Just to update, it looks like this is failing because booting a non-elf multiboot image is not yet supported by kexec.
-- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Kernel Packages, which is subscribed to kexec-tools in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1297316 Title: kexec doesn't load multiboot images Status in “kexec-tools” package in Ubuntu: New Bug description: kexec explictly (in --help and man page) reports to support multiboot format images. That doesn't work for at least some subset of seemingly proper multiboot images. For some context, the goal essentially the same as discussed at [1]. mbchk is from 'multiboot' package (built from source). Also note that 'qemu-system-x86_64' loads this multiboot image properly with 'qemu-system-x86_64 -kernel' $ dpkg-query --show kexec-tools kexec-tools 1:2.0.4-1ubuntu1 $ mbchk /boot/grub/i386-pc/core.img /boot/grub/i386-pc/core.img: The Multiboot header is found at the offset 2416. /boot/grub/i386-pc/core.img: Page alignment is turned off. /boot/grub/i386-pc/core.img: Memory information is turned off. /boot/grub/i386-pc/core.img: Address fields is turned on. /boot/grub/i386-pc/core.img: All checks passed. $ kexec --debug --type multiboot-x86 /boot/grub/i386-pc/core.img kernel: 0x1767010 kernel_size: 6315 MEMORY RANGES 0000000000000100-000000000009f000 (0) 000000000009f000-00000000000a0000 (1) 00000000000e7000-0000000000100000 (1) 0000000000100000-00000000bf760000 (0) 00000000bf76e000-00000000bf770000 (1) 00000000bf770000-00000000bf77e000 (2) 00000000bf77e000-00000000bf7d0000 (3) 00000000bf7d0000-00000000bf7e0000 (1) 00000000bf7ec000-00000000c0000000 (1) 00000000e0000000-00000000f0000000 (1) 00000000fee00000-00000000fee01000 (1) 00000000ffc00000-0000000100000000 (1) 0000000100000000-0000000c40000000 (0) Cannot determine the file type of /boot/grub/i386-pc/core.img -- [1] http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.linux.ubuntu.devel.discuss/14419 ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04 Package: kexec-tools 1:2.0.4-1ubuntu1 ProcVersionSignature: User Name 3.13.0-8.27-generic 3.13.2 Uname: Linux 3.13.0-8-generic x86_64 ApportVersion: 2.13.2-0ubuntu2 Architecture: amd64 Date: Tue Mar 25 14:00:01 2014 ProcEnviron: TERM=screen PATH=(custom, no user) XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set> LANG=en_US.UTF-8 SHELL=/bin/bash SourcePackage: kexec-tools UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install) To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/kexec-tools/+bug/1297316/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kernel-packages Post to : kernel-packages@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kernel-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp