Prevent kernel update from overwriting EFI boot order

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I have multiple Linux distributions installed and use the rEFInd boot manager. I set rEFInd accordingly in the EFI boot order (with the ‘efibootmgr’ command).
Every time there is a kernel package update in Tumbleweed this boot order is being overwritten and OpenSUSE put in as first in the boot order. Other distributions don’t do this.
Is there a configuration setting to prevent this behavior?

2

Are you sure it is kernel update and not grub2 update? Kernel update should just regenerate grub.cfg while grub2 reinstalls bootloader and it by default also puts boot menu entry in firmware. If you have evidence that it happens on kernel update, this sounds like a bug. Capture current “efibootmgr -v” output before kernel update, update kernel only, capture “efibootmgr -v” output after update.

Anyway, you can tell openSUSE to skip updating NVRAM by setting “UPDATE_NVRAM=no” in /etc/sysconfig/bootloader.

3

Thanks for the tip about NVRAM.
I will have a closer look next time there is an update.

4

I’ll agree with arvidjaar on this. Kernel updates do not do this. But grub2 updates and the occasional shim update do.

Also, the use of “UPDATE_NVRAM=no” does work.