Lab 10 — GRUB, Default Target, Recovery, Kernel Args
Target: rhcsa-node2 (the "server") · Time: 25 minutes · Reboot required: yes (twice)
> ⚠️ This lab touches the bootloader. Have your Proxmox console handy in case you lock yourself out. From ATLAS you can ssh root@192.168.4.100 'qm terminal 101' to get serial console.
Scenario
Tune the boot loader: set a permanent default boot target, add a persistent kernel argument, and rehearse the standard RHCSA root-password recovery flow.
Tasks
- Set the systemd default target to **multi-user.target** (no GUI).
- Add the persistent kernel argument **`systemd.show_status=true`** so boot messages stay visible. Regenerate the GRUB config and reboot to apply.
- Set the GRUB menu **timeout to 3 seconds** persistently.
- **Rehearse root password recovery** (one-shot, no graded artifact — but state your understanding by leaving a file `/root/RECOVERY-NOTES.txt` describing the steps in your own words). The grader checks the file exists and is non-trivial.
- Set a NEW root password — any non-empty value — using `passwd root`. The grader checks the password DB shows a recent change.
- Verify the system boots into multi-user (no graphical.target), that `cat /proc/cmdline` contains the kernel arg, and that the GRUB timeout is 3.
Grading
~/labs/lab10-boot-recovery/grader.sh