Bug 399703 – kernel should include EFI support

• Status: RESOLVED FIXED
• Product: Gentoo Release Media

[Description Justin Lecher (RETIRED) 2012-01-22 11:43:56 UTC]

It is very help full for installing gentoo on gpt + grub2 + uefi if one could load the efivars kernel module. Could the necessary EFI support be included in the kernel?

[Comment 1 Jorge Manuel B. S. Vicetto (RETIRED) 2012-01-22 17:11:02 UTC]

If you can explain what is needed, I'll add the necessary bits to the kernel config for amd64 / x86.

[Comment 2 Justin Lecher (RETIRED) 2012-01-24 10:41:15 UTC]

# general support
CONFIG_EFI=y
# GPT support
CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION=y
# interacting with UEFI from system, needed for bootmanager installation
CONFIG_EFI_VARS=y or m

Those settings allow the correct configuration of an (U)EFI + GPT + GRUB2 setup.

There are some more options which I didn't tested and in the moment consider unnecessary. Probably I will extend my request later.

[Comment 3 Rafał Mużyło 2012-06-21 13:16:22 UTC]

It would have helped a lot if those options were set - installing grub2 without them was painful (scarabeus' guide is a bit incomplete in this regard and without efivars neither grub2-install nor efibootmgr will work properly (or at all)).

[Comment 4 Robin Johnson 2012-07-17 05:38:42 UTC]

jlec:
the kernel options have been set in catalyst for since at least Jun 28 2011.
./weekly/kconfig/x86/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/x86/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_FB_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/x86/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI_VARS=m
./weekly/kconfig/x86/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION=y
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_FB_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI_VARS=m
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION=y
./weekly/kconfig/x86/installcd-2.6.38.config:CONFIG_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/x86/installcd-2.6.38.config:CONFIG_FB_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/x86/installcd-2.6.38.config:CONFIG_EFI_VARS=m
./weekly/kconfig/x86/installcd-2.6.38.config:CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION=y
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/installcd-2.6.38.config:CONFIG_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/installcd-2.6.38.config:CONFIG_FB_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/installcd-2.6.38.config:CONFIG_EFI_VARS=m
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/installcd-2.6.38.config:CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION=y
./weekly/kconfig/x86/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/x86/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_FB_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/x86/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI_VARS=m
./weekly/kconfig/x86/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION=y
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_FB_EFI=y
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI_VARS=m
./weekly/kconfig/amd64/admincd-3.2.config:CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION=y

I do see however that genkernel only had it for x86, and not amd64, so I've added it for amd64, it will be in the next genkernel release.

[Comment 5 Justin Lecher (RETIRED) 2012-07-17 07:52:44 UTC]

thanks robin, I will try it out sometime.