run in to any problems.

Search results for 'Kingston SD card' - OSMC Forums will reveal that Kingston SD cards have had a problematic past, particularly on the Raspberry Pi. I do not believe that this was related to your problem however.

The Vero will not always attempt to boot from SD card, but renaming the file and using the non-conductive pin will force the device to search for a suitable kernel on external media.

Sam

7

Iā€™m afraid the saga continues. Having reinstalled and configured the Vero, I told it to reboot using the power menu. The screen went blank but it didnā€™t reboot. Waited a few minutes and power-cycled it. It failed to reboot with the usual message about failing to find the root filesystem.

Reinstalled again successfully using the toothpick method. Configured again. Told it to power down using the power menu. Went away for a good 5 minutes. Came back and power-cycled the device and it failed to boot with the usual dreaded message about failing to find the root filesystem.

I think I can simplify the fault description. Every single time it tries to reboot after the very first time, it fails to do so and needs a re-installation. Clearly, I canā€™t reinstall the device on every boot! More suggestions welcomed.

8

Are you definitely using the updated image from the website? Should be called OSMC_TGT_vero2_20161008.img.gz.

When you boot, SSH in and run sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade && sync and report back.

I assume you are just selecting ā€˜Rebootā€™ from the Kodi menu? shutdown -h and waiting for it to halt may rule out user error with pulling the plug too early.

Sam

9

I appreciate your prompt support, especially on a Sunday.

[quote=ā€œsam_nazarko, post:8, topic:19508ā€]
Are you definitely using the updated image from the website? Should be called OSMC_TGT_vero2_20161008.img.gz. [/quote]

Yes, Iā€™m certain that Iā€™m using this image.

Iā€™ve done that. Full output available if needed but the summary is:

Calculating upgrade... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Yes, I was selecting ā€˜Rebootā€™ from the Kodi menu. Iā€™m sure that Iā€™m leaving sufficient time for a normal shutdown before pulling the plug but, after the null update above, I did a ā€œshutdown -hā€ from a shell. The last two lines displayed on the monitor after this were:

[OK] Started Update UTMP about System Runlevel Changes
rpcbind: rpcbind terminating on signal - Restart with "rpcbind -w"

I left the Vero for a timed 10 mins, then pulled the power lead and replaced it. I was expecting the reboot to fail but it worked!

I again did a ā€œshutdown -hā€, waited another 10 mins, power-cycled and, this time, it failed once again with the ā€œCould not find root filesystemā€ message. Now on to re-installation number 5.

Iā€™m not sure what to make of all this but itā€™s extremely flaky on reboot. Itā€™s fine when itā€™s up but rebooting is like Russian Roulette.

Iā€™m sure this isnā€™t typical, so Iā€™m wondering if I have a faulty device. Just to pre-empt a possible question, I have no peripherals at all attached and Iā€™m using the supplied power supply and HDMI cable.

10

Can you confirm the Vero 2 is plugged in to the wall directly? No extension leads etc. I have seen this before where the device isnā€™t getting enough power, which can cause problems with corruption.

I also sent you a message with a potential firmware update.

11

Yes, the Vero 2 is plugged directly into a wall socket. Thanks for the new firmware which Iā€™ve installed successfully but the device still wonā€™t boot from SD without renaming the kernel and using the toothpick.

12

Hi,

i had the System 2016-08.1 till todayā€¦ Osmc tells me there i an update so i did it like all the updates beforeā€¦ updated successfully but after the Please stand By screen i get my boot screen and than it shows me the bad smiley and boots again all the time.

Is there a way to repair my device without losing all my movie collection and settings?

Thanks

13

You are reporting a completely different issue. Please create your own appropriately titled thread and provide a set of logs.

14

Thanks for providing remote access to your device. The NAND appears to be faulty, so we will issue you with a replacement unit.

Thanks

Sam

15

Iā€™d like to place on record my appreciation of all the work Sam did to diagnose this fault. Much of this was done by PM so isnā€™t visible in the thread but there was extensive communication backwards and forwards with instant responses to each new piece of information.

Having spent many years in professional unix support, both as a customer and supplier, I have to say that the level and quality of support provided by Sam is really exceptional.

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