Continuing to debug on QEMU it seems there is an incompatibility with the images and the peloader (which overrides the normal efi loader):
Thread 1 hit Breakpoint 3.2, grub_load_normal_mode () at ../../../grub-core/kern/main.c:241 241 in ../../../grub-core/kern/main.c (grub gdb) hbreak do_load_image Hardware assisted breakpoint 4 at 0x23bdf0e00: do_load_image. (2 locations) (grub gdb) c Continuing. add symbol table from file "bli.module" at .text_addr = 0x23ba772e0 .bss_addr = 0x0 .module_license_addr = 0x23ba7764a .data_addr = 0x0 .rodata.str1.1_addr = 0x23ba77560 .rodata_addr = 0x23ba77550 add symbol table from file "xen_boot.module" at .text_addr = 0x23bcef3c0 .bss_addr = 0x23bcf0370 .module_license_addr = 0x23bcf035e .data_addr = 0x0 .rodata.str1.1_addr = 0x23bcefff8 Thread 1 hit Breakpoint 4.1, do_load_image (boot_policy=0 '\000', parent_image_handle=0x23e889f18, file_path=0x237d1bce0, source_buffer=0x239f00000, source_size=1081352, image_handle=0x4766c498) at ../../../grub-core/loader/efi/peimage.c:745 warning: 745 ../../../grub-core/loader/efi/peimage.c: No such file or directory (grub gdb) hbreak grub_error Hardware assisted breakpoint 5 at 0x6db0: grub_error. (2 locations) (grub gdb) c Continuing. Thread 1 hit Breakpoint 4.2, 0x000000023bdf0e4c in do_load_image (boot_policy=<optimized out>, parent_image_handle=<optimized out>, image_handle=<optimized out>, source_size=<optimized out>, source_buffer=<optimized out>, file_path=<optimized out>) at ../../../grub-core/loader/efi/peimage.c:751 751 in ../../../grub-core/loader/efi/peimage.c (grub gdb) c Continuing. Thread 1 hit Breakpoint 5.2, grub_error (n=GRUB_ERR_BAD_OS, fmt=0x23bdf1703 "section inside header") at ../../../grub-core/kern/err.c:41 warning: 41 ../../../grub-core/kern/err.c: No such file or directory (grub gdb) bt #0 grub_error (n=GRUB_ERR_BAD_OS, fmt=0x23bdf1703 "section inside header") at ../../../grub-core/kern/err.c:41 #1 0x000000023bdf0e34 in do_load_image (boot_policy=<optimized out>, parent_image_handle=<optimized out>, file_path=<optimized out>, source_buffer=<optimized out>, source_size=<optimized out>, image_handle=<optimized out>) at ../../../grub-core/loader/efi/peimage.c:747 #2 0x000000023bedabdc in grub_arch_efi_linux_boot_image (addr=9561964544, size=1081352, args=0x23bbb8b00 "placeholder dom0_mem=4G,max:4G loglvl=all guest_loglvl=all no-real-mode edd=off") at ../../../grub-core/loader/efi/linux.c:210 #3 0x000000023bff41bc in grub_loader_boot () at ../../../grub-core/commands/boot.c:211 #4 grub_loader_boot () at ../../../grub-core/commands/boot.c:190 #5 0x000000023bf42158 in grub_command_execute (name=0x23bf4e72c "boot", argc=0, argv=0x0 <_start>) at ../../../include/grub/command.h:126 #6 grub_menu_execute_entry (entry=entry@entry=0x23bd17660, auto_boot=auto_boot@entry=0) at ../../../grub-core/normal/menu.c:306 #7 0x000000023bf41e2c in show_menu (autobooted=<optimized out>, nested=<optimized out>, menu=<optimized out>) at ../../../grub-core/normal/menu.c:925 #8 grub_show_menu (menu=menu@entry=0x23bd1a940, nested=nested@entry=1, autoboot=autoboot@entry=0) at ../../../grub-core/normal/menu.c:940 #9 0x000000023bf408a8 in grub_normal_execute (config=<optimized out>, nested=nested@entry=1, batch=batch@entry=0) at ../../../grub-core/normal/main.c:291 #10 0x000000023bf32260 in grub_cmd_source (cmd=<optimized out>, argc=1, args=0x23bd1fcc8) at ../../../grub-core/commands/configfile.c:48 #11 grub_cmd_source (cmd=<optimized out>, argc=<optimized out>, args=0x23bd1fcc8) at ../../../grub-core/commands/configfile.c:30 #12 0x000000023bf48d0c in grub_script_execute_cmdline (cmd=<optimized out>) at ../../../grub-core/script/execute.c:1034 #13 0x000000023bf478c0 in grub_script_execute_cmd (cmd=cmd@entry=0x23bd190c8) at ../../../grub-core/script/execute.c:819 #14 0x000000023bf4874c in grub_script_execute_cmdlist (list=<optimized out>) at ../../../grub-core/script/execute.c:1079 #15 0x000000023bf478c0 in grub_script_execute_cmd (cmd=<optimized out>) at ../../../grub-core/script/execute.c:819 #16 0x000000023bf489b4 in grub_script_execute (script=<optimized out>) at ../../../grub-core/script/execute.c:1191 #17 0x000000023bf497fc in grub_normal_parse_line (line=line@entry=0x23bd20060 "configfile $prefix/grub.cfg", getline=getline@entry=0x23bf40430 <read_config_file_getline>, getline_data=getline_data@entry=0x23bd20380) at ../../../grub-core/script/main.c:36 #18 0x000000023bf409a0 in read_config_file (config=0x23bd20780 "(hd0,gpt1)/EFI/debian/grub.cfg") at ../../../grub-core/normal/main.c:179 #19 grub_normal_execute (config=config@entry=0x23bd20780 "(hd0,gpt1)/EFI/debian/grub.cfg", nested=nested@entry=0, batch=batch@entry=0) at ../../../grub-core/normal/main.c:277 #20 0x000000023bf40ca4 in grub_enter_normal_mode (config=config@entry=0x23bd20780 "(hd0,gpt1)/EFI/debian/grub.cfg") at ../../../grub-core/normal/main.c:304 #21 0x000000023bf40da0 in grub_try_normal_prefix (prefix=0x23bd209a0 "(hd0,gpt1)/EFI/debian") at ../../../grub-core/normal/main.c:356 #22 0x000000023bf40ea0 in grub_try_normal (variable=0x23bf4e492 "fw_path") at ../../../grub-core/normal/main.c:407 #23 grub_cmd_normal (cmd=<optimized out>, argc=0, argv=<optimized out>) at ../../../grub-core/normal/main.c:421 #24 grub_cmd_normal (cmd=<optimized out>, argc=<optimized out>, argv=<optimized out>) at ../../../grub-core/normal/main.c:412 #25 0x000000023c018fb8 in grub_command_execute (name=0x23c01ec6e ")", argc=0, argv=0x0 <_start>) at ../../../include/grub/command.h:126 #26 grub_load_normal_mode () at ../../../grub-core/kern/main.c:247 #27 grub_main () at ../../../grub-core/kern/main.c:339 #28 0x000000023c5c02c8 in ?? () #29 0x000000023c62a000 in ?? () #30 0xafafafaf6c617470 in ?? () Backtrace stopped: previous frame identical to this frame (corrupt stack?) Is it possible to override the peloader or does the Xen image need to be prepared a certain way? -- Alex Bennée Virtualisation Tech Lead @ Linaro