Bug#1089010: debian-installer: armhf cdrom initrd.gz does not set the selected keyboard layout

[Pascal Hambourg]

Package: debian-installer
Version: 20240914

After booting debian-testing-armhf-netinst.iso, I select the French
keyboard.
Expected outcome: French keyboard layout is set.
Observed outcome: default US keyboard layout remains.

Error message in /var/log/syslog:

ckbcomp-mini: /usr/share/console-setup/pc105.ekmap.gz does not exist

Indeed the armhf cdrom initrd.gz does not contain this file.
/usr/share/console-setup/pc105.ekmap.gz appears to be provided by
console-setup-pc-ekmap udeb. Looking at debian-installer source, I see
that console-setup-pc-ekmap is not listed in
build/pkg-lists/cdrom/armhf.cfg.

Conversely, the armhf hd-media initrd.gz correctly sets the selected
keyboard layout and contains /usr/share/console-setup/pc105.ekmap.gz.
console-setup-pc-ekmap is listed in build/pkg-lists/hd-media/armhf.cfg.

Note: build/pkg-lists/cdrom/arm64.cfg does not list
console-setup-pc-ekmap and arm64/cdrom/initrd.gz does not contain
/usr/share/console-setup/pc105.ekmap.gz either.

[Pascal Hambourg]

Control: tags -1 patch

<https://salsa.debian.org/installer-team/debian-installer/-/merge_requests/53>

[Franz Gratzer]

Post by Pascal Hambourg
tags -1 patch

Bug #1089010 [debian-installer] debian-installer: armhf cdrom
initrd.gz does not set the selected keyboard layout
Added tag(s) patch.

Sorry if I am wrong, but yesterday I installed Debian testing from the
GNOME live image and couldn't decrypt via LUKS afterwards because the
keymapping was probably in English despite me using the German keyboard
layout when I installed it.

Unfortunately, I used an "=" in my pass phrase and the key I need to
press on the keyboard to register this char on the English keyboard
layout didn't register when I needed to type it in while it worked as
intended when I tested it in the grub edit screen.

So I don't know what is going on there but at the LUKS pass phrase
prompt the keyboard seems to not even use the English layout. Or it
might even be a different layout. I can't tell because it only displays
stars.

My installation is somewhat uncommon too because I went for en_GB
locale with German (Austria) keyboard layout.

I'm not yet sure how I could resolve this. Due to the encryption on a
500 GB HDD it takes hours to install and if I want to use the system I
would like to set it up with the best encryption I could make.

[Franz Gratzer]

A few days ago I tried installing Debian testing on my laptop using the
then most recent official testing netboot image (20241203). I tried
several times with or without the graphical installer. Each time I
ended up with the error that the installer can't find a kernel to
install.

It offers to install without a kernel but an other user who actually
tried that ended up with an error he couldn't recover from later. We
discussed the issue in the Debian forum:
https://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?p=812436#p812436

What are we doing wrong?

[Pascal Hambourg]

[Please do not reply to an existing thread when posting about unrelated
topics, this one is about keyboard layout in armhf and arm64 cdrom
installer]

Post by Franz Gratzer
A few days ago I tried installing Debian testing on my laptop using the
then most recent official testing netboot image (20241203). I tried
several times with or without the graphical installer. Each time I
ended up with the error that the installer can't find a kernel to
install.

This is probably related with bug #1088605.
<https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1088605>

[Pascal Hambourg]

Post by Franz Gratzer
Sorry if I am wrong, but yesterday I installed Debian testing from the
GNOME live image and couldn't decrypt via LUKS afterwards because the
keymapping was probably in English despite me using the German keyboard
layout when I installed it.

There are no live images for armhf or arm64, so it cannot be related
with the bug report you are replying to.

Post by Franz Gratzer
Unfortunately, I used an "=" in my pass phrase and the key I need to
press on the keyboard to register this char on the English keyboard
layout didn't register when I needed to type it in while it worked as
intended when I tested it in the grub edit screen.
So I don't know what is going on there but at the LUKS pass phrase
prompt the keyboard seems to not even use the English layout. Or it
might even be a different layout. I can't tell because it only displays
stars.

At the GRUB menu, you can press "e" to edit the linux kernel command
line and add the "break" parameter before booting. This will launch the
initramfs shell so that you can check the keyboard layout and try to
open the LUKS volume manually with cryptsetup.

Post by Franz Gratzer
I'm not yet sure how I could resolve this. Due to the encryption on a
500 GB HDD it takes hours to install and if I want to use the system I
would like to set it up with the best encryption I could make.

If you reinstall over an unused encrypted installation you do not need
to erase the disk again.

[Debian Bug Tracking System]

tag -1 pending

Bug #1089010 [debian-installer] debian-installer: armhf cdrom initrd.gz does not set the selected keyboard layout
Added tag(s) pending.

[Debian Bug Tracking System]

Your message dated Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:04:26 +0000
with message-id <E1tRKJe-006Uul-***@fasolo.debian.org>
and subject line Bug#1089010: fixed in debian-installer 20241227
has caused the Debian Bug report #1089010,
regarding debian-installer: armhf cdrom initrd.gz does not set the selected keyboard layout
to be marked as done.

This means that you claim that the problem has been dealt with.
If this is not the case it is now your responsibility to reopen the
Bug report if necessary, and/or fix the problem forthwith.

(NB: If you are a system administrator and have no idea what this
message is talking about, this may indicate a serious mail system
misconfiguration somewhere. Please contact ***@bugs.debian.org
immediately.)

[Pascal Hambourg]

Control: found -1 20230607+deb12u9

Bug #1089010 in debian-installer reported by you has been fixed in the
Git repository and is awaiting an upload. You can see the commit
https://salsa.debian.org/installer-team/debian-installer/-/commit/f55672097926ea8138b70fb1cc0c9a06adbf4711
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Add console-setup-pc-ekmap for arm64 and armhf cdrom
This is needed for keyboard layout selection to be effective.
Closes: #1089010
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please consider backporting this fix to bookworm.

[Debian Bug Tracking System]

Post by Pascal Hambourg
found -1 20230607+deb12u9

Bug #1089010 {Done: Cyril Brulebois <***@debian.org>} [debian-installer] debian-installer: armhf cdrom initrd.gz does not set the selected keyboard layout
Marked as found in versions debian-installer/20230607+deb12u9.