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OpenBMC failures become much easier to solve when you identify the layer first: the BitBake build, BMC systemd startup, the managed host’s power and boot state, or the management network. Start with read-only evidence—target and revision, the failing task log, service and event state, and interface configuration—before rebooting, changing power, resetting networking, or loading an image.
Start by identifying the failure layer
“It will not boot” can describe several different faults. A build can fail before an image exists; the BMC can start only partially; the BMC can run while the attached server refuses to power on; or the host can power on but stop during firmware or operating-system boot. Network symptoms can affect management access without indicating a boot failure.
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| What you observe | Most useful first evidence | Risk of the first check |
|---|---|---|
| BitBake exits with an error | The failing recipe’s log.do_compile or log.do_install |
Read-only |
| BMC console never reaches normal services | systemd target and service state, plus BMC journal output | Read-only |
| BMC is reachable but the server will not power on | Host state, event log, and boot-block status | Read-only until a control action is chosen |
| Management access or name resolution fails | Actual interface name, address, NTP and DNS properties, and link state | Read-only |
| A new kernel must be tested without flashing | U-Boot network variables, TFTP reachability, image format, and load address | Image load and reboot can change runtime state |
Keep the machine target, board or SoC family, OpenBMC revision, and platform documentation beside you. The project’s distribution README describes the supported-machine information and the basic build flow at github.com/openbmc/openbmc. Commands and addresses in examples below are not universal defaults.
Build troubleshooting
Confirm the revision and machine target before compiling
OpenBMC images are target-specific. From a checked-out tree, the documented pattern is to source setup with the intended machine and then invoke BitBake:
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- Check out the OpenBMC revision required by your board’s platform documentation.
- From the repository root, run
source setup <machine>, replacing<machine>with the supported machine name. - Build the image with
bitbake obmc-phosphor-image.
The exact machine name, layers, and configuration depend on the board and revision. A successful compile does not prove that every platform feature is supported. The README warns that installing an image on an unsupported system can leave only basic functionality and rough edges; its example is cooling fans running continuously at full speed. Treat support status as a platform question, not as a build-result question.
Read the task log instead of the final BitBake summary
When a task fails, locate the work directory named in BitBake’s error output and open the log for that task. The OpenBMC cheatsheet gives these common paths:
build/tmp/work/<arch>/<recipe>/<version>/temp/log.do_compilebuild/tmp/work/<arch>/<recipe>/<version>/temp/log.do_install
Replace each bracketed component with the architecture, recipe, and version generated for your build. The compile log usually shows the compiler or source failure; the install log often exposes packaging, permissions, or destination problems. Search from the bottom upward for the first meaningful error, then inspect the surrounding command and environment. The last line of a BitBake run is often only the consequence of an earlier failure.
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Account for kernel recipe-name changes
Kernel-development instructions can become stale across revisions. The cheatsheet notes that Aspeed-based builds use the recipe name linux-aspeed after a referenced project change, while older examples may use linux-obmc. If a command cannot find a recipe, check the current layer metadata and revision-specific instructions rather than changing the name by guesswork.
Use QEMU or a target board deliberately
A build artifact can be exercised in an emulator or on hardware, but the result answers different questions. Emulation can validate image startup and software integration; it cannot prove that a board’s fan controller, GPIO wiring, flash layout, or power sequencing is correct. On hardware, confirm the image’s machine configuration and recovery path before replacing a known-good image.
Separate BMC startup from managed-host startup
What the BMC systemd targets mean
The OpenBMC systemd architecture describes initial BMC startup through default.target. Unless the kernel command line selects another target, Phosphor OpenBMC links this to multi-user.target. If the BMC itself is not reaching normal operation, inspect target and service dependencies rather than issuing host power commands. The architecture is documented at github.com/openbmc/docs/blob/master/architecture/openbmc-systemd.md.
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Starting the managed server is a separate path. [email protected] pulls in a minimum host-start target and the services required for the platform’s power-on sequence. A healthy BMC therefore does not guarantee a running host, and a host failure does not automatically mean that BMC systemd startup failed.
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The phosphor-logging design supports an optional boot-quiesce behavior. When that setting is enabled and a newly created log entry contains a qualifying hardware callout, the entry can prevent host power-on. This is conditional: it requires the setting and appropriate platform support, so not every power failure is a log-block condition.
Check the status with:
obmcutil listbootblockIf an entry is reported, follow the platform procedure to resolve the underlying hardware condition, then resolve or clear the corresponding log entry. Do not erase an event merely to make the power command succeed; clearing evidence without fixing the callout can hide a recurring fault. Event behavior and configuration details are described in the phosphor-logging README.
