Linux boot hanging after GRUB

grublinuxvmware-esx

Got an ESX server that's not booting after an array rebuild. Grub appears to be working properly, but I'm not getting any sort of response after the "boot" command. No error, no message, just a blinking cursor. I've rebuilt the initrd and run through the entire litany of esxcfg-boot commands. Any ideas? This is a production server, so any help is appreciated.

Best Answer

Those sort of symptoms are usually caused by an functional boot loader, but it can't find the kernel. I'll assume you've also tried to boot the ESX Recovery GRUB option and found it didn't work.

Given you've just rebuilt the array, I'd be concerned that the rebuild was destructive and hosed your box.

If it was rebuilt to replace a dead disk, it's unlikely, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility for a RAID card with bugs or another form of hardware stupidity. If it was rebuilt to change RAID levels, it's almost certain the array is hosed.

Try creating an ESXi USB stick and boot from that; you may be able to convince it to read your storage to see what's left on disk.

If your VM's and VMFS datastores are intact, you could use ESXi to run them until your next maintenance window, or reinstall ESX to restore full functionality (being very careful to not destroy your datastores).

Good luck.

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