No keyboard, no boot ! Stuck on TrueNAS initial install on a working server.

[xpace]

Hi all the helpful people.

I'm new in this forum because I can't find solution anywhere on the net.

My setup :
Fully working server (new build) with TrueNAS SCALE-22 12.0
No server grade motherboard (that should NOT be an issue) - MSI MAG Z590 TORPEDO with 64GB RAM, Intel I5 11500 CPU
NVME drive Samsung 256GB(boot+system) + 4x 10TB WD RED Plus for data

All is working as expected, no issues whatsoever until I wanted to reboot without keyboard attached.
GRUB loaded the first time after KB detached in to BLUE menu with all the options BUT the 10 second countdown disappeared and didn't carry on in booting until I plugged in the KB and pressed ENTER.
After that, every attempt to reboot comes into BLACK and WHITE GRUB showing only TrueNAS Initial Install MENU with the recovery option as well and does NOT boot (phew :)

It's not a big issue, though I would prefer not to have the keyboard attached for various reasons.

I use Linux and FreeBSD for over 15 years on many computers that act like servers and never have experienced this issue before.

I appreciate all the help.
Thanks you

 

[jgreco]

No server grade motherboard (that should NOT be an issue)

Well, you might think that, but it isn't necessarily true. There are lots of boards that won't go anywhere if they can't find a video output or a keyboard input. The consumer grade desktop and gaming boards are particularly egregious because the target market for these is the $50-$100 desktop market, but it happens to others as well.

It sounds like you're making it further than the BIOS self test. If not, make sure you've gone into the BIOS and disabled the "Press F1 to continue on error" prompt; even many servers have this enabled. Beyond that, there are no consistent fixes, and you may need to talk to your mainboard's support people.

After that, every attempt to reboot comes into BLACK and WHITE GRUB showing only TrueNAS Initial Install MENU with the recovery option as well and does NOT boot (phew :)

I guess my question here would be, where's the initial install menu coming from? Have you removed the installer media? If not, do so.

 

[Ericloewe]

I use Linux and FreeBSD for over 15 years on many computers that act like servers and never have experienced this issue before.

I'm sure you've seen plenty of other stupid firmware bugs and quirks, surely enough to realize that

No server grade motherboard (that should NOT be an issue)

is a bridge too far for the typical firmware dev team. Not to say that server firmware devs are magically better, but their customers are more likely to get in a bad mood if their servers can't act like servers, when you compare them with MSI's team...

 

[xpace]

Thanks guys for your help.

Regarding the "no server grade motherboard" I'm sure you are correct and believe or not I expected this info as a big target but since I'm not a complete noob in this field and NEVER experienced anything like that I'm convinced this would not be a simple "non server grade motherboard" issue. Maybe this would be a particular model issue but not a gaming motherboard or MSI issue.
Why am I convinced? well I have another older MSI gaming motherboard where I installed TrueNAS and left it headless and didn't experience anything unusual.

I'm sure you've seen plenty of other stupid firmware bugs and quirks, surely enough to realize that

I have seen it possibly all but this "bug" seems to be very odd. What has got GRUB to do with keyboard ?

It sounds like you're making it further than the BIOS self test. If not, make sure you've gone into the BIOS and disabled the "Press F1 to continue on error" prompt; even many servers have this enabled. Beyond that, there are no consistent fixes, and you may need to talk to your mainboard's support people.

This BIOS doesn't have any options for keyboard F1 prompt nor any other keyboard related settings. That was my first thing to check but again I get into the GRUB so BIOS has no issue with NO KB not plugged in.

I guess my question here would be, where's the initial install menu coming from? Have you removed the installer media? If not, do so.

In the GRUB menu of TrueNAS (the blue one) you have few options, first 2 are normal TrueNAS startup and recovery option then you have TrueNAS initial setup with recovery option and then some settings.

What I'm getting is a black and white menu with only 2 options TrueNAS initial setup and the same with recovery

There is no installation media plugged in. I have installed it from USB stick which is no longer plugged in, so it looks like it's something built in.

PS: with keyboard plugged in, it behaves as it should. No issues whatsoever :)

Thank you for you help and time.

 

[jgreco]

What has got GRUB to do with keyboard ?

It opens the keyboard and reads from it, presumably.

The point for you to ponder is this: you've seen that lots of systems use GRUB as a loader. So if it is locking up during GRUB, is it TrueNAS at fault or is it something with GRUB or is it something with the BIOS not having an input device to hand off to GRUB? The latter two options seem more likely, and neither would be a TrueNAS issue.

 

[xpace]

It opens the keyboard and reads from it, presumably.

The point for you to ponder is this: you've seen that lots of systems use GRUB as a loader. So if it is locking up during GRUB, is it TrueNAS at fault or is it something with GRUB or is it something with the BIOS not having an input device to hand off to GRUB? The latter two options seem more likely, and neither would be a TrueNAS issue.