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Use host state and boot progress as context
The documented boot-progress design represents host states including Off, Running, Quiesced, and DiagnosticMode, along with boot-progress properties. It also explains mappings to Redfish status and the relationship to IPMI and PLDM. This is a design description, so verify the properties and values implemented by your OpenBMC revision and platform. A state of Quiesced, for example, is a clue to investigate a halt condition; it is not by itself a diagnosis. See System Boot Progress on OpenBMC, authored by Andrew Geissler, who notes: “The boot progress of an OpenBMC managed system is complex.”
Treat REST power operations as deliberate controls
The REST cheatsheet documents requests for host soft-off, hard-off, power-on, reboot, and log retrieval. These operations change power or runtime state, so authenticate correctly, confirm the target, and understand the effect before sending one. Use log and state retrieval first when the objective is diagnosis. The examples are collected at github.com/openbmc/docs/blob/master/REST-cheatsheet.md.
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Verify the deployed interface before changing properties
Network examples in the REST cheatsheet address properties beneath /xyz/openbmc_project/network/eth0, including NTP servers and name servers. That path is an example, not a guarantee that your system calls its interface eth0. Inspect the interfaces exposed by the running image and substitute the actual object path and supported properties. A different name, VLAN arrangement, or OpenBMC revision can make an otherwise correct request fail.
For each management-network incident, establish:
- Which physical or logical interface is connected and whether its link is up.
- The assigned address, prefix, gateway, and address family expected by the management network.
- Whether the failure is reachability, DNS resolution, or time synchronization.
- Whether the running revision supports the property or action you intend to call.
Change NTP and DNS settings cautiously
Use the REST property examples only after confirming the object path and authentication method for your image. A name-server change can affect hostname resolution immediately; an NTP change can affect certificate validation, event timestamps, and scheduled behavior. Record the previous values so you can restore them if the management session depends on the old configuration.
Reserve a network factory reset for a planned recovery
The REST cheatsheet also documents a factory-reset action for network settings. A reset can remove the address through which you are connected, so use an out-of-band console or a documented local recovery path first. Schedule the action when loss of remote access is acceptable, and have the target’s default-network behavior and reconfiguration steps available before triggering it.
Testing a kernel over TFTP without flashing
The OpenBMC cheatsheet describes a developer workflow for loading a generated FIT image into U-Boot over TFTP. It is a test procedure, not a universal recovery method. It assumes a compatible U-Boot, a reachable TFTP server, the correct image format, and a valid memory address for the target.
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- Open the target’s U-Boot console and set or verify the network variables. The example uses
ethaddr,ipaddr, andserverip. - Confirm that the server can reach the target and that firewalls permit TFTP.
- Use U-Boot’s
tftpcommand with the image path, then start it withbootm.
The cheatsheet’s example is for a Romulus target and includes a specific FIT-image path, sample IP addresses, and a load address. It also distinguishes load addresses for AST2600-era usage and AST2400. Do not copy those values to another board. A wrong address, incompatible image, or unreachable server can produce a misleading timeout or a failed boot.
A low-risk diagnostic sequence
- Write down scope: machine name, board or SoC, OpenBMC revision, symptom, and the last known-good image.
- Classify the layer: build task, BMC startup, host power/boot, or management network.
- Collect read-only evidence: the task log, systemd state, event and boot-block status, host state, or interface properties.
- Check revision-specific assumptions: recipe names, object paths, U-Boot support, FIT format, and memory addresses.
- Choose the least disruptive action: fix metadata or dependencies for a build; resolve a hardware callout for a boot block; use a power control only when its effect is understood; change network settings only with console or recovery access.
- Record the result: preserve logs, changed properties, image identifiers, and console output so a repeat failure can be compared accurately.
This sequence follows the evidence and risk differences among the documented OpenBMC workflows. A task log, service state, event entry, and interface property answer different questions; substituting one for another is a common reason troubleshooting stalls.
Common mistakes that make diagnosis harder
- Assuming a generic machine name: the build must use a supported target for the board.
- Reading only the BitBake summary: the recipe’s task log usually contains the actionable command and first error.
- Calling every power failure a BMC boot failure: BMC startup and host startup use different targets and evidence.
- Clearing logs before fixing the callout: a boot-block entry may be a safety response to a real hardware condition.
- Assuming every interface is
eth0: inspect the deployed network objects first. - Reusing TFTP addresses across boards: the documented Romulus and Aspeed values are target-specific.
- Treating design documentation as a universal implementation contract: verify host-state and boot-progress properties on the running revision.
Official documentation for the build flow, logs, kernel testing, and target caveats is maintained in the OpenBMC cheatsheet. There is no published statistic in these materials that establishes how often any particular failure occurs or how often a given remedy succeeds, so diagnosis should be based on the evidence from the affected target.
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