Readable unicode kernel cmdline arguments

[avidseeker]

This command to create a Linux boot entry:

# efibootmgr --create --disk /dev/sda --part 1 -L LINUX --loader /vmlinuz-linux --unicode 'root=/dev/sda2 rw initrd=\initramfs-linux.img'

will output:

Boot0001* LINUX HD(1,GPT,<UUID>)/File(\vmlinuz-linux)root=/dev/sda2 rw initrd=\initramfs-linux.img

However, issuing efibootmgr again shows:

Boot0001* LINUX HD(1,GPT,<UUID>)/File(\vmlinuz-linux)72006f006f0074003d002f006400650076002f007300640061003200200072007700200069006e0069007400720064003d005c0069006e0069007400720061006d00660073002d006c0069006e00750078002e0069006d006700

which is an unreadable decoded format for the kernel cmdline.

[nabijaczleweli]

Mirroring downstream bug: https://bugs.debian.org/1055526

I want to say that previous versions of efibootmgr did something like

BootCurrent: 0005
Timeout: 1 seconds
BootOrder: 0005,0004,0001,0002,0003
Boot0001* UEFI:CD/DVD Drive     BBS(129,,0x0)
Boot0002* UEFI:Removable Device BBS(130,,0x0)
Boot0003* UEFI:Network Device   BBS(131,,0x0)
Boot0004* Debian GNU/Linux trixie/sid with Linux 6.1.0-7-amd64  HD(1,GPT,48520351-6c2c-4617-a8d1-f353b750ef98,0x800,0x76800)/File(\KLAPKI\731B69F0DAC147EFADFED92F12712736\6.1.0-7-AMD64\VMLINUZ-6.1.0-7-AMD64)i.n.i.t.r.d.=.\.k.l.a.p.k.i.\.7.3.1.b.6.9.f.0.d.a.c.1.4.7.e.f.a.d.f.e.d.9.2.f.1.2.7.1.2.7.3.6.\.6...1...0.-.7.-.a.m.d.6.4.\.i.n.i.t.r.d...i.m.g.-.6...1...0.-.7.-.a.m.d.6.4. .r.o.o.t.=.z.f.s.:.A.U.T.O. .f.b.c.o.n.=.r.o.t.a.t.e.:.3. .i.n.t.e.l._.i.o.m.m.u.=.o.n. .z.f.s...z.f.s._.a.r.c._.m.a.x.=.1.2.8.8.4.9.0.1.8.8.8. .q.u.i.e.t. .m.o.d.u.l.e...s.i.g._.e.n.f.o.r.c.e.=.1.
Boot0005* Debian GNU/Linux trixie/sid with Linux 6.1.0-9-amd64  HD(1,GPT,48520351-6c2c-4617-a8d1-f353b750ef98,0x800,0x76800)/File(\KLAPKI\731B69F0DAC147EFADFED92F12712736\6.1.0-9-AMD64\VMLINUZ-6.1.0-9-AMD64).i.n.i.t.r.d.=.\.k.l.a.p.k.i.\.7.3.1.b.6.9.f.0.d.a.c.1.4.7.e.f.a.d.f.e.d.9.2.f.1.2.7.1.2.7.3.6.\.6...1...0.-.9.-.a.m.d.6.4.\.i.n.i.t.r.d...i.m.g.-.6...1...0.-.9.-.a.m.d.6.4. .r.o.o.t.=.z.f.s.:.A.U.T.O. .f.b.c.o.n.=.r.o.t.a.t.e.:.3. .i.n.t.e.l._.i.o.m.m.u.=.o.n. .z.f.s...z.f.s._.a.r.c._.m.a.x.=.1.2.8.8.4.9.0.1.8.8.8. .q.u.i.e.t. .m.o.d.u.l.e...s.i.g._.e.n.f.o.r.c.e.=.1.

But 18-1 does

BootCurrent: 0005
Timeout: 1 seconds
BootOrder: 0005,0004,0001,0002,0003
Boot0001* UEFI:CD/DVD Drive     BBS(129,,0x0)
Boot0002* UEFI:Removable Device BBS(130,,0x0)
Boot0003* UEFI:Network Device   BBS(131,,0x0)
Boot0004* Debian GNU/Linux trixie/sid with Linux 6.1.0-7-amd64  HD(1,GPT,48520351-6c2c-4617-a8d1-f353b750ef98,0x800,0x76800)/File(\KLAPKI\731B69F0DAC147EFADFED92F12712736\6.1.0-7-AMD64\VMLINUZ-6.1.0-7-AMD64)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
Boot0005* Debian GNU/Linux trixie/sid with Linux 6.1.0-9-amd64  HD(1,GPT,48520351-6c2c-4617-a8d1-f353b750ef98,0x800,0x76800)/File(\KLAPKI\731B69F0DAC147EFADFED92F12712736\6.1.0-9-AMD64\VMLINUZ-6.1.0-9-AMD64)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

No flags are relevant, but -u, defined as

       -u | --unicode | --UCS-2
              Handle extra command line arguments as UCS-2 (default is ASCII).

somehow yields

BootCurrent: 0005
Timeout: 1 seconds
BootOrder: 0005,0004,0001,0002,0003
Boot0001* UEFI:CD/DVD Drive     BBS(129,,0x0)
Boot0002* UEFI:Removable Device BBS(130,,0x0)
Boot0003* UEFI:Network Device   BBS(131,,0x0)
Boot0004* Debian GNU/Linux trixie/sid with Linux 6.1.0-7-amd64  HD(1,GPT,48520351-6c2c-4617-a8d1-f353b750ef98,0x800,0x76800)/File(\KLAPKI\731B69F0DAC147EFADFED92F12712736\6.1.0-7-AMD64\VMLINUZ-6.1.0-7-AMD64)initrd=\klapki\731b69f0dac147efadfed92f12712736\6.1.0-7-amd64\initrd.img-6.1.0-7-amd64 root=zfs:AUTO fbcon=rotate:3 intel_iommu=on zfs.zfs_arc_max=12884901888 quiet module.sig_enforce=1
Boot0005* Debian GNU/Linux trixie/sid with Linux 6.1.0-9-amd64  HD(1,GPT,48520351-6c2c-4617-a8d1-f353b750ef98,0x800,0x76800)/File(\KLAPKI\731B69F0DAC147EFADFED92F12712736\6.1.0-9-AMD64\VMLINUZ-6.1.0-9-AMD64)initrd=\klapki\731b69f0dac147efadfed92f12712736\6.1.0-9-amd64\initrd.img-6.1.0-9-amd64 root=zfs:AUTO fbcon=rotate:3 intel_iommu=on zfs.zfs_arc_max=12884901888 quiet module.sig_enforce=1

so..?