I agree with you and really don't want to blame TrueNAS but also I don't want to be targeted only because I don't use a server board as the other system was running fine.
Motherboard clearly post with whatever hardware is available, just GRUB misbehaves because it can't see keyboard.
Why GRUB misbehaves with TrueNAS when it is perfectly fine with Debian or Ubuntu server or many others ?
I'll be loading TrueNAS very soon on another gaming motherboard and see if it is OK without KB but one older machine already behaves normally.

There is still the other thing with GRUB. Why is it changing from a normal BLUE menu to Initial install black and white menu. It's caused by KB not plugged in and that's what worries me, I don't think it's got anything to do with motherboard even though it must have some instructions passed from the motherboard or something. Only god knows.

Anyway thanks for your help

 

[jgreco]

Why GRUB misbehaves with TrueNAS when it is perfectly fine with Debian or Ubuntu server or many others ?

Don't know. That's a great question if it's true (I'm not questioning your truthfulness but rather just allowing that there may be some weird factor we've failed to account for).

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

@xpace : Since discovering the boot issue, have you tried not running it headless?

 

[xpace]

@xpace : Since discovering the boot issue, have you tried not running it headless?

Really not sure what you mean. I've run it non headless for testing purposes for a while but when I have disconnected keyboard that's when the trouble started. Upon attaching the keyboard everything is running as it should.

 

[xpace]

Don't know. That's a great question if it's true (I'm not questioning your truthfulness but rather just allowing that there may be some weird factor we've failed to account for).

I'm not even blaming TrueNAS given that everything is running smoothly, I just have concerns with GRUB in this case which is very weird and I have never come across a problem like this before.

Thank you

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Really not sure what you mean. I've run it non headless for testing purposes for a while but when I have disconnected keyboard that's when the trouble started. Upon attaching the keyboard everything is running as it should.

That is the endpoint I was trying to get to. TrueNAS, and to a large degree GRUB, should run headless (no keyboard or monitor) without issue. If there's an itchy "something" happening in the background during boot something could perhaps want input.

I can't be of more help, though at least that verifies the keyboard being absent is an issue.

 

[Chris Moore]

I'm not a complete noob

Credentials? I don't think anyone said you were a noob, but if you have not tried to build a server using comodity hardware before, you are inexperienced in ths particular aspect of computer hardware. Over the decades I have been working in the computer industry, I have seen many systems that would not boot without a keyboard or monitor. It is actually more common than you might think...

 

[Chris Moore]

That is the endpoint I was trying to get to. TrueNAS, and to a large degree GRUB, should run headless (no keyboard or monitor) without issue. If there's an itchy "something" happening in the background during boot something could perhaps want input.

I can't be of more help, though at least that verifies the keyboard being absent is an issue.

The OP was asking about Scale, and I am not sure about it as it is a different OS but TrueNAS can run headless, no problem.

 

[adrianjpb]

PS: with keyboard plugged in, it behaves as it should. No issues whatsoever :)

Same here! looking foward for a solution! MSI MAG B560m Mortar

 

[Ericloewe]

The solution is, clearly, to steer well clear of gaming-focused motherboards. This is one of many reasons why such hardware is very clearly not recommended.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Same here! looking foward for a solution! MSI MAG B560m Mortar

The solution is to run it with a monitor attached and see what error it reports. Chances are it'll display:

ERROR: KEYBOARD NOT FOUND. PRESS F1 TO CONTINUE​

Generally that's a BIOS setting which needs to be turned off/disabled such as:

POST Behavior​

Keyboard Error Detection (near Numlock Enable)​

​

On ROG gaming mainboards disable:

Boot​

Boot Configuration​

Wait for F1 if errors​

(not having a keyboard will still cause an error but the system will boot)

 

[adrianjpb]

Stuck here! on the GNU GRUB.

 

[NugentS]

Suggestion: Get a wireless keyboard and plug the dongle in - you can put the keyboard away somewhere else where it can't be used with batteries removed.
Also, just in case a dummy HDMI/DP/VGA/Whatever plug for the video output makes the device think a monitor is plugged in

 

[lcraf]

I'm sorry to see the dog piling on the OP for the type of motherboard he's using, and almost no actual advice given. But I seem to be having the exact same issue on an MBD-X12SAE-5-0 which I believe is indeed, a "server grade" motherboard. Also it's the first time that I've run a board like this. I've always just run standard boards as servers and they've all booted up great headless. This mythical "server grade board" is the first one I've ever run, and seems to be the one having the issue.

So anyway, to repeat the OPs question, from a person with a "server grade motherboard" is there something that him and I can configure to allow our servers to boot past the grub screen without a keyboard plugged in? Could it be a bios setting causing the issue with grub? Or should we look more towards grub for a solution?

 

[Ericloewe]

But I seem to be having the exact same issue on an MBD-X12SAE-5-0 which I believe is indeed, a "server grade" motherboard.

It's not, it's a workstation board.

something that him and I can configure to allow our servers to boot past the grub screen without a keyboard plugged in? C

Have you tried the keyboard settings that are typically prominent in AMI setup menus? There is typically not much more to configure, so if that doesn't work, you would probably have really research and analyze this if you want to track it down.